What have I learned in 2020 ….

It’s been 3 years since I have blogged. I know I am long over due for one. I will say I am surprised that people have still made comments since I launched the book 10 years ago and people have shared similar thoughts. I do appreciate everyone that has come and visited the site. Anyways, I never imagine by 2020 there would a global pandemic. I am sure everyone will remember where they were when the shutdown happened for their location. For me, it was the day after my birthday in March when the shutdown all began. At first, everyone was extremely scared, but over time society has developed pandemic fatigue. We can see in the numbers that are being published that cases are climbing for the second wave at time of this blog post. Of course, there is a lot of sadness that has occurred with the deaths of over 1 Million+ globally1.

A lot of people have tried to guess when we will get back to normal. If you look back at the Spanish Flu2, it took 2 years from 1918-1920. That would be my best guess for normalcy because history tends to repeat itself. We anticipate we will have vaccines for COVID-19 by December, but it won’t reach the population until the middle of 2021 at the earliest due to the requirements of the vaccine. That’s why it’s important to keep your Fitness up (health) because if you get sick there might not be a full-proof way to treat you.

Where do we go from here?

There is only one place we can go…. forward. It’s going to be hard for many people if they have lost a loved one, but I am sure their loved ones would want them to move forward. I wish I can say things will be ok, but I really don’t know and that’s where Faith comes in. Faith that things will get better even though there is hurt, pain, and suffering from this pandemic. But you have to keep going. We have to remember our ancestor’s survival The Black Plague, Spanish Flu, and many other things throughout history. We will too survive!

Remember to hug your Family and Friends

Remember to hug your family and friends if even virtually.

What I realized I missed the most during 2020 was simply getting a chance to really spend quality time with my Family and Friends. We really don’t know when it will be our last time seeing them or spending time. If you are able to safely, remember to give them a hug. I think there are many benefits from hugging ranging from distressing to regenerating muscles3.

Thoughts on finances for 2020

During the past year, it’s been a struggle for many families since they could not work because of the restrictions. I have put together some links for us here:

https://www.usa.gov/help-with-bills
https://www.usa.gov/disaster-help-food-housing-bills

But you can do a quick google search to see if there are locate programs available in your area. Don’t be shy asking for help financially. The worst that can happen is that people will say no. But remember you got to put food on the table for yourself and family and people out there will help!

Last Thoughts to close out 2020

Again I know 2020 was not easy for many and myself, but we must keep on going. I will try to write more post as time permits.

References:

(1)Current MORTALITY ANALYSES:
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

(2)Spanish Flu Info:
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-pandemic-history.htm

(3) https://www.happify.com/hd/8-reasons-why-you-need-at-least-8-hugs-a-day/

Posted in Faith, Family, Finance, Fitness, Friends | Leave a comment

Focus on Meal Plans

Hello Five F’s Community!

I have been struggling with the Fitness portion of a balance life. I am planning on trying out the different meal plans available. From what I read, the goal is to get down to a health 1,200 calorie in take then. But it’s important to not go crazy with diet. When I use to live in France, the key part was portion control and eating fresh. Living in the U.S., I have grown accustom to fast food.

Does the community have any favorite meal prep plans?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Happy New Year 2017

Hello Five F’s Community,

I have taken a long hiatus due to personal reason. But I am finally getting back to it. I received a lot of encouragement to write. We definitely need it now because of what we hear in the news of political tumors, global injustice, and natural disasters.

One thing I have learn over and over again is this. Don’t worry about things you can’t change. Focus on things you can change. That is really the key message of the Five’s F community. You need to start with yourself first.

To get things moving for you guys. I have listed a few great TED Talks for you below:

https://www.ted.com/playlists/217/talks_to_inspire_new_year_s_re

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

It’s about the quality of your life not the quantity, but why not have both?

3 Things I am happy about:

  • Air conditioning on a hot summer day
  • Swimming in the Pool
  • Company actually honoring warranty

I was watching this TED talk about how to live 100+.  It’s pretty good. Basically, you have 3 of the 5 F’s in it (Fitness, Family, & Friends).  I know the age old saying it’s all about the quality of life, but if you can have both quantity and quality why not go for it?

I would encourage people to watch it.

On a side note, I am going to start upgrading the site  =)

Posted in Family, Fitness, Friends | 4 Comments

F: Fitness => Just Do It

3 Things I am happy about:

  • Opportunity to grow and challenge myself
  • Amazon Kindle to deliver e-books wirelessly
  • Technology to make my life easier (I hope)

Short blog today. I saw an inspiring video about weight lost. If someone can loose 370 lbs (see video), I can sure loose just 20 lbs! I am looking for ways to reduce my sweet tooth now!

 

Posted in Fitness | Leave a comment

Random Act of Kindness

3 Things I am happy about:

  • Ability to go help a random person
  • Turning ideas into dreams
  • Having friends hook you up with free tickets

I am going to focus on the topic of random act of kindness because we can all do this no matter where we are in our lives. If you just try to help someone out, you will definitely feel great about yourself .  We are made to help each other.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Life is too short not to go for your dreams

3 Things I am happy about:

  • Having a great family that comes visit me
  • Going to the beach with my friends
  • Knowing that there is more to life than work

I am going to keep this simple tonight…It’s important to keep going regardless of whatever happens in your life. You must have grit. Grit to push through life challenges.

I have been M.I.A. due to school and regular work. But I have recognized my true calling now.

Everyone, we all need to think about what our life purpose is if you wake up too many days not knowing what to do with it…

Posted in Faith, Friends | 1 Comment

Spring 2013

3 Things I am happy about:

  • Dodgeball Trampoline
  • Movies
  • Internet

Spring has finally arrived in Nashville. Every Spring reminds me of Spring outings,  outdoor activities, and trips.

Not a lot to write today, but found this quote:

The beauty of life is, while we can’t undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and CHANGE! =)

Thought this post was interesting too….

Posted in Fitness | Leave a comment

Having problems keeping your 2013 Resolutions?

3 Things I am happy about:

  • Amazon – I get to buy gifts and send them directly and track it for presents
  • Friends to celebrate the New Years with =)
  • Heating inside my house; AC during summer time of course!

A lot of people including myself have challenges with keeping their NYE resolutions. We have the best intent, but are horrible at the execution. The easy answer is try harder, but the truth is we must convince ourselves that our goals are doable and let ourselves fail in order to get back up. I know my readers out there needs some steps….

Here is an article that I found and will use…

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505144_162-57349898/7-ways-to-keep-your-new-years-resolutions/

Best of Luck to Everyone for 2013 and their resolutions!

Posted in Faith, Family, Finance, Fitness, Friends | Leave a comment

Heading to 2013 New Years after Xmas!

3 Things I am happy about:

  • Watching Xmas movies with Family
  • Warm Weather
  • Dinner with Family & Friends

Every year I go visit my family and friends for the holidays in South Florida. I have notice every year that the focus tends to be more on gifts than recognizing why we celebrate Christmas.  Of course, I had to look up the history of Christmas (Xmas for short).

Here is some info on Xmas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

Regardless of what you believe in, the holidays are the best time to catch up with family and friends over dinner or activities.  For example, I will be taking my sister go-kart racing. It’s always a blast to speed on a race track.

On my last note for this entry. Check out this TED video on having less stuff that will make you happier.

As always, it is the people you meet, the books you read, and resources you spend your time on that will tell you where you are heading in life.

Posted in Faith, Family, Finance, Friends | Leave a comment