Today’s prompt for JusJoJan is the same as for Stream of Consciousness Saturday and the prompt is Just Do It.

I love today’s prompt because it is something that I say quite often. Don’t dilly-dally. Don’t argue. Don’t overthink it. Make a decision and Just Do It! 

There are a few people in my life who just can’t make decisions about what they should do, when they should do it, how they should do it or whether they should do it. I try to be supportive and to give advice and encouragement about choosing the right path. But, seriously, you cannot decide for somebody else. The final decision must be theirs. 

Should you or should you not jump off a high cliff into a deep river? Do it if you’re young and adventurous. Don’t if it might give you a heart attack! Believe me, if you’re young and fit you will not regret it even if you are terrified to do it in the first place! I am speaking both literally and figuratively here. Many decisions about what to do can be like jumping off a cliff. But think of the exhilarating feeling you will get and the adventures you will have if you just take a chance and go for it!

Don’t make an excuse not to do something, just in case it might go wrong. Seriously it might go very right but you’ll never know unless you just do it. If it goes wrong you will have learned from an adventure along the path of life. 

Looking back on my life, I am glad for the Just Do It decisions I made. I have no regrets – some of those things were very wrong but most were just perfect. 

This week pensitivy101 asks the following questions.

1.  If you can, how often do you exercise every week?

I have had a break from regular exercise recently. My excuses include – a foot injury, too wet to walk, too windy to walk, too cold to walk, and at my age why should I! But the time for excuses is over. My foot is better and the weather has improved. I just have to get myself motivated and return to walking an hour a day every day! And when the weather is awful, I have an aerobics video that I can do. NO MORE EXCUSES!

2.  Do you belong, or have you ever belonged, to a gym?

Yes, I belonged to a gym for many years – and I did go regularly.

3.  Do you prefer to exercise alone or in a group (ie. aerobics)

Before I joined a gym with a variety of treadmills and other exercise machines, I used to go to aerobic classes. After that, I exercised on my own at the gym. I also for many years had a running partner but sometimes our schedules did not allow for us to run together so I would run with my dog or alone. When we moved to Struisbaai and there was no gym I followed a program at home that I’d done with a personal trainer. I don’t do that anymore. Instead, I do a bit of yoga and I walk, usually on my own.

4.  Do you enjoy it or feel it’s something you ought to do?

Both. I feel it is important to exercise and I certainly enjoy it once I’m in the routine of it. When I was younger I would go out for a run regardless of the weather but now that I’m older I don’t feel that strongly about it!

Gratitude

I love the above meme and I am grateful that I am in good health and can indeed live in the moment and enjoy what each day brings.

This week’s challenge is in memory of Melanie (Sparks from a Combustible Mind) who used to host SYW. It was the last challenge she posted before Di (pensitivity101) took over in August 2022. Sadly Melanie died a year ago and Di has asked us to answer these questions in her memory. My answers are similar to those answered on 1 August 2022.

Do you ever feel more excited about getting the package in the mail, rather than the item that’s in it?

Receiving anything in the mail is a rare and exciting event in my neck of the woods. There is no postal service anywhere near us and so we rely on courier services.

The courier who delivers my orders from afar also gets a very warm welcome when he rings my doorbell.

What is the difference between your ideal self and your real self?  (i.e. what attribute or physical feature would allow you feel the ideal ‘you’?)

The difference between my ideal self and the real me is enormous. I am always somewhat surprised to look in the mirror and see an old lady instead of a gorgeous young girl with bouncy blond hair, sparkly eyes and clear unblemished skin! Sigh – the hair is dry and grey, the eyes dull green and the skin all wrinkly and marked with age spots. At school one day, one of the kiddies in my class asked me how old I was. When I answered that I was 21, he said, “My aunty is 21 and she doesn’t have crinkles!” To be honest, I have never looked in the mirror and seen the perfect me because she has never existed. So losing my looks has not been too much of a disappointment. I actually prefer my older self to my younger one. The striving to be perfect is over – now what you see is what you get – take it or leave it!

If you found $2,000 on the ground and there were no witnesses, what would you do with it?

Here is what I answered last year “I would certainly try to find the owner. Firstly, I would report my find to the police station and give my details. I would not hand the cash over. I am pretty confident that most of the officers at our local station are honest but one can never be too sure! Secondly, I would advertise on the group page that most residents of my town subscribe to. The one who can tell me how much I picked up will get it. If nobody comes to collect it then I’ll know I’m meant to keep it!“

Well, recently I actually had an experience like this. I found R800 lying on the floor in a shop. Somebody had clearly dropped it. It was a coffee/gift shop. I asked everybody around if they’d dropped the cash. Nobody had. So I gave it to the cashier and told her that if nobody came to claim it she was to share it with the other members of staff. I never found out whether it was claimed or not. So you never know what you will do until it actually happens to you.

Are you ever morally obliged to take action? Under what circumstances?

I pretty much believe that we should live and let live but there are certain times when as responsible citizens we should take action. We would all certainly report criminal activity that we see but do we pay attention to the clues of domestic abuse or pedophilia? If we do we should certainly take action.

When travelling in game reserves I become quite annoyed if I see people feeding the wildlife. I don’t hesitate to explain to them that this is signing the animal’s death warrant. Most of them are ignorant of the rules and grateful to learn that their ‘kindness’ is actually wrong. Others show me what their middle finger looks like.

GRATITUDE SECTION
Please feel free to share how last week went for you.   Bright or not-so-bright spots?

For the eight years that I have lived in my current home, I have done without a dishwasher. I didn’t really miss it but because we often let out our home we decided to install one next to the washing machine in the laundry room. Oh wow – what a difference it has made to my life, especially after a dinner party! My kitchen is cleaned up in minutes and the next morning my dishes are cleaner than I can get them no matter how much I scour them.

I am grateful that a recent let paid for this new appliance!