Movement

It frequently happens that I am reminded of what's important when I watch and interact with my two-year old son.

Last night, as I was cleaning up the kitchen, I looked into the living room. My son was watching Thomas the Tank Engine, as usual, and the theme song came on. Instead of passively watching, he was on his feet and dancing. Arms up, twisting back and forth, eyes locked on the screen. Soon, he was twisting so much that he spun himself around. It was as though he realized that was actually fun, because the dancing gave way to spinning. After a few seconds, he stopped, and then ran top-speed into the kitchen. It got me thinking about how we all start out with this love of movement, and somewhere along the way we lose it. Why is that? When we're kids, I guess we have no real restrictions or worries; when you feel like dancing, you dance. As we get older, and Thomas gives way to mortgages and deadlines, simple things like movement get relegated to the "To Do" list, to be worked in when (or if) there's time. In a lot of cases, the joy we felt from running and jumping as kids is replaced by the "joy" we get from finishing off a tub of ice cream while sitting in front of the tv. Plus, inactivity breeds inactivity: we sometimes don't get up off the couch because of aches and pains we got from not moving in the first place. We have an obesity epidemic in the Western world because we've lost touch with the joy that comes from doing what we were built to do: move.

Today, I want you to find that child inside of you who still wants to run, to dance, to spin around. Take a few minutes out of your day and indulge him or her. Do it in your house with the shades pulled down if you want. Just move. Who knows -- it could be habit-forming.