Jun 17, 2010 08:19AM

Triathlon Fund Raiser

Phineas J. Memorial
?Race For The Paws?

 On Sunday, July 18th, I will be participating in my first ever sprint triathlon!  I have been training since mid-March and although, at times, it has not been easy, I am successfully completing the required distances of 1/2 mile swim, 10 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run.  Now, I just have to do that with hundreds of other people and I?ll be all set!  I have decided to turn this milestone event into a fund-raiser, supporting the Lowell, MA Humane Society.  In this economy, with so many pets being abandoned and succumbing to the inability of their caregiver?s continued support, our help is needed more than ever! 

I named this race after our precious 17 year old kitty that we lost this winter.  We rescued him, so many years ago, and he truly was an integral part of our family!  We miss him DEARLY!!!!  Phineas taught all of us, so much, about life, love, death and enjoying life mindfully, one moment at a time.  We have since, adopted 2 more kitties, who will be in my thoughts that day too, from area shelters, including the Lowell Humane Society.  Please won?t you consider sponsoring and supporting me as I ?Race For The Paws?, in honor of my late pal Phineas, in order to raise desperately needed funds and supplies for these precious little homeless lives!!!  My Goal is $500, the triathlon I can do alone, this fundraising I can?t do without you!!

Please send Donations to:
Shannon Sprague
P.O. Box 681
Pelham, NH  03076

By Sunday, July 18, 2010

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!

Phineas J.

7/4/93-2/12/10

May 20, 2010 06:26AM

Small Bump?

Small Bump?  Hardly?

So?. I got rear ended the other day at my daughter?s school while waiting in line for her to be taken out of the car for her morning of fun and play.  Thankfully, the driver of the other car was moving extremely slowly so other than a dent in my bumper we are no worse for the wear.  However, it got me thinking?.  When I asked her what happened, she said she was ?distracted and into something else? she then went on to tell me of her sick friend and how sorry she was for hitting me.  Now, I?ve been on my high-horse about Oprah?s no-phone zone campaign where she has people sign an agreement to not use their phone or text while driving.  I don?t know for sure if that is what this lady was doing, however I?m pretty confident that being ?distracted? is exactly what was going on.  Here is the scary part, my daughter was already unbuckled, as we were the next car in line for her to be taken out, and my imagination started rolling.  Then the ?what if?s? came at me like a freight train.  This one situation was less than 5 miles per hour, however what if she was on a main road or a highway and had hit someone at high speeds while being ?distracted??  Trust me, I?m no angel when it comes to using my cell phone while driving, I try really hard not to, and still do on occasion. 

I guess the bigger question is why have we set up our lives so that we have to do so many things at once?  I?ve seen people drive down the road without their hands on the wheel at all, they are on the phone, putting on make-up and drinking coffee?..  talk about mindlessness!!!!  What happened to doing one thing and one thing only?  It is easy to understand the societal pressure to conform, keep up, over-schedule, multi-talk, who said we have to do it?  There is beauty in simplicity, non-doing and mindfulness.  I know I?ve spoke of all of these topics separately, however, experiencing the bump on my car really put things into perspective.  There can be great gifts in slowing down, watching your child enjoy a popsicle, looking into someone?s eyes while they are talking to you and really listening to what they are saying, washing the dishes and smelling the soap, feeling the temperature of the water (okay so I know it may not always be something that we enjoy, and we can still be mindful). 

My challenge to you is to take a ?you? inventory of your day, week and month and see where you can let go of things, say no to things, slow down, literally stop and smell the roses.  I promise you, you will see things, hear things, taste things, and feel things in a totally different light. 

It?s not only more enjoyable, at times its safer!!!!!

Be well,

Shannon

Dec 10, 2009 08:51PM

December Newsletter

Holiday ?Lights?

    During this time of year, it is oh so very easy to get caught up in the chaos of the season.  From the endless buying, decorating, wrapping to the checking of the Christmas list one more time, checking the budget in hopes of not going over.  Sometimes I think the true spirit and magic of the season can be lost on all of this checking, double-checking and triple-checking.  Or what about the thoughts that ?oh, I hope we did enough,? or the ?what if that person spends more on me or my kids than I can on them??  Talk about pressure!  Then there is the family drama that can come this time of year.  This one doesn?t get along with that one, but feels that they have to visit out of obligation.  No wonder this time of year is one of the most stressful!  My Husband personally can?t wait until January 2nd!
 
    I recently attended a Christmas concert at my daughter Grace?s elementary school.  This was Grace?s first show of this kind, given that it is her first year of elementary school.  As all of the children were so beautifully lined up on stage, teeth missing, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the next, hair barely in place, nervously smiling, the music teacher first thanked us for ?our? children and reminded us ?they? truly were our gifts this holiday season.  I had an instant flashback of my season thus far, as if someone hit the rewind button.

    I vowed this year to keep my Christmas list to a minimum, with a focus of mainly my children and not to get caught up in the stress of the season.  I vowed to send electronic Christmas cards thus cutting down on resources and costs.  I vowed to pick a cause to focus on, helping needy families and such, instead of myself, my stress and my needs.  I vowed to continue to teach my children about appreciation, gratititude and acceptance, although we are still working on that ;)  I vowed to not get caught up in the family drama that this time of year can bring, trying not to get too stressed about anything and to simply enjoy the season.  Being with people that I can be at ease around, forgoing those situations that are simply too tense.
 
    It came to me that although I, too, put up my holiday lights outside of my home and on my Christmas tree, those twinkling light bulbs are not my ?true? holiday lights.  I will share a list of my holiday lights in hopes to inspire you to take a moment, sit back and reflect on what this season means to you.  Sit, contemplate and maybe even write down a list of your holiday ?lights.?  Peace to you all during this joyous time of year!

•    Marshmallows barely melted in hot cocoa
•    Building a snowman with my children
•    Trying to interpret the words on their Christmas Lists
•    The smell of my Christmas tree
•    Time spend alone with my Husband or a friend
•    The Christmas candy that reminds me of my childhood
•    The one Christmas ornament I have left from when I was a child
•    Baking cookies with my 2 best cookie makers
•    Watching my girls run to the advent calendar each AM
•    Laying on the living room floor with tons of blankets and pillows watching a movie with my family
•    Watching my daughters tackle my husband, who once worried about ?what he was going to do with girls?
•    Listening to my daughters belt out Christmas carols with the confidence of a professional
•    The smell of a newspaper and coffee on a cozy Sunday AM, family by my side
•    Listening to my oldest daughter explain to my youngest who Jesus is

The realization that as long as my Husband and two girls are okay, than so am I!

Happy Holidays to you all and may all of your holiday ?lights? shine brightly!!!

Nov 02, 2009 06:09PM

November Newsletter

At What Temperature Do You Approach Life?

I have recently started a training program to become a Yoga Teacher.  It is a nine month program that will be completed in May of 2010, which will make me eligible to begin teaching next summer.  Very exciting for me!  I?ve been practicing yoga for almost 10 years and it truly has been transformational for me, so for this reason I decided to share these gifts with others through the art of teaching.  At the beginning of my training, my teacher asked us what type of students we were, hot, medium or mild.  Hot meaning we jump into our teachings full force, with an all out effort, a sense of seriousness about us, intensity rising and a hint of perfection on the brim.  Medium, being well, a medium approach, effort with some surrender to not being so intense and perfect.  Mild, doing ?okay,? not worrying about too much, if it gets there, it gets there.  I contemplated this for nearly 6 weeks, not really knowing where I fell until one much fated fall day in a swimming pool, of all places.

I had recently signed up for some private swimming instruction after years of wanting to learn different strokes and technique to add aquatics to my exercise routine.  I was practicing what I had learned thus far, one afternoon, gleefully supported by the water, wearing my new pink goggles, feeling free as a bird as I began to spread my water wings.  Up to this point, my swimming coach had directed me on air exchange (breathing in the water) and some very basic physical movements, such as kicking, floating and things of that nature.  I decided that day, however, that I was going ?to show him? and put the whole thing together and attempt a front crawl.  I got about ½ way down the length of the pool before I began gasping, choking, feeling light-headed, experiencing foot cramps and looking like I was being eaten by a shark.  So, this went on for about 30 minutes while I was wondering, ?why the heck can?t I do this, how hard can it be?? before it hit me like a ton of bricks that I am indeed a HOT learner.  Not only am I a hot learner, but my general approach to life is hot as well.

I don?t know if it was the support of the water, my recent yogic teachings, my increased state of mindfulness or all of the above, but what an unexpected lesson I received that day in the pool.  At what temperature do you approach life?  What type of a learner are you?  Are you happy being where you are?  Where could you make some space, changes, or soften? 

I have since taken several steps back and have enjoyed learning to swim in bits and pieces.  Systematically going through the steps intended to help me to become proficient enough to save my own life!  All the while coming to the realization that I would be a very happy MEDIUM!!!! 

Sep 17, 2009 04:10PM

September Newsletter

Riding the Bumper Cars, Alone?

    As I was watching my 6 year old daughter, Grace, ride the bumper cars, alone, this year at the Skowhegan fair, I started to reflect on what this great feat of independence means. Think about it. You have to be at least 48 inches to ride this ride without an adult and she has, indeed, reached that milestone. Sure, she has reached many milestones in her life such as, eating with utensils instead of her hands (occasional regression), crawling, walking, sleeping through the night (again with an occasional regression), starting kindergarten and now this. This milestone is a bit different though and comes with more of a responsibility.

    I mean after all, here was her first ?prerequisite? that she has had to accomplish before being given the ?right? to ride this ride. She was very proud of herself as she stood next to the height marker and the ride operator waved her on. There is also room for disappointment, what if she was just ½ of an inch too short? I believe that learning to live with and cope with disappointment is in invaluable lesson for a child. Although, as a parent it is difficult to witness a disappointment, if they are rewarded for each and everything in their lives, how will they ever learn to cope when things don?t go the way they expected as they become adults? Therein lays the dichotomy.

    Independence also comes with a sense of responsibility; to oneself, society, the environment and the human race. Grace made several decisions while riding her bumper car, her courtesy to other riders, or lack thereof, how fast to drive, how hard to bump the other riders, how many times she went on the ride (several I may add) and how much fun she chose to have while riding. Taking it a step further, she will also have similar responsibilities when entering elementary school. She may be faced with social challenges, faced with a vast amount of differences, how hard to ?bump? other ?riders? with her beliefs and values, her contribution to environmental awareness (I may add that she is a blossoming environmentalist), her compassion for her fellow students and her choice to have fun.

    So, as I stood there, watching her on the bumper cars, speeding along with the greatest grin in the word, I was thankful that I was wearing sunglasses that day to help mask my tears of joy, fear, pride, and trepidation that I was flooded with at the great feat I was bearing witness to and the great feat that lies ahead in first grade. I?m fully confident that all of the choices, responsibility, lessons and independence that Grace will be confronted with will serve to enrich her already wonderful, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, funny, frugal, sensitive, and loving being.

    Here are your wings, Grace, fly with the essence of your name, dance when you have the chance, sing like nobody is listening, love like you have never loved, and enjoy your life and the journey you are about to embark on. Always remembering that we are here to cheerlead you along and to catch you if you fall!