Brainpower - Day 2 (Deep Thoughts by Adam Turner)

I've recently been challenged/inquired upon as to the focus of this present 4-week challenge. And, rightly so. I read recently that 55% of communication is conveyed by the body language we use (eye contact, gestures and facial expressions), 38% is conveyed in the voice, and only 7% is conveyed in the words we use. With that said, these words that I have chosen in my blogs apparently only convey 7% of what I have to say in this arena... leaving lots of room for interpretation and speculation.

With that said, I will attempt to be as clear as possible with this 7% that I can be... specifically concerning the heart and motivation behind my 4-week Brainpower experiment, as well as the blogging itself.

Blogging, in my opinion (along with most social media), serves one of two purposes: 1. ego inflating, or 2. helpful informing. With that said, the perception that I may be giving off is that this 4-weeks is all about me... ego inflating. And, there's probably some truth to that. However, it's genesis actually lies in the lives of those close to me, and the blogging of it was a response to a request of a friend.

I am fairly selfish, there's no denying that. I'm actually one of the most selfish people I know. I suppose, if there's an upside to that, it would be that I, at the very least, have identified that in me. With that said, I am able to begin looking outside of myself and identifying need.

For my previous 30-Day experiment, my objective in identifying serving opportunities was that one, if not both, of my family members would be able and inclined to join me. The only food shelf that would allow Addie is 'Feed My Starving Children.' As time would have it though, we ended up going to New York the week that we were signed up. So, as far as serving goes, the Polar Bear Plunge ended up being it. (I'm attending a meeting this Tuesday to serve the local refugee community, but aside from that, I have yet to look into retirement homes, etc.).

All of that to say... when looking at places of need, I didn't need to look any further than my own family. I've been recognizing more lately how personal health affects those who we're closest to. For example, I've taken for granted my mother's health. With respect, I won't mention her age, but I should say, for her age, she's in great health. And I'm grateful for that. Her mother, as well, is doing considerably well for the years she's logged in. Both Laura's parents also have invested time and effort in keeping both physically and mentally healthy.

As I become more educated on the affects of dimentia, memory loss, etc., I have decided that I don't want Laura to have to deal with that in me later in life. She will need everything I am to attend to her. I actually concluded that it would be selfish of me NOT to do this 4-week study, and that it's in the interest of stewardship that I proceed.

So, with all of that said, please continue to challenge me if you feel I lean too heavily on the 'me' aspect of this 4-week challenge. Again, it is very easy for me to dwell on myself, and lose sight of why I was inspired to do this in the first place. Honestly, I intended NOT to blog about this particular journey because of it's ego-centric undertones. However, a friend requested that I share a journey like this so that others can benefit from the lessons learned.

I'd like to address one element that seems to be lacking from these blogs: the spiritual element. Many of you know me as a spiritual person, and may find it odd that I haven't dove into that realm in these blogs. I mentioned earlier that I want to be in good mental and physical health as I age. Well, I certainly want to be in good spiritual health as well. However, in regard to blogging about it, I'm not quite there yet. I want to begin with things that provide common ground with all those I encounter throughout the day... not just those who share my faith with me. That's not to say I won't in the future, but for these four weeks, my focus will be on the physical and the mental.

Regarding future blogs, I think it's fairly safe to say that I'm comfortable with being somewhat transparent, and sharing life's journey with others (in blog form, anyway). My continued goal is to open my own eyes a bit wider, but at the same time to inspire others to explore change and growth along with me. I've completed the initial challenge of taking steps out of my comfort zone. I am now in the midst of a challenge that gives me a taste of what healthy living could look like. Perhaps the next challenge is a new service opportunity twice a week to focus on being more selfless. And there's certainly an opportunity to commit a 30-day experiment to faith... deepening it and challenging it. I'm open to suggestions.

I conclude with reiterating the above: I truly am open for suggestions. Although I have somewhat strict guidelines and boundaries of what this particular blog will be for the next four weeks, I am completely open to ideas/concepts for additional 30-day/4-week 'adventures.' And, I truly don't mind if they are deep, light, spiritual, academic, physical, etc., etc. (I had even considered blogging about trying a different sport every day for 2 weeks straight... if I could survive it). I'm discovering that the more I try, the more people I meet, and am able to 'somewhat' identify with. So, continue with the input, the challenges, the agreements, the condemnations, the encouragements, the ideas and the epiphanies. It's a new road of pushing boundaries for me, and I'm just glad to not be traveling it alone.