Leap Season Begins

2020 is shaping up to be a leap year in more ways than one.  The word leap can be used as a verb—to jump a long way with force. It also works as a noun—a forceful jump or quick movement.  Whichever way it is used, it describes action.

Facts about Leap season:

• February 29 is a leap day.  This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the Earth does not orbit the sun in precisely 365 days.
• 2020 is a leap year with 366 days.  It rolls around every four years, except for years evenly divisible by 100, which are not leap years unless evenly divisible by 400. 
• March 8 begins Daylight Savings in the US. This means we leap ahead one hour and that day has 23 hours instead of 24.  I love this anonymous quote about daylight saving time:“Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket.”
• March 20 will be the day we leap into Spring.                                                                  

Other Leap Events in 2020:

• November 3 – Election Day.  In which direction will US voters leap? 
• Coronavirus – As we watch it leap from one country to another, we are concerned about its effects. As a result, the stock market has taken a giant leap downward. 

Leap to a better you: 

• Take a leap of faith.
• Faith is the opposite of fear
• Taking a leap of faith says that we believe God rather than what we hear in the world or what logic or fear tell us.
  
   

I can survive a Leap Year filled with uncertainties and scary changes if I take the unchangeable God at his word and rely on him through the next 366 days.

Live Life to the Max

Science continues to make news with their predictions about human life.

•           Life spans will soon exceed 120 years
•         The code of life will be hacked enabling more genetic engineering
•        The human brain will be uploaded to the computer cloud by 2050

I am reminded of an often-heard quote from baseball great Mickey Mantle.

It is indeed a brave new world and where it will all lead, no one can predict. As humans, we enjoy a mind, a body, and a spirit. All three components of life intersect and affect the other. To be at full capacity, our physical, mental, and spiritual health must be in good working order.

If we neglect one of the components, we pay a price. We all know the drill: eat right, exercise more, keep our minds active, socialize, pray, read the Bible, and go to church.  In the cold, wet winter it’s easy to get lazy in one or more of these areas. 

My greatest challenge is staying physically active.  Since the first of the year, I’ve been in physical therapy trying to wake up painful muscles that have limited my activities and given me pain. More of the right kind of stretching and movement must become part of my daily life. It’s so much more fun to pile in my recliner and watch the political shenanigans on TV.  But if I want to be able to go shopping, travel, and enjoy life in general, I must bite the bullet.

My routine involves bands, and different size balls to stretch my legs, hips, shoulders, and everything else that hurts. I am experiencing some pain relief, better sleep, and less groaning.  I can’t regress and must stay motivated.

What’s your greatest challenge when it comes to your mind, body, and spirit?

Despite what the scientists proclaim, my body and mind will one day deteriorate and return to the dust of the earth from which it came. However, my spirit is the part of me that is destined to live forever. Because I have chosen to place my faith in Jesus Christ, the giver of my salvation, I know my spirit will spend eternity with him in heaven.

We are well into 2020 and we shouldn’t put off any longer giving attention to all three areas of life.  Our minds, bodies, and spirits must be nourished to give us the best and richest life possible.