Get the Body
You Adore in 2004

The Story of Maple Syrup
courtesy of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association

Copyright © 2003-2007
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AlexSandra Lett

Lett's Set a Spell:

Choosing a Lived Life

On chilly days Grandpa used to tell folks who visited the country store in Buckhorn community in Lee County to pull up a chair or find a "drank" crate and set a spell by the old potbellied stove. Last year I had what the fellers at the store would have called a rip 'em up, tear 'em up wreck. I hydroplaned in a frog-strangling rain storm, and my car flipped like Mama used to toss a flap jack. Passersby and even the Revenuer -- the Highway Patrolman -- said it was a wonder I crawled out in one piece. I was whisked away by two sweet gals, Nicki and Angie, who have big ole country hearts and looked after a neighbor in distress even if it meant they missed their Sunday dinner at the in-laws.

For days I applied various remedies to my cuts and bruises and swollen body parts and laid on my sofa with a heating pad and contemplated my life. When I lost control of my car it symbolized something much deeper -- I have lost control of my life. The day before I had gotten up at 5 a.m. and driven to book promotions in High Point and Winston-Salem and went to bed at 3 a.m. that night. The next morning I was hightailing it to a book-signing at a holiday open house when Fate intervened.

Before the wreck I'd been running around like a dog chasing its tail... just too busy with "busy-ness." I had been gobbling down MoonPies and swilling down too many "dranks" to keep me alert on 12-hour work days and not taking the time to pull up a chair at Mama's table often even though I had moved only a few miles from Daddy's pecan tree in the backyard. I might as well be seven states from the family farm and the parents I want to enjoy and nurture like Grandpa did that pecan sapling many years ago.

Last year I courted Death and after the life-changing wreck I vowed to avoid this untimely willing suitor. I choose this sweetheart named Life and now understand that there is more to loving this beau than racing around like a 1950's stock car champion. This rooster-crowing wake-up call reminded me that every moment must be cherished and not be taken for granted. In my manic mood to sell as many books as possible I kept pushing myself until a date with Destiny stopped me on my path to Insanity. Pains in my body and weeks of physical therapy forced me to stay home more and to learn an unforgettable lesson: take time for living.

Even Grandpa and the folks at the country store knew when to take breaks and set a spell. Back then they lived in tune with the seasons of the field, but in today's complex world of non-stop information overload, it is hard to honor the seasons of the heart that urge us to regroup and rejoice. This month the calendar speaks of rebirth, renewal and rededication to making our lives a celebration of love and joy. The New Year calls out for us to be true to ourselves, our families and our communities.

Dawna Markova wrote a poem "I Will Not Die an Unlived Life" in response to her father's death and later a book by the same title. Here is the poem:

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible;
to loosen my heart
until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance,
to live so that which came to me as seed
goes to the next as blossom,
and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.

In the book Markova says her motto is LIVE:
L stands for the question, "What do I love?"
I represents "What are my inner gifts and talents?"
V refers to "What do I value?"
E relates to "What are the environments that bring out the best in me?"

This New Year I know in my heart of hearts there is one resolution I can commit to completely with my body, mind and spirit: "I will not settle for an unlived life but live abundantly with purpose and passion." In 2004 I choose a life rich with health, happiness, and harmony, including nutritious foods, energizing exercise, loving relationships, and fulfilling work. I will not die until I have experienced life to the fullest! Will you join me on this journey?