It's that time of year again. The summer is coming to an end, the sun is setting earlier, and students are getting ready to head back to school. Many of my eldest son's friends have already left for college. I have overheard him saying to them, "Don't forget your SWIM TRUNKS!" I questioned him about this recently because I didn't think that every one of his friends' colleges has a swimming pool or is located near a beach. He explained to me what he means when he says SWIM TRUNKS! You see, his middle school math and science teacher used to use that phrase quite often. He had a few students who repeatedly came to class unprepared. They often showed up for school without their text books, left their notebooks in their lockers, or forgot to bring pencils and their calculators on mathematics exam days. The teacher said the same thing each and every time: "SWIM TRUNKS! You wouldn't show up at a pool or a beach without them, you shouldn't show up to my class unprepared either. Always remember your SWIM TRUNKS!"
I love when teachers find creative and innovative ways to teach lessons to their students! In this case,the teacher gave his students one of life's greatest lessons - always be prepared! No matter what the situation, you would be ill advised to show up without the tools and materials you need to ensure success.
Even though swimming season is nearly over, we each have our own "swim trunks" story.
Do you ever leave your house without a refillable water bottle? Without it, you will have a hard time staying properly hydrated throughout the day. Swim trunks!
Do you always remember to pack snacks to take with you to work or school? If your answer is no, I bet you are hitting the vending machine and buying junk food around 3:00 every afternoon. Swim trunks!
When you go on vacation, do you forget (perhaps intentionally?) to bring your sneakers and workout clothes even though your hotel has a fabulous exercise facility? Then you too need to be reminded about your SWIM TRUNKS!
If you desire to live a healthy life, and I certainly hope that you do, then you may want to make sure you never leave your house without your "healthy living tool kit". Whether it's your sneakers and sunscreen so you can go for a walk during your lunch-break, or a small cooler bag filled with veggies, nuts and water bottles, you will be setting yourself up for success if you take the extra steps to make sure you are always prepared.
The next time you grab your SWIM TRUNKS to go swimming, you may just think about this blog and be reminded to grab some fruit, nuts and water as well. Maybe this year we shouldn't pack our swim trunks away for the winter. If we leave our SWIM TRUNKS on a hanger in our closets where we can see them every day, they could be just the inspiration and reminder we need to always be prepared.