I wrote today. I kept my appointment with Jennifer and we egged each other on. We're both writing stories and have decided to write together to ensure we make the time to write. She has been really encouraging. I'm having fun (gasp!) and feel like I moved my story forward in a positive direction. It might never be published. No one might ever read it. But, like my idol, Stephen King, I'm finding I'm okay with that. I'm okay with the idea that no one might ever read my story. I hope someone will want to eventually, but if no one ever does, I still think this has been a worthwhile exercise and will continue to be. First because I like to write, and second, I am doing this for me and only me. I need something for me. This is it.
So what am I writing about? It's a horror story about hoarding (as if hoarding itself weren't horrible enough). If you want more than that you're going to have to read it. I'll let you too. If you want to take the time to read it, I'll point you to the website where I have posted it.
The other thing I am sticking to is my commitment to at least five minutes of SOME kind of exercise. Yesterday I walked my dogs. They were so funny to watch. They haven't been walked since the weather turned cold (I HATE to be cold)so when the first warm day landed upon us I took them out for a spin around the block. They were in heaven. They could sniff things they weren't able to sniff all winter, they could look in yards, they could mark their territory and "read the newspaper" as a friend likes to call it. "Reading the newspaper" is when your dog sniffs the same spot for about fifteen minutes (if you let him or her). It's their way of checking out what's going on in the neighborhood. Finding out who's who and who's doing what. The only thing I think would have been better would be if I could find some place to let them run free. I would love to let them off the leash so they could just run. Dogs are supposed to run. It's what they're built to do. Especially a Golden Retriever and a Beagle/Basset Hound mix.
But I digress. I got twenty minutes of walking in with my doggies yesterday. That counts as exercise. It does. Even if I'm not sweating. I got out and moved. So I'm keeping my word so far. My word to who? To both you and me my friend reader. I told you that for the next thirty days I was going to try to make sure I did something for at least five minutes every day and so far I have stuck to it. I don't think I've made any huge changes yet, but it feels good to have managed to have the willpower to at least keep my word about this.
I almost forgot to include what I did today! I managed to squeeze in about 1/2 hour of yoga. My husband and I are trying it out together. It's nice to find something we can do at home, that doesn't cost a bazillion dollars, and we don't have to hire a baby sitter for. We need some hobbies we can do together, and who knows, maybe we have hit upon something. It would be nice to find something to keep ourselves physically fit that neither one of us is the expert at yet. We're both starting out as beginners with this. It's definitely going to take some getting used to in order to get decent at yoga, but definitely worth it. Even if it never becomes a hobby, or even something I like, it filled the "at-least-five-minutes-of-exercise-a-day" space. That alone is a good thing for me and my health.
I've also kept my word about staying away from fast food. I promised my kids I would give up all fast food for Lent. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to me. I find it so much easier to stop somewhere along my route home from work than it is to bring a bag lunch. But I haven't stopped once. Every time I start thinking about breaking my word I think about my beautiful daughter who has sworn off all meat until the end of Lent. She has done a terrific job of avoiding meat and eating more vegetables. My hat is off to her and I think I would be a big jerk if I couldn't keep my word to her about staying away from fast food joints.
Again, this may not seem like a big deal to you - after all the food at places like McDonald's and Wendy's is total crap anyway. It doesn't taste that good if you really pay attention. You could look at what I'm doing that way. You could, but then you'd miss the point of what I am trying to do here. The pretense that I am working with is that if you do ANYTHING for thirty days, it can become a habit. I want to change my mindset to a healthier one. I want to be eating the right things and DOING the right things to get and stay healthy. I'm also working with the assumption that if I start with a small change, and make that a habit, I can make larger changes. I'll make these larger changes because I built up several smaller changes. I bet you could do it too if you wanted. If you wanted to you could do it with me. But I wont' pressure you. You have to be ready to make the changes in order for this to work.
The other concept I am trying to work with is moderation. I think that it is important to look at every decision with moderate-view glasses on. I know, for instance, that I will not ever succeed in getting in shape if I tell myself that I will NEVER have "(fill in the blank)" again. As soon as I do that, I will want whatever is off-limits to me. You all know this as the "forbidden fruit syndrome." Instead, I will say to myself that I will only have a LITTLE of "(fill in the blank)."
I really hope this approach works. I don't know if you'll see any measurable changes yet. But it isn't time for the next picture yet anyway. I have time. Til next Friday before I need to post another picture. But I'll tell you a secret: I don't plan to give up even if I don't see any changes in a MONTH. I need to give this time. I just hope there ARE some changes in a month. Can you cheer me on?
No comments:
Post a Comment