Tuck one in your wallet, stick one on the refrigerator, hang one in the pantry. How about the dashboard of your car? The bathroom mirror? Maybe even the bathroom scales?Like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, the courage we need to keep on keeping on is right there inside us. We have to channel it, use it, depend on its presence in the face of a bad day or two.
Wednesday and Thursday here in the Middle of Nowhere were only fair. Minimal exercise both days – a short, 1.6-mile walk to the post office and back on Wednesday and a stroll around the grocery store yesterday. Hmmmm, I guess that probably doesn't count at all.
I'm always reluctant to work out when someone is here working on the water. First, I need to be here in case they have questions and second, if they don't get it fixed I have to spend the rest of the day shower-less. Yuck.
Food was fine Wednesday, right on plan. Yesterday? Not so much. I chalk it up to bad timing in scheduling a dentist's appointment. You can't run errands all morning and then grab a bite to eat and then go get your teeth cleaned. Or at least I can't. I have to leave my house all brushed and flossed and then not eat again until after the hygenist has worked her magic. So I went from 10 a.m. until almost 2:30 p.m. with very little sustenance.
And by the time I left the office I was sorely in need of a reward. Sorely ... get it?
But, one day of poor choices – actually, one afternoon – does not a failure make.
The part of the quote that is important to me is the first line: Success is not final.
Oh, how I know that. I thought when I got to goal 10 years ago that I had it made. My story is no different from anyone else's who has lost, gained, lost, gained, lost and gained again. If I'm not vigilant about this I'll be back where I was in no time. And I wasn't vigilant then. I started eating sugar, I cut my workouts down and then out, I ignored the tighter waistbands until I eventually had to replace my wardrobe with ever-larger sizes. I'd like to think it just happened, but my behavior had everything to do with it.
One month to go in my Year of Self-Improvement. Since I look no better nor worse than I did October 1, I'm not posting a then-and-now photo today. But I will next month, no matter what happens.
On January 21, 2006, I wrote:
"I'm going to be living and breathing, God willing, for the next year anyway. If it takes that long to reach this long-sought-after goal, then it takes that long. What else have I got to do with that time? Slow and steady wins the race."When I go back and read those posts from nearly a year ago, I'm struck by how discouraged I was. I'm also struck by how much I've learned about myself, how much persistence I have, how much courage is there, deep down inside me, just waiting to be put to good use.
It's going to take more than a year to reach my goal. I didn't think it was possible that it would take this long, but there you go. And so what.
It's really going to take the rest of my life.
5 comments:
That's IT!! It really is going to take the rest of your life--and mine. It's a way of eating, right? And it sometimes causes weight loss. L, N
It is a great quote; and your post was really dead-on. I've got my swimsuit here at work and I'm leaving at 11:30 to get into the pool for a half hour.
It really is the rest of our life. We can have some evenings (or days) of fun but it's back on track with watching carefully and exercising.
Thanks for really thoughtful post.
Very good post - and reading old posts sure helps doesn't it? I've been there, done that with the weight loss and thinking I'd 'made it'. Ugh. Not this time though! Good for you for KOKOing!
D:
Its not going to "TAKE" the rest of your life. Its going to GIVE YOU the rest of your life.
Discouragement is normal. Perfection is nonexistant.
You rock!
-J
P.S. I'm going to 'steal' your Churchill quote for my meetings next week!
Great quote, and one I've really identified with for a long time. It's the inspiration to get through some really bad times, and realizing that we do have choices that can either help us to reach our goals or put up roadblocks to stop ourselves. And, as Scarlett said, tomorrow is another day. We have to start fresh each day anyway.
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