Friday Quote Day

Whatever you are,
be a good one.

Abraham Lincoln

I've been forgetting about the regular Friday quotes around here recently. I guess that makes me a not-very-good blogger. Sorry, Abe!

You all have been very good little commenters, and I thank you very much for jumping in and telling me I'm making you think. I know you wish I could make you think-without-the-"k," but that's just not possible; if it were, I'd do it. And I'd be good at it, too.

Being good at something takes effort, dedication, commitment, willingness, energy and enthusiasm. Think about the various hats you wear – parent, friend, child, sibling, employee, employer – and all of those qualities are necessary. You couldn't be good at any of those roles without them.

This blog's purpose, as stated in the header, is to reclaim my health. To be good at that, I need … well, it's all up there in the first sentence of the last paragraph. After nearly two years blogging about it, I'm certainly fitter than I was when I started, but I'm still not where I'd like to be. As I said yesterday though, I think accepting what is will help me get where I want to go.

I'm not very good at that. Yet.

I started reading Good Calories, Bad Calories last night. [Have you entered the drawing for my extra copy yet? I'm going to nag you until you do!] I'm still in the prologue, in which Mr. Taubes describes Dwight Eisenhower's efforts to stay fit and healthy. I was struck by the lengths to which the former President would go to try to lose weight. He liked oatmeal for breakfast, but when he couldn't lose weight he switched to fruit, and then cut that first meal out altogether. The less he ate, the more weight he gained. He struggled for the last dozen or so years of his life. Could I relate? You bet. I'm hoping to get some good information from this book.

I did my second training run yesterday, which was again 40 minutes, but more strenuous than the first one. I was slightly faster – I cut 39 seconds off my per-mile pace [from 12:54 to 12:15] – and I enjoyed every minute of it. I felt I'd done a good job when I finished, and I realized that I have 19 more weeks to improve. I don't have to be fast this week; in fact, I don't have to be fast at all. I only have to give it my best effort, dedication, commitment, willingness, energy and enthusiasm.

That's all. Heh.

My, my, I'm introspective and serious this morning. To lighten things up and add a little knitting content, I finished a sweater this morning. No, not the pink one [but I only have 147 rows to go on the second sleeve and it'll be finished]. This one:
You, too, can make your own hideous Christmas sweater! Go here for some virtual knitting fun. If you're on dial-up, be prepared for a lengthy wait for the flash-y stuff to load. And there's festive music, too, so turn the sound down if you decide to knit one at work.

Would a good employee play around with flash knitting websites on company time? Hmmm.