One choice at a time...

It's been almost a week since my last posting which is usually a pretty good barometer for how things are going in my life. First I was waylaid with the kink in my neck, but managed to get back to the gym for one day, only to be waylaid by my stomach. Whether it was my post surgical stomach rearing it's ugly head or a strange bout of food poisoning, it knocked me out of whack for several more days. Fortunately, my body started cooperating just in time to make a trip to our friend's retirement ceremony in Tennessee; unfortunately, I managed to only get in two work-outs prior to our departure, and one small walk while on the trip.

But one thing I've learned these past few months is I don't need to flog myself every time I don't reach my weekly goal or worry that I'm on a downward spiral; I just need to continue to try to put forward the best effort I can. So Sunday when we returned from our trip, instead of vegging out at the house like my body wanted to do after a night of little sleep, I took Chuck up on his invitation to shoot some golf. While not a stunning start to my week, since we opted to use a cart, it still kept me moving.

Monday, I made it back to the gym and hit the treadmill.  The TV show I had plugged in wasn't holding my attention, so instead of watching the clock, I shifted my thoughts to the past weekend. It had felt  great to be able to help honor our friend's service by sharing in his retirement ceremony. We met many nice folks, but one of the people who stood out the most was our friend's 83 year old mother.  She was a military wife and mother who raised a family of six and was clearly still very much a matriarch in her own right. Her house was adorned with beautiful pieces of pottery she had crafted; her yard house was adorned with beautiful flowers from the garden she tended and her home came complete with it's very own lap pool, so she could swim regularly. When I asked her about her swimming, she revealed that she struggled with neuropathy which caused her significant pain, and swimming helped combat her symptoms. She went on to say that swimming wasn't something she wanted to do, but it was something she had to do. As I contemplated her words, I thought to myself, she wasn't giving herself enough credit. She really didn't have to do anything; no one was standing over her with a poker making her swim laps. She was making a choice to take care of herself, and she continued to make that choice each day despite the pain, despite her age, despite her distaste for it.  I was impressed by her commitment and drive.

It occurred to me that my road to a healthier lifestyle wasn't about the big moments, but about the daily decisions. It was about making one choice at a time. It was about getting up in the morning and making a choice to swim your laps that day even though you didn't want to. It was about choosing to play a game of golf instead of watching a movie. It was about choosing to eat a yogurt parfait for breakfast instead of a slice of cheesecake (I confess I almost caved Sunday Morning at the airport, but had my conscious (Chuck) at my side).  I have a lifetime of choices ahead of me, and while I expect, I won't make the right decisions all of the time; hopefully with my village behind me, I'll make the best choices for my health and well being most of the time.