The Reward

Last Thursday Allison and I took a hike up to the "M". The hillside was full of wildflowers. When you go later into the summer you don't see much, but this time of year the reward is stunning. I hadn't hiked the "M" since last summer. I didn't know how I'd do. The trail zig zags up the side of Mounta Sentinal and there are 13 switchbacks. The first leg is always the one that kicks ass. It's the longest and steepest. I told Al that I was going to go painfully slow so that I wasn't a quivering puddle before switchback #2. It worked. Slow and steady really does win the race. It was perfect weather, not too hot and not too cool or windy. The only downside was we had to go straight to work and I was all loose and wobbly the rest of the day. Its almost like that feeling after you've had a massage. Not as enjoyable during, but the loose feeling is very much the same. Anyway, first hike is firmly under my belt and I'm ready to go again later this week. Hopefully we'll be able to do it weekly. That would be a huge benefit to my hind end.

Is it a dumb idea?

Laura asked, "The bad thing is that I've been eating like crap, craving fatty salty sweet things. I'm thinking of doing a fast of sorts doing only bland, boring nasty foods for a few days and really clearing off my palate. Is that a dumb idea? "

A: Its not a bad idea to go on a bland diet for a few days to cut those cravings. Its like smoking. The more you smoke the more you want to smoke. Those salty sweet things do the same thing. They trigger something in us that makes us want more. I'm that way with sugar. Give me one chocolate chip cookie and I want 5 or 6 more. But if I cut out all refined sugar for a few days, I don't want it as bad. And the weirdest part is, I don't like it as much. A trick, if you like fruit, buy a bunch. A large assortment of different fruits and have them at the ready. When you get a sugar craving grab a piece of fruit instead. Drink lots of water too, and I can't remember if you like pickles or not, but a big old dill will cut your sugar craving right at the quick. After a few days you'll notice that you really don't want that stuff as much. Then the trick is to keep on that path. So if you find yourself looking at a piece of cake or brownie or whatever, take a tiny tiny bite. Then ask yourself, 'is this the best thing I've ever tasted in my life?" It usually isn't. It's usually just a poor substitute for something else. If it doesn't rock your world, don't take another bite. It's not worth it. Not worth it meaning, that sorry little piece of brownie is not worth an hour of your blood sweat and tears to work it off again. Now, if it is the best thing you've ever tasted in your life, like Belgian chocolate hand delivered by Jean Claude Van Damme himself, then eat the whole thing and savor every bite and really enjoy it like you've never eaten before and will never eat again. Then go for a walk and take a cold shower. Cuz that's worth it.

A Different Kind of Workout

When struck with inspiration, one must act swiftly, lest that moment pass. I was struck. I acted. And have spent the better part of this week (that 1.5 hours daily between the school bus stop and work) working on my scrap ROOM. I've moved furniture, cleared out the "under-the-stairs-closet", moved more furniture, built utility cart, cleared out the furnace room, hauled big black bags o'shit upstairs, vacuumed, cleaned and worked up a general sweat. So, not a lot of walking, but I dare say, I've put in my bit. I have half a room to go. Today is trash day. I have to leave the boys a little something for their efforts. Then, when round one of crap is gone, I'll work on round two. Isn't it weird how getting rid of junk has this freeing feeling? Its not even junk that you could see. You would never know it was there unless I showed you. But for me, it was this heavy weight around my neck. I still have junk. More than I care to think about...cover mouth, cough (garage). But this junk is outta here. So, I'll walk, but today I'm hauling and cleaning more. And feeling the burn and loving every minute of it. Shout out to Laura. You go girl. When you get here, maybe we'll give the hill a whirl. Or what about the "M"? No pressure. Oh, and we can do part of it. But you should see the view from up there.