For the past few years, my birthday has arrived with feelings of trepidation. Worrying about finding work, keeping work (a major scandal involving my last place of employment broke in the Nashville newspaper on my birthday last year), and lately my health have all dampened any celebratory impulses.
Not this year. After four straight years of gaining weight and risking serious permanent damage to my health (through the development of fatty liver disease and high lipid/enzyme counts in my bloodstream, symptoms/consequences of gaining a lot of weight after giving up on myself, looks-wise, in 2007), I have walked something in the neighborhood of 350 miles (278 since May 1), been lifting weights regularly since February 11, and have shed about half of the weight gained over those four years. With luck, by New Year's, I'll be in the best shape of my life since I was 23, when I was a muscular 5'11-6', 200 lb. But I'm halfway there and there have been no "shortcuts" like that of 2006-2007.
I try not to be self-congratulatory here (I view personal statements here more as confessions of past faults and failed/incomplete goals), but the past few months, even though I've been out of work the entire time, have been a real godsend for me. Attitude has mellowed some and I've re-discovered my love of exercise/walking. Although I do have some nagging aches and pains (sore left groin/hip and a series of blisters on my left foot), for the most part, I feel so much better than I did a year ago, when I was a few dozen lbs. heavier. It's made the unemployment bearable, as I've had something to shoot for in terms of goals and standards of excellence.
Should be interesting to see what the next 5.5 months will bring. I suspect I'll be returning to work sooner than later (right now, I'm in the background check stage of a potential hire as a residential treatment teacher) and it will be much more difficult for me to pull off days like today, where I devoted just under 4 hours to walking and lifting weights. But I will do something to achieve it. And who knows, if I do reach it in the next 6-12 months, perhaps I'll even break my long-standing reluctance to post a picture of myself. Not that any of you want to see a buff squirrelist when all you care about is hearing about the latest/greatest book, n'est ce pas? ;)
Edit: It seems my family has finally embraced the fact that I'm a Squirrelist:
Not this year. After four straight years of gaining weight and risking serious permanent damage to my health (through the development of fatty liver disease and high lipid/enzyme counts in my bloodstream, symptoms/consequences of gaining a lot of weight after giving up on myself, looks-wise, in 2007), I have walked something in the neighborhood of 350 miles (278 since May 1), been lifting weights regularly since February 11, and have shed about half of the weight gained over those four years. With luck, by New Year's, I'll be in the best shape of my life since I was 23, when I was a muscular 5'11-6', 200 lb. But I'm halfway there and there have been no "shortcuts" like that of 2006-2007.
I try not to be self-congratulatory here (I view personal statements here more as confessions of past faults and failed/incomplete goals), but the past few months, even though I've been out of work the entire time, have been a real godsend for me. Attitude has mellowed some and I've re-discovered my love of exercise/walking. Although I do have some nagging aches and pains (sore left groin/hip and a series of blisters on my left foot), for the most part, I feel so much better than I did a year ago, when I was a few dozen lbs. heavier. It's made the unemployment bearable, as I've had something to shoot for in terms of goals and standards of excellence.
Should be interesting to see what the next 5.5 months will bring. I suspect I'll be returning to work sooner than later (right now, I'm in the background check stage of a potential hire as a residential treatment teacher) and it will be much more difficult for me to pull off days like today, where I devoted just under 4 hours to walking and lifting weights. But I will do something to achieve it. And who knows, if I do reach it in the next 6-12 months, perhaps I'll even break my long-standing reluctance to post a picture of myself. Not that any of you want to see a buff squirrelist when all you care about is hearing about the latest/greatest book, n'est ce pas? ;)
Edit: It seems my family has finally embraced the fact that I'm a Squirrelist:
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4 comments:
Best birthday wishes from a lurker!
Thanks! :D
Congrats Larry. To commemorate this great occasion I wanted to say you've probably been among the people most responsible for my own examination of works beyond the standard SFF fare.
Additionally, your genuine enjoyment of some of the more literary fare has been great, and following your blogs has definitely given me new insight into the realm of literary fiction and its analysis.
All to say, glad to have "e-met" you this past year and good to hear about your health and continued goal of teaching.
-Sci/Saj
Thanks...and you're welcome, as well :D
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