Get back on that bike

7:39 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
It's not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up again.
Vince Lombardi

Bad weekend, in the past - move on! Under 1700 calories today, no exercise, but that's ok.

Believe and Achieve

9:41 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.
Norman Vincent Peale

I KNOW I can do this..... I just wish it wasn't taking so long! :)

Goals

2:45 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
If you have a goal in life that takes a lot of energy, that requires a lot of work, that incurs a great deal of interest and that is a challenge to you, you will always look forward to waking up to see what the new day brings.
Susan Polis Schultz

In the Zone

8:29 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
Haven't blogged for the while - been busy exercising! LOL Not having huge results on the scales which is a bit disappointing. However, I keep telling myself that its not just about numbers on the scales!

Have really amped up the exercise regime, so much so I am sore constantly. There is never a day when I'm NOT sore! But it's good sore, I guess.

My knees are coping, I feel invigorated.

Lost another 500gms this week, I'm aligning all my weighins to one day (except Wed when my PT pops me on the scales).

Downward....downward....slow and steady wins the race!!!

I've done pretty much nothing all weekend :)

9:28 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
I looked at the kitchen and ignored it, I washed clothes, only because I need them for work tomorrow. I've done no housework all weekend.

Saturday I fiddled on computer, went grocery shopping, went to an OA meeting, went for a walk, watched Son's footy game, came home cooked dinner, watched a movie and went to bed.

Sunday, I slept in, fiddled on computer, went for a swim, got ready and went to the beach for the day, came home cooked dinner and watched DVD's.

Now I'm on here...

Early start tomorrow, 'cause dragonboating tomorrow night. Have to make my salad and pack my bag, so I don't have to do it in the morning. Then I can have an extra half hour in bed!

Someone else can do the kitchen... bugger it!

Sat 28 Feb 09

5:56 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
Life's up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals.

Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want.

Marsha Sinetar


If I was to be beaten down by all the "downs" in my life, I would not be here today. All the ups and downs have made me who I am and for that I am grateful. My life is a constant roller coaster ride - its been fun at times and at others downright terrifying!

Life throws us some wobblies at times, the trick is to not let it beat you.

Get back up, brush yourself off, make a list, cross things off and get on with it!

I had a truly "spiritual" experience in OA this afternoon, there was truly a higher power at work in that room with us....

I am strong... I am smart... I am fit... I am healthy.

Taxi

11:22 AM Edit This 0 Comments »

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing.. So I walked to the door and knocked... 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'..
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry... I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing..

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired... Let's go now'

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.


Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said


'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you.'


I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.


I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?


What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.


But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.