Happiness in the Rearview Mirror

I feel like one of those people having a lovely time at a party, who suddenly looks at their watch, exclaims, "I can't believe the time!" and suddenly jumps up to leave.

I knew it had been a while since my last post, but not that long!

A quick catch up now, and promises of better later.  One post a month at least.  That's all I can commit to really, though I will try to beat it when time allows.

We survived the holidays.  I managed not to get totally stressed out, but it did still feel like I ran a marathon.  And it didn't really end on Christmas, or even New Year's.  There was the delayed birthday celebration for oldest child, then I got sick, and then of course, like all businesses, much of January was taken up with "Sales Kickoff" whereby presentations must be polished, executives briefed, and plans committed to and announced publicly.

I have a big project this coming year, but the company is growing, and job security is a good thing.

We received fitness bands as our holiday gift, and I finally set mine up.  DH is on a roll, 25 pounds lighter in just 4 months!  My initial free ride of 5 lbs lost by not pigging out in front of him have flattened, so I thought I might as well get started. Have been having good luck with it.  Here are a couple of links to reviews to the various brands:

http://www.austinfitmagazine.com/blog/2012/01/19/nike-fuel-band-vs-fitbit

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2413303,00.asp

I have the Jawbone, but only because I received it as a gift.  I do find the sleep tracking interesting, and have started inputting my food on the related app.  It does not look up foods as well as the app DH is using (My Fitness Pal), but I can fudge it.  I have worked out every single day since putting this on (only 5 days so far) so the motivation is working.

Part of all this is I am trying to work on being a happier person.  Instead of my last 2 years resolutions (Get rid of stuff, lose weight), I think being happier will be more rewarding, don't you?

What I noticed was that my greatest happiness seems to come to me in memory, rather than while I am living through something.  "Did you have a good holiday?", coworkers asked me.  In hindsight, yes, we did.  No one got sick (until after), everyone got what they wanted.  Food was good, we are warm, well-fed, well-housed.  We were certainly BUSY, especially me.  But why was I so busy?  Because I have a lot of friends, and they all wanted to gather during the holiday.  I had lots of things to do, make, deliver.  And I did them all.

But instead of reveling in it all, and enjoying the moments I was in, I had a mental checklist the whole season.  As soon as I got one thing done, I was thinking about the next 12 things I had to do.  Very efficient.  But hardly satisfying.

So.  I'm going to try to do better.  I'm plugging back into the Happiness Blog, and taking some vitamins, and wearing a rubber bracelet that reminds me to exercise and eat right.  Let's see how this goes.

Recycled Resolutions

Nothing original this year.  3 simple remixes from last year:

Eat Less/Exercise More/Get rid of Crap from the house

I made some progress on the diet/exercise thing last year, but have slid backward again after August with work stress and holiday binging.  Will try to fix both now.  I have been testing out a new pedometer from a friend.  I walk much less when I am working--didn't expect as big a difference as I have seen, though:  3000 steps vs. 300!  I wonder if it doesn't work as well clipped to my waistband (work clothes) vs. in my pocket (jeans at home).

The 3rd is motivated by my longstanding history as a hoarder, which I learned at my mother's knee as a child. This link posted by a friend on FB reminded me why I want to clear some of that stuff out of my life.

We had a productive weekend as Barley invited me to help him clean up his room, which included getting rid of lots of toys from his closet.  We also cleared out space in the garage for the Foosball table and the punching bag.  Now we need lamps and heaters for this newly usable space. (more stuff to buy!)

Resolutions Revisited

So, in the theme of "Less is More", I resolved 3 things this year.  Here's the update on how I'm doing:

1. Weight Loss: no progress at all.  My early success in getting to the gym 2-3X per week lasted almost 5 weeks, but then got sidelined by a bad respiratory infection.  Then work got hairy, and when I've had a few breathers from that, soccer schedule kicked in, and let's face it, I've gotten lazy.  I made it to the gym once this week and last.  I'm also trying to kick some of the sugar habit, but have already punted starting that diet limit 2 days in a row.  Will keep trying to do better.
2. Clearing Clutter: Made some progress here.  We've donated 8 paper grocery bags of books, and I have more in a box to send to my niece for her son and nephew.  Of course, it wasn't until I was literally tripping over the books as I got out of bed that I was motivated to get rid of them.  Gone are books the boys are too old for, books they've read and won't reread, and books we bought with good intentions of edifying ourselves, but just could not get into after the first few pages.  DH and I are true librophiles, so this was not an easy process.  But now the books we really love have room on our bookshelves, and the ones we don't love will have a chance to be loved elsewhere.  The children's school teachers, after-school care center, and Friends of the Library are the lucky recipients.
3. Finishing Projects: Definite progress here.  In the last 3 months, I've completed the following:
• 1 pair of socks for each son
• New fleece jacket for Teddy to replace the one he lost (grrr)
• Lengthened bathrobes for both boys (they are growing so dang fast!)
• My brother's sweater

Of course, in the true spirit of a project starter, not finisher, I've already started:

• a pair of socks for DH
• a sweater for DH
• bought fabric for a jacket for Barley
• a pair of slippers for my sister-in-law
• bought wool for a watchcap for my brother
• etc.
• etc.

The list above reminds me of this funny video posted on Franklin Habit's blog.  All knitters and most crafters of any kind will appreciate the humor and challenge of hand-made gifts.

How'm I doing?

Life and work are very busy, as you no doubt surmised from my lack of posting.  I'll try to skate by today with a quick update on my New Year's resolutions, and hope for more energy and inspiration later this month.

Resolution 1: Lose Weight
While I have not had any measurable success in this area, I've had 3 weeks in a row of making it to the gym multiple times.  One of my girlfriends has changed to a 4-10 work schedule, leaving her with Mondays free.  We've been meeting at the gym at 7am to do cardio.  Even if one of us is late, or can't make it, just knowing someone might be at the gym waiting for me helps motivate me to get out of bed.  And once I've become a sweaty tired mess, somehow the rest of Monday doesn't seem so daunting.  Anything work-related has got to be better than more cardio, right?

Getting to the gym Monday morning also makes getting there other mornings a little bit easier.  I don't know that I will ever look forward to it, but if it becomes enough of a habit, that will be good enough. 

My diet isn't really any better, so no weight loss.  DH has cut out processed sugar from his diet the last 2 weeks, so lacking company, I may just end up cutting back as well.

Resolution 2: Clear out the House
Not much progress there--shredded a few bags of papers from the home office, but you can't really tell there is any difference.  Need more time for this, but there hasn't been much to spare.

Resolution 3: Finish Projects
I am making good progress on my brother's sweater.  Front, Back, and one sleeve are finished.  One sleeve, sewing together, neckline, and blocking remain to be done.  I'd like to get it to him so he can enjoy it this winter.  Luckily for me, winter on the East Coast looks to be lasting a couple more months (Sorry guys!).  Two pairs of socks for the boys are about 75% complete as well, so we are getting there. And I haven't started anything new, so that is progress of a sort.

Maybe more exciting updates next month.

How Lazy Am I? (Don't answer that...)

It took so long to get a parking space when I went to my clinic for a check-up the other day, that I thought it was finally time for me to just start walking from my house.  It wasn't that far away, and not having to circle the parking lot, avoiding kids, old people with walkers, and oblivious pedestrians seemed appealing.

I got a prescription, and didn't have time to pick it up, so I decided to walk back for it yesterday.  I was ready for it to take about 15 minutes each way--which would eat into my lunch hour pretty well.  Oh well--gotta be better than taking 10 minutes to park!

I put on my sneakers (yes, I still call them that, even though every other place I've lived calls them "tennis shoes."  I don't play tennis.)  I noted the time on my cell phone, and walked over at a brisk pace.  It is a cool day, but not cool enough for a jacket.  Since I am not truly sick, I walked fast enough to work up a light shine, but not a real sweat.  When I arrived at the pharmacy, after dodging oblivious drivers, I checked my cell to see how long that had taken.  My bet was closer to 15 minutes than 20.

8 minutes.

Long hecka lazy 8 minutes!

I've lived here for 6 years, and never walked over before.  8 minutes is less time than it takes to find a #$@#$#$% parking space!  There was no line at the pharmacy, so I breezed in and out.  Walked a little slower going home, to see how long it might take if I had a cold or something else that forced me to amble more than trot.

10 minutes.  There goes my last excuse for not walking...sheesh!