So I’ve just been getting all my stuff together ready to go back to work tomorrow, and whilst I’m excited to see everyone and throw myself headlong back into the madness, there’s a part of me that’s secretly gutted to be climbing back onto the hamster wheel. It’s been amazing to have some down-time at home with only myself to please. I’ve become very good at making it all about me.
Hands up who hears the words take care a hundred times a day..? I do, and actually I use them a lot too. When I’m ending a phone call, or saying goodbye to someone, they tend to pop out of my mouth in a have a nice day kind of way. Nobody’s ever called me on it you know? Take care of what? Well, er…yourself. In what way..? Um…don’t fall down a hole..? I dunno.
It’s wallpaper, right? An expression used so often that we hardly notice it, and we certainly don’t think of it as advice. It just doesn’t land in that way…shame really, because as advice goes, it’s pretty solid.
I was doing fine before my time off…my food plan was working, I was happy making good choices and felt really bedded in to this journey. Focusing on myself this week though has definitely made me feel like I’ve kicked it up a notch you know? I’ve raised the bar on what good looks like, and I’ve been taking care of me. I wonder what that looks like though once I’m back in my real life, where I’m more limited in the amount of time I have to focus on myself.
So I’m usually at least nine hours in the office each day with a one hour commute either side – that keeps the wolf from the door, and pays the bills. I usually need around six or seven hours sleep at night and then there’s family stuff, friends stuff, house stuff, blog stuff…well. If the Asshole voice could be bothered he’d bang the no time for exercise drum, but he seems to be relatively mute at the moment.
Let’s just wait and see…not finding time isn’t really an option given my pending appointment with the mountain, so for the first time in my life I’m turning my back on the excuse, not the hard yards…who’d have thought it mm? Seriously, I don’t know how I’m going to fit it all, but I will. On the upside I’m not going to have time to fantasise about hob-nobs 🙂
I always said when I hit fifty I’d consider that I’d earned the stripes which allowed me to do what the chuff I wanted, when I wanted and in the way I wanted. Somehow, in my head I always envisaged that would play out by me taking a nosedive into eccentricity and withdrawing the shit I once gave about sensible stuff. Had you told me I’d be favouring healthy eating and exercise I’d have written you off as a nutter, and if you’d so much as hinted at the possibility of me trekking over mountains in some exotic land I’d have signed your funny farm papers personally.
Strange how stuff turns out isn’t it?
When we get to this point of life, we find something we didn’t know we had. This is the reason so many people i know who are older and have been through a lot of rough stuff say they wouldn’t trade any of it, it made them who they are.
You know what Mimi, I tend to agree with that! D x
I feel you 🙂
Today I was trying to talk myself out of the gym, todo the machines at home [not as good] and just call it in – cold out – busy – and then I thought of you all and I got off my arse and went in – and did great 🙂
Thanks posse!
Excellent! Well done lovely 🙂
Dee, & Claire, maybe that snarky bitch on the wristband will help! One of those gizmos was advertised on tv, showed a woman in an office suddenly getting the *nudge* She glanced at her wrist & grabbed a file folder or something & carried it up a flight of stairs.
It’s early days, but this is your NEW NORMAL, as Cherie put it. ??? grinning like a fool… Fleury
It’s true, it nags me all the time!! Chuckling 🙂 🙂
I get it!!! I have Summer’s off, only O work summer school to help with college tuition. Anyway, long story short … This year when I went back to work full time, I was beside myself. How am I supposed to plan healthy meals, work longer hours AND workout. Plus I was training for a 100 mile bike ride, so I was riding my bike about 50-75 miles per week. I didn’t know how I’d do it. Somehow you work it out. Because if it’s important to you, you will find a way. As far as the blogging goes…I do a lot of my writing when I’m in a boring meeting that I don’t have to pay attention to. Or at my son’s swim meets when he’s not swimming. You can work on multiple posts and delay publishing them until “the day”…if you have enough to talk about. Do take care!! Ha ha! I say “have a nice day.”
I’m sure you’re right T…we’ll soon see! I also tend to have two or three posts cooking at a time, I like to keep coming back to them and add a little seasoning here and there! I don’t have the kind of job where I could squeeze in a bit of writing, there’s never enough hours in the day as it is…I wish! But writing the blog is my way of relaxing so it’s all good 🙂
When I was younger I used to think when I hit 50 I wouldn’t care about dieting anymore. I will eat what I want. I’m in my early 60’s now and still chasing the elusive dream of being slim and in control. Why the heck do I still care?
I think it’s great that you took care of yourself on your break from work, it’s good to put yourself first sometimes. I admire you for wanting a great adventure trekking over mountains. I know you will be successful.
Fleury, thanks for your kind words yesterday.
You care because it’s never too late to feel foxy! And thanks for the vote of confidence…I’m determined Jo 🙂
You care because you want to be healthy and energetic well into your 90s, not plagued with diabetes and bad joints and high blood pressure and everything else that goes with being overweight.
Yup 🙂
My Dad – a funny, caring hard working charismatic man- sort of grumbled that everyone instucted him to “Have a nice day!” He responded, That’s not what I had planned.
Love your post, though. ALL the thought-provoking love letters, they do sort of bring the words on the wall into focus. Esp. where it says “I am Awesome,” mustn’t forget to read that, it is not a purely decorative cabbage rose, yeah?
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Take Care for real! Lovin’ you – Fleury
Ha your Dad sounds like a character! How could he have been anything else! xx
Dee, you are so right about taking care of ‘me’. It is one of the things we talk about a lot at our meetings.
Does your company do anything to help with keeping moving in the office? My husband works for a US company that is very involved in this topic. He has a standing desk and they have treadmill meeting rooms where people are able to walk on a treadmill while in a meeting. As he is usually in the office for 10 hours a day this has been very helpful. Although a lot of companies have gyms on the premises it is not always practical to take time out of your working day to exercise but exercising whilst working just seems like common sense!
Wow that sounds quite forward-thinking…no, we’re not that advanced. Maybe I should suggest star-jumps in the car park as a starter for ten! D x