I really need to brush Lola more often. And use the flea comb! Next time, I’m getting a short-haired cat that doesn’t shed.
Took Princes Lola in for her long overdue rabies shot yesterday. A fox has been sighted in our neighborhood, which reminded me about rabies. Lola cried all the way to the vet’s in the car, but was quite content once she knew we were homeward bound. I think she actually enjoyed the attention.
Showed up at the gym two days in a row! A sense of being overwhelmed by work and pressed for time has been the undoing of my exercise programs over the years. These days, I’m not as busy, but my mind keeps telling me to hurry. Ignore that voice! No fitness goals or expectations! The only goal is to keep showing up every day. — John
“Above all do not lose your desire to walk. Everyday I walk myself into a state of well being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. … if one keeps on walking everything will be all right.”— Soren Kierkegaard
The 12-month gym contract. Been there, done that. Doing it again. When it comes to success at the gym, showing up is half the battle. In life generally, I like to set my goals a little bit high. But at my age, starting at zero fitness, I think a goal of simply showing up is appropriate. I accomplished showing up today. Now my goal is to show up six days a week, five days minimum. — John
Aging wears you down, I can report, based on 64 years of experience. One doctor told me our bodies are designed to wear out. Too much exercise might wear out your knees faster. But I’ve suddenly realized that I won’t be able to get out of a chair in five years, unless I take up strength training (in moderation). Yesterday, I joined my local gym. Now if I can only manufacture some self-discipline. — John
See, this type of exercise can be hazardous to your health. BTW, my cat pushes things off the table on purpose.
SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFE IS NOT SIMPLE — I’m finally getting serious about my winter project, which is weeding out and getting rid of the stuff I don’t need or use. Today I started on the books (I already decimated my library once, about five years ago.) Spent the afternoon dividing books into three categories: give away, throw away, and save. I didn’t know this was going to be so hard.
Photo by John Hayden
It’s 10 days since I last posted on Work In Progress. The Earth continues to spin. Gen. John Petraeus and Paula Broadwell, et al., were pushed from the front pages by a deadly rocket battle between Israelis in Israel and Palestinians in Gaza.
Full-out war appeared imminent, according to cable TV news. But a ceasefire was called in time for Thanksgiving. (Appropriate that it’s an American holiday. We have so much to be thankful for, compared to the rest of the world. And we take it all for granted.)
The waning of the Middle East crisis made room for a seasonal story: Walmart employees threatening to disrupt kickoff of the Christmas shopping frenzy. (Starting time for the frenzy advanced from Black Friday to Thanksgiving Day, henceforth to be known as Black Thursday.)
The Walmart protests fizzled, naturally. They had as much impact as Y2K. Walmart workers stand exposed as powerless against the energy of American consumerism.
Now we return to the dreaded “Fiscal Cliff,” at least until the next distraction. Be not faint-hearted! In the grand scheme of things, the fiscal cliff is a bump in the road.
Most importantly, the fiscal cliff provides a unique opportunity to put the brakes on the runaway military-industrial defense complex. Seize the day! Continue reading
Living Simply And Still On The Grid 