Exercise | BulgingButtons

Ok, I will give credit where credit is due. I totally stole this idea from the Goddess. You should read her blog, she’s awesome. You should especially read her Forty Challenges for My 40th Year post. She inspired me, and I told her I would be stealing her idea. Little did she know I would do it so soon! Now I’m a little older than the Goddess so I get a few more challenges than she does. I’m not really sure how to handle these. A spreadsheet seems like a good idea, but I wonder if I would ever get back to it. The Goddess has really pushed herself with her challenges. Mine will be smaller things, but still, I’m writing them down and letting you all see them. That’s a little scary all by itself.

Here goes in no particular order:

1. Get at least one piece of writing published, in print, not via internet

2. Commit to eating home cooked meals at least four times a week (eMeals is helping with this one, check them out!)

3. Leave the house in plenty of time to not rush every morning

4. Read 47 books

5. Start a writing group

6. Reconnect with old friends

7. Take my meds everyday until I no longer need them

8. Use the treadmill at least once a week (hey, you have to start somewhere!)

9. Try Zumba (even though I have two left feet)

10. Finish the charity quilt on my sewing table

11. Finish one UFO (unfinished object) per month (this would mostly be quilts)

12. Eat more fruit

13. Eat more vegetables

14. Drink less soda

15. Teach my son to drive (eeeeeeek!)

16. Take the dog to the dog park at least once a week

17. Finish the office to make it a nice place to work (clear out clutter and organize)

18. Donate unused items (just dropped off a bunch of items today but there’s more to get rid of)

19. Leave work at a reasonable hour each day

20. Limit pinterest addiction (it’s embarrassing, really)

21. Keep on blogging! At least once a week share thoughts, ideas, challenges, triumphs, etc through this forum

22. Learn how to be a better blogger (and a more widely read blogger)

23. Learn to box, really, I want pink boxing gloves and something to hit

24. Try to improve sleep habits

Ok, that’s enough for now. I’m nowhere near Goddess level, but for me it’s a start. Baby steps, that’s what I’m all about.

Ah Summer. That time of year when many of us make an annual (or semi-annual, or occasional) pilgrimage back to wherever it is that we came from. I’m no different. I live in a place that is approximately 18 degrees cooler than hell in the summertime, so I do my best to escape the heat and head out of town for at least a week or so each summer. Well, my annual trek is coming up, so I’ve been doing some reflecting. You see, I come from a place of good food. Wonderful food, really. In fact my Facebook feed is full of hometown food every summer, placed there by my compatriots who have likewise made their annual trek and posted pictures of all the delicious things we grew up eating. It’s enough to make my mouth water on any given summer day. We all do it. We go home and we hit all the “hot spots” food wise. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, maybe it’s the feeling of comfort, maybe it’s the idea that we might never be there again. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a little bit crazy.

This time I want it to be different. If I want some of that creamy custard at the little stand down by the river, fine, but this time I’d like to take a long walk along the river first. If I want the wine and hors d’oerves at my friend’s pool party (and I do, I really really do), I’ll have to swim a few laps first. And maybe walk there. And maybe take a cab home. I’m escaping the heat to a place where it’s generally wonderful in the summer. Walks, bike rides, swimming, and tennis at the high school (my high school) are all available to me every day. I just need to reframe my idea of vacation from a non-stop feeding frenzy to an outdoor activity buffet. This should be easy to do, since I’ll have my son and my mom there, both of whom will do those activities with me. I know I can do this. Now let’s hope it doesn’t rain!