I started losing myself in July 2018. REALLY losing it, and on a consistent basis. Just a little each day. I could sense it. Oh, some days I would seem to get it back, but then the next I’d lose it again. What was happening to me? The me I KNEW was disappearing! Those closest to me continued to mention it, yet loved me anyway. Truth…I was actually happy with losing myself. Not mentally. Physically. I lost it in the gym, on the sidewalks of our beautiful Southern California coast and at restaurants throughout the southland…and I have MY SON to thank for that!
He inquired about my health and would not let me blow him off like I had all the other times. He got in my face…in a good way…and told me I would benefit from shedding some pounds. He WANTED me to lose weight cuz he KNEW that would help my overall health. I knew this message he was delivering was true, so I couldn’t put him on restriction or take away his car privileges. Besides, I had said the same thing to myself a gazillion times. THAT, plus my son had been out of the house and on his own for years! A month earlier my doctor also conveyed the advantages of slimming down.
So, like a boxer, I had a couple of great guys in my corner! And, just as with a prize fighter, the corner guys DON’T get in the ring and they DON’T do the work. They don’t throw the jabs and uppercuts, don’t move around the ring to confuse their opponent and they do not take the punches. They DO offer encouragement and wise counsel, and they stand at the ready to prepare for the next round.
So……in this very PERSONAL heavyweight match, it was solely ‘Me versus Me’. But WHICH me would be victorious? Would I be my own worst enemy? How many rounds could I go FIGHTING the urges that got me to this crucial bout in the first place? I have been beside myself and even dated myself. Now I was having to go toe-to-toe with myself. I was going to lose one way or the other, right, but, again, which me would win?
My son did offer up a simple bit of advice about losing weight: “Be consistent.” “THAT’S IT?”, I thought! He went to school and studied the human body. So says a framed rectangular parchment from his university. He learned how the body works and how it doesn’t. How it moves and everything that affects and impacts it, and all I got was TWO WORDS?? Surely he could have imparted a more REMARKABLE kernel of wisdom than “Be consistent”! I realized, later, I was just looking for a shortcut. A simple solution and an easy answer. Deep down I knew there were NONE of those. As an optimistic guy, I was merely hoping for a quick, painless fix. I was wanting to go just one round, NOT fifteen!
“Be consistent”, I soon learned, was actually a BRILLIANT message. It was simple and did not require 100% adherence. It offered grace WHEN I messed up. And I would. No “If’s” about it! Consistency is an ENCOURAGING word rather than one with a disheartening ring of perfection. This was not a New Year’s resolution. I did not have to be flawless in my endeavor. Just be REGULAR with exercise and diet. It allowed for slip-ups. It accommodated lapses. Factored in days of relaxation and desserts.
So…..I consistently went to the gym and walked on the treadmill. Slowly, at first. Did the same on the elliptical machine. I ate better, and I don’t mean I started properly using utensils. Made better choices. Made them consistently. Gradually the exercise pace picked up and the duration increased. I frequently would speed-walk at the coast for hours and run the stairs. 341 of them. Whew!
Three months later I looked and felt different. More importantly, healthier. But, I sure had my moments during those 15 rounds. I OCCASIONALLY was on my back on the canvas, looking up. Pizza and beer, ice cream and cookies knocked me down! But, I got back up on my feet. For way more rounds than not, I stood consistently with chicken, salmon, broccoli, spinach and H2o by the gallons. Sweat equity also helped me to consistently stand. The new me beat the old me at a five-round to one-round ratio. New me prevailed 80% of the time. “Be consistent” had been put into action. The right me lost and the right me won.
Then one night it occurred to me this really WASN’T just a fifteen round brawl. EVERY day is a fight! The gloves NEVER come off! Consistency FOREVER needs to stay on the tip of my tongue and in the forefront of my cerebrum. It is OKAY to lose a round or two, as long as I win the fight. That’s how my hands will get raised, how I will become a champion. Consistency and Discipline are my comrades. My NEW best friends! Associates for life. Companions in perpetuity.
So I lost part
of me in the summer of 2018. Fortunately,
I lost what I didn’t need. Willingly let
it go, and not missing it. Clothes fit
better. Golf score came down. Compliments went up. Indebted to my son BIG time! After decades of being in his corner, how AWESOME
to see him choosing to stand in mine!
Love in action. He cared enough
to speak out and step in. Helped me begin
to lose myself in July, so that I could find myself in October. And I consistently thank him!