I love this. Even though I'm not "on" this thread I read it for your posts Birchie. You always have the right words, or in this case the right icon.

Dagmar

Oh Dagmar, you are kind. And encouraging because I really don't know what to write at the moment. I've just heard that the man who introduced me to the SO has died. He had early onset dementia for 10 years.

Sending supportive thoughts, Birchie. That's a tough way to go.

Sorry, Birchie, to read of this loss, an important witness to an event in your life. Indeed, that's a hard death: Losing one's wits, then one's identity, well ahead of losing one's life.

I hear you on that. We all know that kind of loss is rather bogus, but it's exciting to be able to see it.

But the question isn't what happens after the first week... It's what happens after the third week, and the sixth, and the 16th. I'm in the... 8th week? And now having the problem with stall.

My getting-out-and-about difficulties aren't snow and ice, but rather tree pollen-related right now. Here in Florida trees are blooming. Also, one of my knees is complaining. This is the first time since my early 20s that I've had knees complain, only this time it's not bad shoes. I'm smart enough to know that more is not better when knees are involved, so I'm having to walk a careful line, pun intended, between too much and not enough. Also, I have to be careful in Tai Chi class. The problem may have begun there.

The best choice is to keep plodding forward, I think, and if possible, to lose the mindset that defines this as "plodding," while not-plodding means free-for-all.

Come on, if we all row, we can turn this boat around.

Weigh myself. Done. Daily fluctuation – none.

Make food plan for the day. Done.
B - muesli, cc, apple, semi-skimmed milk, wheatgerm.
MS – possibly none as am teaching the lovely university students at 11am.
L – cheese and lime pickle sandwich perhaps, with some carrot and celery. To be eaten in my colleague’s office as I don’t have a room yet.
AS - something warm as I’ll need nurturing at this point. Mug of cocoa? And 10 minutes with my eyes closed.
T – probably chicken risotto + greens.

Exercise. MBF exercises.

Keep to food and exercise plan as far as I can, and as appropriate.

Yesterday was very full, much fuller than I prefer. Anyway, despite demands coming in from all directions, I kept on motoring. It was so madly busy that I didn’t eat too differently from my plan. Had it been less crazy there might have been more opportunity for that.

Who knows what kind of spanner will be thrown into the works today? The outline is already fairly demanding but I think I’m off to a good start by having planned my food. When I’ve finished writing this I’ll go and make my sandwich and do my exercises. Then I’ll get on to negotiating health and social care stuff for my uncle. I’ll move on to teaching the Italian translation classes, one of which will be peer-observed by my colleague. This will be the third class I’ve ever taught. Most interestingly, I don’t feel anxious about this. I think it has to be because I don’t feel intimidated and I don’t feel I have anything to prove. I like these students and like trying to work together with them. I also believe I have some interesting things to share with them. That doesn’t mean that I shan’t feel the desire to eat something afterwards to disperse the adrenaline. <- interesting insight.

Good. I’m glad I’ve had that insight into my behaviour which I know others have had too but I’ve never applied to myself. Now I’ve got two things to think about: how I can adjust what I’ve been doing to encourage weight loss, and how I can disperse adrenaline effectively once an event is over.


JayEll, very good idea to try to reframe 'plodding'. It might be fun to brainstorm different words for moving forward.


All, good luck with your day!

Thank you, Bill and saef. He was a man with a brilliant mind and irreverent spirit. I was lucky to know him, and his field was lucky to have him working in it.

As I walk along the corridor at the University today, I'll remember him waiting for me there. He brought a message for me and help when the SO was in hospital during the early stages of our relationship.

I'm sorry this person is now gone from your life.

Dagmar

Posting from my colleague's office. I tried to disperse the adrenaline by walking slowly from the lecture theatre: along the corridor, along the balcony, down the big staircase, along the corridor. Then I found myself by the lift where I had pressed the button. I came to, turned away and walked up the narrow staircase to the third floor, along the corridor and into her room. I then spent about five minutes getting myself sorted out. Now I'm having my lunch.

Moving slowly seems to work better than moving quickly for this. Moving fast seems to make it worse.

(Can't remember if North American floors number from 0/ground floor or from 1/ground floor.)

1 is first floor (ground floor), usually. Or sometimes G is used for ground floor. But the next floor up is 2... I think... Interesting question.

Well, in that case, I'm on the 4th floor. It's a good walk up some fairly steep stairs. And down again.

Ah, I'm too late, due to the time difference.

For me, mindless physical motion helps in dispersing adrenaline, whether it's flowing or dammed up in the form of unreleased tension.

That was my great discovery about the gym, which would keep me going there, even if it had nothing at all to do with aesthetics, health or yet another arena for overachievement.

Sorry for your loss, Birchie. Dementia is a horrible thing. My Dad has a friend, Ophthalmologist and Lawyer so not dumb in any way, who has early onset Alzheimers. So sad.

No, I do not believe my hip problem is from golf. It is from being too sedentary at work. I was talking to DH about Shannon's desk and we may explore that route to make me stand up more at work. When I'm actually busy, I do get up a lot, but when nothing is going on, I tend to sit and surf the web too much.

Silverbirch, sorry to read of your loss.

Agree with you, JayEll, that "plod" has some negative vibes. It's life. It needs a better publicist. We are but a couple of weeks from Lori Bell's "March Forward", which sounds stronger and more determined.