Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Time keeps on slippin'

Those of you of a certain age will recognize the subject line as the beginning of a song by the Steve Miller Band from, oh, (can it possibly be?) 30 years ago.

My, my, my, how time does fly.

Was I thinking about the passage of time as I listened to those lyrics half my life ago? I guarantee you I was not. Because when you're in your 20s and 30s, time is immaterial. If I don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. Or the year after that.

But when you're in your 50s and staring down 60, you begin to realize that, well, time keeps on slippin'.

I suppose these thoughts are spinning through my brain because my husband had a birthday yesterday. Last year was the big 6-5, and that was something to celebrate: Medicare! Hurrah! Now he can get sick and we don't have to worry about how to pay for it. For the record, he's actually gotten healthier, maintaining his 35-pound drop in weight when he retired (the first time) almost two years ago.

This year? Ho, hum, 66, no big deal. I fixed him a nice dinner (including his favorite soup) and gave him a blaze-orange hat to wear when he walks. It's hunting season here in the Middle of Nowhere and unless deer suddenly start sporting blaze-orange hats, I think he'll be safe walking outdoors. He requested an apple pie instead of a cake, so he got that, too.

None of us gets any younger, and time is limited. And fleeting. And precious. If I'm ever going to wear the too-small clothes in the spare-bedroom closet or run a marathon, I'd better get busy. Well, busiER, because I feel like I've been trying for-freaking-EVER!

I want my healthful meals and almost-daily walks to produce some weight-loss results. Apparently my healthful meals need to be more healthful and my almost-daily walks aren't enough. I'm taking this week to figure out yet another plan (I apologize to both of you whom I know are oh-so-tired of reading about yet another of Debbi's plans). I'll be traveling and won't be doing my own cooking, so this is a good week for planning rather than doing.

I need a big goal and some interim goals. I already have the deadline, which I'll write about later. I just need for time to stop slippin'.

4 comments:

Marla said...

Happy birthday to the hubby! 66 has a nice symmetry anyway. And the old joke, you could trade him in for a pair of 33-year-olds.

I want to hear about your new plan. It gives me an odd comfort to read about your struggles. It's not that I want anyone else to go through it, but it means a lot to me to know that I'm not insane (or that both of us are).

Did you finish reading The End of Overeating? I had several lightbulb moments while reading it, and am currently attempting something based partly on his ideas and partly on my own growing realizations. (one week in, nothing to report yet)

denise said...

I don't mind when you say you're coming up with another plan. Instead I get jealous because at least you will have a plan - which is more than I can say for the last couple of years.

I SHOULD have a plan, as I went back to WW and have been going religiously every week for the last 18 weeks...you'd think that would yield some progress, but sadly, I've only managed to drop 10 lbs - and I think I put some of that back on this week.

Not that this is in any way a reflection on the WW plan - which is a good one - but rather it's a reflection on my inability to get on board with the plan. Each week I try to do some one thing that's sort of kind of a part of the plan, but unless you're willing to really work the plan, the results tell the story.

Sigh... I look forward to hearing your new plan. Maybe I'll steal it and make it my plan too - or maybe it will at least inspire me to pay attention to my own plan!

Happy travels.

denise said...

P.S. Thanks a lot for the ear worm...now I can't get that song out of my head (I am a woman of a certain age and remember the song quite well...too well it seems)

Sunny CA said...

I am also still in the struggle. I have my new plan already and have been on it since April 8th, but I am getting really serious now because my 1969 high school reunion party is on November 14th.

Marla: I did read The End of Overeating. It does align with my beliefs about sugar-white flour-fat-salt. That is: If you don't eat it you don't crave it. The hard part is getting through the 5-10 days to get over the cravings while going cold turkey on added sugar and any flour and cutting fat and salt way down by cutting out manufactured foods. Weight is not coming off me fast (about a pound a week average) but it keeps coming off. All I have done is to eliminate sugar and flour and manufactured foods. (Uh...well also I count calories and try to stay below 1,450 but mostly average about 1,200, and also I exercise most days so I am also watching quantity).
Greta

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