Here I go again

Today's my day to begin a new orbit of the sun. As I have for probably every birthday since I turned 50, I'm hoping this will be the one in which I finally get it – a way to eat less and move more that results in a body I can stop fighting with, one way or another.

I think both of you know I'm (hopefully) on my way. May this orbit be THE ONE.

The scale gave me a nice gift first thing this morning. Official weigh-in day isn't until Monday, but I've become rather obsessed with collecting scale data lately. Since December 26, 2012, I've lost 25 pounds. Since April 6 (when I started the Whole30, and yes I know I've gone way past the 30), I've lost 18 pounds.

I set a couple goals when I started (again) last year. By 1/1/14 I wanted to walk 1000 miles and lose 50 pounds. I'm ahead of schedule on both: 434 miles (it'll be 440 after I do a 10K – 6.2 miles for 62 years – today) and half the weight gone.

Happy birthday to me.

I hope to take this advice to heart this year. If you'd rather not click through, it's an old AA adage to not take yourself too seriously, from the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. We call it Rule 62, and it seems appropriate for this birthday, although I don't think I take myself very seriously at all, most of the time. I've certainly never thought anyone else did – the curse, if you will, having a bit of a baby face, coupled with being short and having a non-assertive personality.

When I woke up this morning, the full moon was setting behind the mountain to the west as dawn was breaking over the mountain to the east. Not very often you get to see that. I think it's a lovely way to start this trip.