Motivation Recalibration

I had slipped into a summer exercise routine that felt as comfortable as my fat pants with the stretch waistband after about 20 wearings without a washing. I would get up early and take a long solo walk or bike ride. Most days I would stop at one of the many wild berry patches I had scouted and pick fresh mulberries, raspberries, or blackberries for my consumption that day. After work, I would walk the dog and swim some laps in our little pool. Then the weather started to change. We had a stretch of rain and cold. No cycling for a week. I took down the pool before it turned into an above ground ice skating rink. So much for my swimming workouts. I immediately started to gain back the weight I had lost. My quest for a 20 lb. weight loss seemed unattainable.

But then, one man inspired and motivated me to try and make that weight loss happen. Who, you ask? I’m pretty sure I heard someone ask. Come on, raise your hand if it was you asking. Nobody, huh? Regardless, that man is …

Donald Trump. Yep, Donald Trump and his odious minions got me fired up. I felt the need to get my precinct covered in pro-Democratic candidate campaign literature. That inspired me to take long walks and bike rides throughout my precinct to distribute bags filled with news about good Democratic women and men for whom to vote. It worked! A return of some summery weather helped, too. The weight started to come down again. But now that’s over.

Just to recap, there are no more berries to pick. There are no more candidate literature packets to deliver. The weather is back to chilly and rainy as I type this. I am struggling with new motivation to keep me going. Hmmm, maybe just a goal of general good health? Nah. I can’t help but think of those fat pants with stretch waistbands hanging in my closet just waiting to be worn again. It almost seems like a waste not to wear them. Kind of a waist waste.

Day One with no motivation except good health (sigh!) starts today as this posts. I have 3 days left in September to still lose those last 3 lbs to reach a totally arbitrary goal I set for myself. I did temporarily lose 2 lbs in one day over the summer when I accidentally ate a buckthorn berry that I had mistaken for a wild black cherry. Toxic buckthorn berries are still plentiful on the trees. The wheels are turning in my mind. I think I have a plan for those last 3 lbs. If I lost 2 lbs after eating one buckthorn berry, how much could I lose if I ate two? Ugh, not math again. Screw it. I’m just going to shave my back hair and hope that weighs 3 lbs. I’ll let you know how that goes. I may make the 3 lbs lost, but if I do, it’ll be a close shave.