Do Not Pass Go.

The last couple of days I've been getting into work super early -- like, 6:45 early -- my days have been packed with meetings, so the quiet time in the morning has allowed me to get better organized and conquer the day with some semblence of professionalism (despite my hair, which due to the humidity has been wet and in a bun for about a week straight).  You all know that I enjoy my quiet and productive mornings*, and quiet mornings in the office are no exception.

To get here when parking is ample, the city is sleeping, and there's no mad rush/cram/dodge to grab an elevator, is like a breath of fresh air.
Part of "getting organized" is making sure I have enough time in the mornings to do some of the personal stuff I need to do in order to clear my mind -- this morning not only did I schedule estimates for carpet cleaning and window washing, but I paid a few bills, took a minute to clean a bunch of trash / junk out of my car, and even counted the calories for my breakfast and my upcoming lunch.

Which brings me to my point.

You know what they say about idle hands... technically I'm typing, so my hands aren't exactly idle, but the point is that in the absence of the normal hurried morning time I started thinking... thinking about exercise, about weight loss, about the fact that my foot still hurts and I probably ought to do something about it... about the fact that if I lost some damn weight, my foot might have not started huting in the first place... thinking about my lack of gym membership and how i miss it, yet the treadmill hasn't been used because the room is full of basement junk we had to move for the painters...  thinking about how humid it has been and how uncomfortable I've been in my own skin... thinking about checking out SlimGenics or counting calories or other ways of reinventing the perfectly good wheel... and before you can say "put the needle on the broken record (God I'm even sick of hearing MYSELF talk about this)" I'm back over at weightwatchers.com, looking up local meeting times, journaling my food.

I like to practice the "AA methodology" of weight watchers, which is to say that if ever I'm feeling frantic; if ever I'm feeling anxious about food and weight, if I ever need to get back on track... I drop everything, find a meeting - right here, right now - and just go.

Stop here. Do not pass go.  Do not collect $200. 
This was infinitely possible when I was working out of my home -- not quite as reasonable now that I'm in an office with an insane meeting schedule, but I AM downtown, which means it is easy to get around on foot, and the world is sort of my oyster in terms of instant availability of, well, pretty much anything. 
But a minute ago I did the next best thing, which is to say that I found a convenient downtown meeting, set a date to go on Tuesdays at 12:30, and blocked off my calendar with a recurring meetings from 12 - 1:15 every Tuesday.  From now until the end of the summer, believe it or not, I don't have a single conflict.  I'm sure that will change, but for now it feels good to have an action plan, and one that I hope will help me to stay mindful over the weekend.  I've journaled my food, making healthy choices so far today, and my brain is busily working away on a plan for dinner.  Due to the insane humidity, we've been eating weird things lately -- it is just too hot to heat up the house, and frankly, even being outside to grill is unappealing -- but tonight I shall cook something light and lovely.  I think I've been in the "pre-contemplative" mode for the past few weeks - wanting to take action but not QUITE ready to commit, and today, I found the mental space to make a plan.

After all, carrying around the monthly pass, much like a gym membership card, doesn't automatically result in weight loss. 

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In other happy life news, it appears the end is in sight in terms of the house craziness -- our realtor came over last night, was very pleased with the progress we've made on the house.  We have a list of LITTLE things left to do (wash the windows, clean the carpets, paint the bathroom, continue to clean and declutter and weed and seed the yard), and hopefully we'll be listing the house right after the 4th of July holiday.

And then... we exhale.

Off and running,
~Jessica


*I meannnnnnnnnnnnnn, have I NOT been saying for years the importance of morning time and productivity!?  Why are I not rich and famous by now?