Straight Lines

Success doesn't seem to work in a perfectly straight line. This is pretty unfortunate when you think about it; it would make goals so much more happily achievable if you could just count on steady progress at a predictable clip. Reality is much less glamorous than those fitness shows on television.

There was recently a great article in the Claremont Courier about Asghar and I. I was happy to boast of my success and highlight all the cool stuff I could do. I was proud of the article and my progress and only slightly horrified by having my picture in the paper in gym clothes. I wanted to amble through the Village with my head up high, which I did until my progress hit a few snags.

I'll say it, some days are a lot easier than others.

I woke up feeling like a big, stiff, unflexible hunk of cement. That plucky girl smiling in the newspaper and pumping iron had a few moments this week that were decidedly "unquotable" for a community newspaper. (Let me also add I only have a vague notion of what pumping iron actually means, but it sounds cool.)  I'd had a tough day Monday and felt like some of my previous progress had slipped away somehow. I was frustrated I wasn't improving every day. I was teary, stiff, and basically mad at myself for feeling like the fitness underachiever this week.

Of course, once I started moving, stuff got easier. I also remembered that a bad day today was what I'd call a good day three months ago.  I had to look at the big picture rather than focusing on every little ache, pain or stumble.

But then that is sort of true for anything in life...isn't it?

So I am going to focus on that smiling lady in the newspaper and remind myself of the progress I am making. Some days, it seems, are easier than others - but success is getting through both!