Day 498 Photo Shoot Day and Making Contact With A Friends Son

Day 498

Photo Shoot Day and Making Contact With A Friends Son

Mondays are sometimes busy, but today made every other Monday in recent memory seem like a lazy Saturday. I hit the floor at 4am and didn't stop running until 11pm. Crazy schedule indeed. But, it's not typical and it was wonderful, so I'm very pleased.

Sometimes things don't go as planned and we have to adjust. I planned on an egg white omelet this morning with mushrooms and mozzarella, but when I accidentally broke the yolk of my first two eggs, I just decided to have three whole scrambled eggs with mushrooms—minus the cheese. I would have preferred to do my regular morning warm-up workout, but since I'm still nursing this hurt left arm, I did the body weighted squats and the “out of bed” sit-ups only. I can come up with a never ending list of non-perfect, or not what we wanted, circumstances and happenings along this road---I don't have to dig too deep before I remind myself that perfection isn't our aim, it better not be or we're going to be severely disappointed! Learning to adjust my routines, habits, and expectations without feeling defeated or cheated, but proud and accomplished---is a vital element to my positive approach.

I hit the road for Tulsa shortly after my show ended this morning. I forgot to pack a mid-morning snack, luckily I found a convenience store with fresh fruit and cheese, and my road “snacks” were good to go. I was driving to Tulsa for a photo shoot at the Tulsa World newspaper, a shoot for which I was well packed and prepared. I grabbed my size 64 waist jeans, the ones that were actually tight when I first bought them, now I can't believe I ever filled them out. I also grabbed my giant jacket that was really too big for me at 505, and now makes me look like I'm in one of those “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” movies. Oh, I wasn't done. I stressed over and over about what to wear. I wanted to look my best for this picture, so when I started to stress over clothing selection---I just grabbed three different things. I decided that I would just insist on changing a few times during the shoot, giving the powers that be a variety of options. I must trust they'll pick the best shots. Isn't it crazy how horribly insecure I am? Anything beats what I was before, so why do I feel the need to be critical now? I hope to someday reach a fitness level where it will not matter the angle of the shot or the way a shirt clings to my body. I'll like every one---just pick.

I was met in the lobby of the historic Tulsa World headquarters by the journalist writing the story, he led me up to the newsroom and back to the photo studio. As we walked I inquired about his weight loss. That's right, the writer in charge of telling this story has some intimate understanding of our travels along this road because he too has been traveling. Matt has lost over 60 pounds and now checks in at under 160, the guy looks great---and you can tell he feels great by the way he carries himself all light on his feet. The fact that Matt has experienced weight issues really makes me feel good about this story. He totally gets this stuff. Matt introduced me to the photographer and left for lunch. The photographer was very nice and I think he was only slightly annoyed by my “costume” changes and repetitive question “do you want some shots without me holding up the pants? No? OK, that's fine...I was just thinking that...yeah, that's cool.” I like to be in total control of photos, but in this situation—forget it. They're professionals and they don't need me telling them which shots to use...but it drives me nuts not to be able to look. I trust it'll be a fantastic photo whatever shot they decide to use. It was a fun experience!

On the drive over to Tulsa I decided to listen to my favorite motivating songs. Doing that gave me confidence, put me at ease, and fired me up! On the way from Tulsa to Stillwater afterward, I drove in silence trying to piece together my nearly cold call approach on the young man I've talked about recently. I say “nearly,” because he should remember me from a decade ago when his father would hire me to do stand-up and MC his company events. And he even listened every day to a morning show I did back then on another radio station. These are things my friend reminded me of about his son, and that helped ease my nerves. At least I wasn't a total stranger.

I located the residence and then sit outside in my vehicle totally unsure and uncomfortable with what I was about to do. After nearly twenty minutes and a couple of phone calls to friends, I gathered the courage to knock on the front door. No answer. Hmmm...both vehicles were in the driveway. I returned to the vehicle and tried to call, no answer. I then called my friend who was able to reach someone else inside the home and they agreed to open the door, they simply didn't hear me knocking from where they were inside.

What I found when that door opened wasn't what I expected at all. This young man looked relatively normal as far as weight was concerned. Maybe I had the wrong place. After I explained who I was, because he didn't recognize me at all, we had a seven minute conversation on his porch. I learned that he's already lost over 40 pounds and is “eating better, really well,” and seems to be doing better than his family had feared. He didn't want to invite me inside, and I didn't push the issue. That seven minute conversation may not have seemed significant at the time, but later my friend told me that's the longest anyone has talked to the young man in some time. The information I gathered concerning his well being was good, despite the short visit. It certainly wasn't what I expected and it didn't go anything like I had planned. But I felt good about the experience and I was relieved at the outcome.

I visited with my mom, grandma, and Aunt Kelli before returning to Ponca City. Grandma told me “don't you lose another pound, you here?” several times---I love her so much! And Kelli and my mother were both excited to discuss their weight loss pursuits. Kelli is closing in on a weight she hasn't had since she was 30 years old! And mom is as determined and focused as ever. She gets her walk in everyday and she gives her calorie budget special attention everyday. It's so wonderful to witness loved ones feel good about their journey. It's the greatest feeling when you see that look in their eye that says I can do this too, and you know it's true, they can.

I headed back to Ponca City and home to prepare dinner, eat, and then head to the studio for some production work. I finally dropped in bed at 11pm. I was completely exhausted really, but also...I was completely happy about the day that made me that way.

Thanks for reading. Goodnight and...

Good Choices,
Sean


I love this sign! The Tulsa World was a newspaper before Oklahoma was even a state!