Day 569 Encouraged Dreams and A Porch Swing

Day 569

Encouraged Dreams and A Porch Swing

I finally was shaken from my peaceful slumber this morning by my radio alarm clock, it took some work, that thing blared wildly out of control for over an hour. I hope there's a firewall between me and the apartment next door, or one of these days I'm going to wake with my neighbors standing in my room, turning it off and looking less than cheery. Is it healthy to sleep this soundly? Have I really worked out that hard the last two days? I mean really, you could have operated on me and I would have slept right through, drooling on my pillow in complete comfort.

I was not happy waking up late this morning, not at all. It was nearly 5:15am, which totally throws my morning routine for a loop. I sure like commas, anyway... I jumped up and quickly decided what had to suffer and what must be done regardless of the time. It was obvious this late: The early morning warm-up workout was out, and writing? Forget it! I had time to shower, dress, grab a banana and scrambled eggs real quick, and rush toward the studio. Ouch...my muscles are sore today and that's a good thing. I told you, the upper body workout on the machines last night was effective!

I had to recover slowly throughout the day. What do I mean by that? I rely so heavily on the positive foundation my morning routine provides and when it's messed up, I have to make it the best I can and move on with a positive focus. I left for lunch early today, headed home and started writing and cooking. I still didn't make time for my squats, push-ups, and sit-ups, but I knew a workout would come later. I was crunched for time here. I grilled a chicken breast and opened a can of green beans. It was very fast and very good, oh---and less than 250 calories total, and filling!

The word “organized” is probably not a word my friends and colleagues would use to describe me. I'm quickly realizing that I need to start learning some simple organizational skills, to not only help me do a better job in broadcasting, but help me prepare for and eventually ascend to where I want to go. A combination of disorganization and procrastination can really hold a person back, I know this. And these are two things that Seanboy needs to shake!

A few months ago, a major sponsor of my radio show---and a good personal friend of a person that works for a subsidiary of a major publisher, said to me: “Your blog needs to be condensed and published into a daily motivational book for those just starting out on their weight loss journey.” She was highly complimentary, and went further by saying that if I would assemble a collection of reader feedback/reviews, she would happily and personally submit it to her friend at the major publisher. If I ever figure out what makes me put something like that off, and I can correct that, then the sky is the limit on my hopes and dreams for the future. What do I fear? Rejection? Who cares? I mean really...this blog has served it's purpose well, it has helped me do something I've spent my entire life trying and failing to do...and if that's all it does, then it's been nothing short of my personal miracle. I'm blessed.

What made me think of this? I went back and read the post from a year ago and found this encouraging comment from Toby, a daily reader from Day 1:

“10K is awesome Sean! Keep up the good work. I really do think you need to start thinking about writing a book about all of this. I would be one of the first people in line to buy it!”---

Sharing my story is something I plan to do for the rest of my life. I look forward to the day when that's all I do. I want to write for and speak with people that feel the way I did for so many years. I feel it's my responsibility and honestly, I feel it's my calling. I'll never take credit for anyone's success but my own. A friend and co-worker today attributed part of her success to reading this blog everyday. Oh no you don't! It's all you lady! You're the one that's taking the action and doing what needs to be done. All I can do is set the best example I can everyday and continue sharing in these pages. Will I ever make writing and speaking a career. Without a doubt, yes. A little pre-mature to start thinking that way? Perhaps. But maybe not. If you've read this blog long enough, you know I'm a realist. I don't get carried away with pie in the sky dreams of being an author and motivational speaker. But do I dream about it occasionally? Sure, but only because it's a very real possibility. This blog is only the beginning. I've read compliments like Toby's from others and it just re-affirms my desires. Thank you for the boost of confidence!

Onward and upward, right?

I arrived back home and was exhausted. I'm not sure why, I did sleep in today...maybe I'm just accustomed to a nap. Maybe I really don't need the nap, I just think I do. Maybe I need to workout now, and then go to bed early later. I did nap, oh yes I did. For over two hours I slept like a baby. Do I really need this much rest? It was strange, I jumped up and did my morning non-weighted strength training exercises---as if it were 4am, at just after 6pm. I had a dinner invite at a friends house this evening, so I finished up and headed that way.

Dinner away from home and prepared by someone else is always tricky. You certainly don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but you don't want to compromise the integrity of your calorie budget and plan. It's a delicate thing, and certainly overcome by solid communication with the friend doing the cooking and serving. My friends know all about my weight loss journey, so it makes it a little easier, but still---I encourage them to prepare whatever they would normally and let me navigate through and make my own choices. Do not fix anything “special.” I'll eat what everyone else is eating! I'll just be responsible about the portion size. It was a vegetable and chicken alfredo pasta dish with garlic bread. This is going to be tough to calculate. I enjoyed a small portion, a portion I was comfortable guesstimating at 500 calories.

After dinner, everyone went outside to enjoy the cool night air, and then it happened: I was offered a seat on a porch swing. Wow, imagine that! Me? Sean Anderson offered a seat on a porch swing, like---a normal wooden porch swing, with regular porch swing materials, not reinforced stuff? Yes...and I didn't immediately take the offer. I had to process this for a minute or two. What if I sit down and it collapses? How embarrassing would that be? It could happen, really! I quickly decided that this was one of those moments of normalcy that I've spent my entire morbidly obese life waiting for and dreaming about. So I confidently made my way over and gently sat down on the wooden swing. It was good! I even asked “hey porch swing, we good?” Yep...not a crackle of strain from the wood or the chain. I was normal tonight. And normal never felt so good. How strange it was really. I kept having visions of all of those people you see on Americas Funniest Home Videos, when the porch swing collapses on them...and by the way, that isn't funny, and it certainly wouldn't be tonight. But it was not my worry this evening. I no longer weigh over 500 pounds, I'm allowed to enjoy a porch swing. OK--maybe if nobody gets hurt, it's a little funny. But certainly not at the moment it happens.

I hurried back to the apartment, realizing that it was late, and refusing to let myself off the hook on a good walk/jog. I changed into my workout clothes and headed for the trail. It wasn't long before big fat raindrops started falling, but I kept going. And then, about two miles into this 5K attempt, I noticed lightening in the distance. If storms are moving in, I have to report to the studio for weather coverage. The question? Did I have enough time to finish another mile before heading to the studio? As it turned out, I did, but I didn't do it. I didn't want to take the chance on something blowing through without me on the air.

I can't count this as a 5K, because it wasn't...so here's where I stand on my workout plan for the week, which I count as Monday through Sunday: One 5K and one weight training session complete. I still have two more 5k's and two more weight training sessions to complete this week. I also have a spinning class to conquer. We're getting it done! It feels really good to be here.

The line of storms developed just to our south and east and quickly moved away from our immediate broadcast area. It wasn't long before the threat was clearly over and I headed home. Now, here's where I could have done better: Why not stop and knock out another quick mile, completing the 5K tonight? What would it have taken? Twelve, thirteen minutes maybe? I didn't, instead I hurried back home and settled into cleaning my apartment. And before anyone suggest that cleaning can be considered a workout, no---not that kind of cleaning. I did some dishes, some laundry, picked up a few things, nothing major really.

A decent day, it really was--despite the hurried start. Oh, and I almost forgot...This afternoon I stopped by the Poncan Theatre, the future home of our studios, and was offered a 100 calorie snack pack of Pecan Sandies. I LOVE Pecan Sandies, bless those little Keebler Elves...and this 100 calorie pack was just enough to enjoy that amazing flavor without destroying my calorie budget.

Thanks for reading! Goodnight and...

Good Choices,
Sean


Random Before shot with Mom


Easter "In-Progress" with Mom