Stripping Back the Crazy or The Quitter, Part 2

Jon-Boy

When my good friend Jon isn't at work to chat with me all day, I don't have any one to talk me back from a philosophical ledge or to provide me with an outlet for all the crazy that's neatly tucked away in my head.  I dedicate this post to him.  Thanks for always accepting me and all my shit. I also dedicate this post to my sister, the funniest and kindest human being I have ever met in my entire life. Thanks for making me laugh tears.

My Adorable Sister

In my latest post, "The Quitter," I mentioned all of the things I've started and subsequently quit in the last 12 months or so.  All of them fall under the category of "extreme" and require difficult and expensive life adjustments.  All of them have subsequently resulted  in my quitting said life change and ended with more of a "cutting back" philosophy.  I don't know what made me think I was capable of such changes.  In general, I'm over worked, underslept, barely making it on a tight budget.

My Grandma's Bread

 There couldn't be worse timing in my life to take on any of the following things:

• The Forks Over Knives Diet: lets just call this what it is: a VEGAN diet.  Anything that requires me to utilize something called "egg substitute" or "yeast sprinkle" to replace cheese will never, ever last. 
• P90X: These workouts last a good 1 hour 30 minutes.  I liked them.  They were fun, they made me sweat and I felt GREAT.  I also have a family, a job and I'm in school.  Getting up at 4:00AM or working out at 10:00PM is nothing shy of stupid. Talk about a fucked up internal clock.  My brain was really hating me toward the end and I was dreading each workout.  
• The In-Law/G-F Diet: My in-laws didn't really push the gluten free thing as much as the whole foods thing but it was always there on the surface.  But I'll say I've had little trouble living without bread in my life.  But at some point, I've started to miss it.  I miss the convenience of making a summer veggie pizza or whipping together some pasta on the fly.  Rice spaghetti noodles really blow.  The GF mac and cheese isn't so bad.  And then there's the issue of sandwiches.  I love a really good sandwich. Especially a Cuban at the little Cuban grocery store down the road.  I probably haven't had one of those in two years, GF or not. And corn meal in a cookie recipe does not a cookie make! But a trip to the dessert does inspire in many ways and I gave it an honest try. 

I don't want to give up meat.  I don't want to live without butter or yogurt.  I don't want to live without home made, warm crusty bread smeared with butter and blackberry jam or WV applebutter. I don't want to have to take time away from my kid so I can be sure to get my ridiculous 90 minute work out in when I can easily get at a good sweat in about 30 minutes before she rises in the AM and still get plenty of sleep.. 

Its only taken me 32 years, but I'm slowly finding some sense of balance in my life.  No matter your age, I implore you to do the same. I post this information so that maybe you can avoid some of the stupid shit I've done, like the trouble of trying, figuring out how crazy it is and then quitting.  Save your money kids and do this:

• Love what you do
• Eat healthy, mostly whole foods & Exercise
• Spend time with your family
• Surround yourself with friends of good character