A little something I saw online ages ago—I have no idea where it came from, but I just dug it up while doing some file maintenance.
Numbers, numbers, numbers—a subject I generally loathe…
But these numbers have particular significance for me at the moment: The first set is how long I have until my half-century birthday;
The second number is how much I weighed when I stepped on the scale this morning!
Read on if you care to share my thoughts and excitement…
And a Happy St. Patrick Stewart’s Day to you all!
(My sister showed this to me and I laughed so hard I just about ruptured something…)
–From Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
This quote–mostly the last line–seemed apropos, following the story I wrote and posted Thursday…
It has been a very long time since I’ve actually written anything creatively or otherwise for my own enjoyment. Poetry or prose—even the novel I started over a decade ago now—has always been a somewhat guilty, personal pleasure of mine and one that I don’t share that often. But now that I prepare to close my first half-century, I ask myself “What the hell are you waiting for? Why are you holding back?”
As it turns out, last weekend in Bakersfield provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime shot of inspiration that I was compelled to get out of me. I hope you will enjoy what I wrote and can appreciate what it has taken for me to put this side of me out there. And more importantly, the subject I wrote about.
Click over the jump to read…
Hello there, it’s been a while!
Actually, this post is going to be about yesterday, because it marked the start of my month “at liberty”. Last Friday was my last day of work at the place I’ve been for the past 3 1/2 years. I left, my choice, to begin a new journey of reinvention–something I’ve been alluding to here on my blog for the past several months. March will be used for many purposes as I prepare to move on in new directions.
Diet and exercise–who knew? 🙂 I’ve now officially lost over 20 pounds since the holidays, and I’m starting to feel really good about that. My annual physical is coming up in less than a month and my doctor will certainly be pleased. If I keep this up, I may even actually get back to the 160 pounds I’d set as a pie-in-the-sky goal well over a year ago–almost a pipe-dream, really.
Last weekend, I went to Bakersfield for the California State CIF High School Championship Wrestling Tournament and had an awesome time! Somehow it made me feel like there’s still good left in the world, (the bastards of the International Olympic Committee notwithstanding)…
Feeling in good health, good spirits and tasting freedom again, I went around most of the day yesterday with a big, stupid grin on my face. I haven’t felt so light and happy for ages, it seems. Eating my weekly lunch at Egg Plantation seemed tastier, my daily fitness walk seemed much more invigorating, the world seemed brighter and livelier somehow. I even ended the afternoon with a sharp new haircut–never underestimate the power of a good haircut.
But I’ll just close this for now–still with a big, stupid grin on my face–and say “stay tuned for further developments”.
— Richard Monckton Milnes
journey, not destination 