I Think I Can, I Think I Can. OOPS!!!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

I know that I'm the only person this has happened to. I feel so embarrased. I've been cruising along on maintenance and feeling so good about myself. I knew I had it made and then the Holiday Season rolled in with all of the activity and responsibilities. I committed the cardinal sin of healthy living. I didn't maintain my exercise program. I could make the excuse that I was too busy. OK - I did make that excuse. Then I stopped weighing every Sunday morning. Do you hear Dominos falling. Me too. It all happened gradually and maybe I wasn't logging every bite I put into my cavernous mouth. What have I done? I blew it so I may as well just throw up my hands and quit. Ya think?

Lew, are you daft? Quit? You have been doing some stinkin thinkin? It's only three pounds. It's time to get back on the program so get your butt in gear. What? You don't feel good? No kidding. Stinkin thinkin will do that to you. Stop the pity party and get back to walking and walking and walking. Dust off those dumbbells and wake up those old muscles. You know the program works so get back to working the program. No, not that program. That program got you in trouble. Get back on the Spark program and work it.

OK, Moms. It's back to work. Thanks for the wake up call.

Enjoy the ride,

Lew

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How I Ruined My Sister's Christmas

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Christmas 1953 was a bad one for my Sister and it was all my fault. She was 10 and I was 12. That year I had figured out where my parents had hidden all of the unwrapped presents. I told my sister that I knew where they were and asked if she wanted to see her presents. She told me she did and I believed her. Now, I knew that I shouldn't be doing it but I had always looked out for her and I THOUGHT she would want to see the presents. I didn't mind getting in trouble if it made her happy.

We went from hiding spot to hiding spot and I would climb up on a chair and then open the box and show her the present. She was delighted and promised to keep it a secret. We always kept our promises to each other so I trusted her. I had no reason not to as we had a very special bond.

Now, move ahead to Christmas morning. The family was gathered around the tree with great anticipation. My parents had no idea that I had violated their secret hiding places. My sister and I were eager to open our presents and it was a joyous morning. Well, at least it started as a joyous morning. As we opened each gift we were excited and thanked our parents for the gifts. There weren't a lot but we knew they couldn't afford a lot. That was OK with us.

All of the presents had been opened and then disaster struck. My world began to slowly spiral into the ground. My Sister began to cry and my parents tried to get her to tell them why she was upset. After too long a time my sister finally blurted out that she thought she would get something that she hadn't seen already.

At that point my parents were confused and tried to get her to explain what she meant. Shirley kept her promise. She didn't tell what I had done and my parents were getting frustratedd. Sir Walter Scott was so right. "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to decive." There was no way out. I was trapped. I could not let this go any further so I told my parents what I had done. The only thing that saved me from a trip to the basement and Mom yielding Dad's leather belt was the fact that it was Christmas.

I apologized to my parents. I hugged my Sister and apologized to her. That helped calm things down and they all seemed satisfied with my apology. That worked for them but it didn't work for me. I felt absolutely miserable for what I had done to her on that very special day. A few years ago we talked about that day and she had long forgotten it. I hadn't and I never stopped regretting my act of deceit.

Now, let's all pull all of those high calorie treats out of their hiding place and put them out where we can be held accountable for what we eat.

Enjoy the ride,

Lew

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HO HO HO!!!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Don't you just love December? Whether it's Christmas or Hannakuh we are bombarded with decadant food. I was introduced to Hannakuh traditions at the home of my Jewish college roommate. Larry's Mom was short and she would greet me at the front door, stand on a chair, and give me a kiss. Then she asked, are you hungry? And of course I was. I was 20 years old, skinney, and always hungry. She would then proceed to do everything she could to put weight on me. I ate foods I had never seen before and loved every bite. She was a fantastic cook but I didn't gain weight.

Then I would go home for Christmas leave and my Mom and future Mother in law would load me up with traditional Christmas fare. There were always cookies, fudge, fruitcake, and other calorie laden goodies. I could eat as much as I wanted and not gain a pound. My ohh my, how times have changed.

Now, if I want to enjoy this season I had better pay attention to what food I eat. If I don't pay attention the HO HO HO becomes OH OH OH. Now I can no longer gorge myself and not gain weight. Now, I have to eat responsibly. Do I wish it was otherwise? You bet I do.

I will enjoy the season but I will do everything I can to make sure that it doesn't mess up my progress. I can, you can, we all can.

Enjoy the ride,

Lew

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Smartphones - Friend or Foe?

Monday, December 10, 2012

I have never owned a Smartphone. I have never needed a Smartphone. I see people everywhere I go tapping on their smartphones and sseeming to enjoy them. All of my children and grandchildren, except the 10 yr. old, have a Smartphone. I suspect that behind my back they say "Grandpa's too old to learn how to use a Smartphone". On that subject I will quietly let them remain gleefully ignorant.

Don't get me wrong here - Smartphones are really cool toys. With a smartphone you get to tap the screen and neat things pop up. You can swipe your finger and scroll up and down or left and right. It's so cool. My 10 year old is fascinated by it. So is my 20 year old grandson and my 36 yr. old Daughter. They are even fascinated by the TV commercials for Smartphones. They spend hours on facebook staying abreast of the latest news from their friends. They spend a lot of time doing things but they aren't actually interacting with another human being.

Smartphones are also tools. They allow you to make and receive phone calls. They're a PDA where you can carry your calendar with you and your entire address book. They can be a GPS.

My reason for not having a Smartphone is that I don't have a job and therefore have no need for an expensive cell phone. If I needed a Smartphone in a job then I would have one. Before Smartphones I carried a cell phone, PDA, and a laptop when I traveled. A Smartphone will replace the first two but is an inadequate substitute for a laptop. Being a rather frugal guy I can't justify the cost.

Ignoring the high cost of owning and using a Smartphone the thing I dislike most about them is their dominance of people's lives. They scream, grunt, groan, play music. or scream at the owner when a message, email, voicemail, or phone call come in. They demand attention and distract people around them. That seems stressful to me. Countless hours are spent on them playing games, downloading apps, and generally just spending time to be spending time. I suspect that the time could be spent in more productive pursuits.

I'll keep carrying my flip phone on my hip and pay my $100 a year for phone service. If I want to communicate with someone I want to hear a voice on the other end. I only text if my youngest daughter sends one to me. If I want to play I'll play catch with my grandson.

OK, that's my opinion. I will enjoy hearing yours.

Enjoy the ride,

Lew

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An Amazing Day

Saturday, November 24, 2012

The day after Thanksgiving I got to the Dermatologist's office at 8 AM to have a Basal Cell Carcinoma removed from my right temple. At 8:30 I was called in to the surgical room, the nurse gave me a local anesthetic and the surgeon removed a layer and off it went to their in house lab for processing. I spent an hour and a half in the waiting room or walking around the parking lot and doing stretching. At 10 I went in for round two and then back to the waiting room. I then called my wife to give her a progress report as I walked. At 1030 I was called in for round three. Then it was back to the waiting room and a walk and a phone call. At noon they served lunch and it was 12:45 when I was called back and told tha t they were closing up the wound. That took much longer than the surgey but as soon as I got out of the building I called home and talked to my wife telling her I was fine. I could tell she wasn't hearing the right words so I said "they got it all" and I could hear the relief in her voice. I never thought it was a big deal but couldn't ease her worry. Four words did it.

As you read that I'm sure you thought there's nothing amazing about that and you're right. What made it amazing for this old Vietnam vet was the people in the waiting room. There were six men and 2 women. All six of use were vets and I was the youngest. Four of the men were combat veterans of WWII - The Greatest Generation. I was in awe of those men and what they had endured. As a kid I would sit in a room with my Dad and his buddies and ask questions but at that age I was interested in what seemed to be an adventure to me. Now that I understand what they went through and have experienced some of it I was interested in what units they were in what campaigns they were in. Those men are all around 90 years old and mentally sharp. Their generation are my parents generation and I have a tremendous respect for not only the men that served but the women who stayed home and endured the wartime living conditions and the daily worry as they hear the war news on the radio. Their life was so much tougher than mine has been and their wartime experiences very traumatic. If you look for inspiration look at those people. They won't be around much longer.

I'm sitting here with a line of sutures over 2 inches long running up my temple and into my hairline. My wife will remember that day because "He got it all". I'll remember that day for the unassuming heroes I was privileged to share my day with.

Enjoy the ride,

Lew

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