Boy, do I have some Tales to Tell...
I'm never going to get that excessively lean and cut body that all the boys seem to have at my gym. I keep trying but I don't think I am going to ever get there. I exercise 4-5 times a week. I work very hard. I work smartly. My workouts are a mix of cardio and weight lifting. I have gotten stronger. But I don't think I will ever look ripped. Even though I eat quite healthily. Maybe it's the one to two bottles of wine. A night. And the chocolate. Maybe. Later.
I'm ready for New York City to get some spring-like weather. I want to be able to ditch the winter jacket. I am done with it. I want to wear some of my fabulous new clothes. Actually, I want to wear some of my fabulous new clothes with some old stuff I have. Because of my new way of eating, my body has become a bit more accommodating of clothes.
I made a pact with my friend Erica today. We made a pact to go out for cocktails once a week, once Spring hits. We are going to get dressed up and go out for a drink, something to eat, and more drinks. I want to start feeling positive about myself. Work and the world has brought me down and I am going to choose to not let it.
So, when the weather allows, I am heading out in my Yohji Yamamoto low-crotch khakis, with my yellow, deep v-neck t-shirt, my made-for-me, hooded black hoodie, and one of my many fabulous pairs of shoes. Because I am tired of feeling down and dowdy. I am tired of feeling unattractive. I am tired fo feeling that my life revolves around work. Because, if one chooses, it doesn't. Bring on the new. Bring on the fresh. Bring on Spring. Later.
I haven't been inspired in a long time. Actually, for a long time, I have felt bleh. Nothing I do seems too exciting. Nothing I see makes me perk up and take note. And certainly, work has not come close to even interesting let alone inspiring. I remember joining my company and being excited and inspired about what I do. But even without this economic pothole, the company I work for is far from what it once was or even claims to be.
So, yesterday, I was sent to a Customer Service workshop. The idea was to send a bunch of us to learn ways of improving our dramatically-waning customer service. I went. Like most other things my company puts on lately, I did not expect to be entertained, let alone inspired. I was wrong. Totally wrong.
I was inspired... I was jazzed... I was pumped... To make plans to move on to a much better place. A place where customer service is taken seriously by both the customers, the employees, and the people who run the business. You see, I think I give good customer service. Actually, I know that my customer service skills are far superior to most of the people I work with. I have empathy but I also have logic. And I feel that my skills and passion are being under-utilized and unappreciated where I work.
So, I have made a decision to set a goal of stepping up my game and moving into a place where my skills and passion can be used. Where others have the same skill and passion. And it isn't where I am right now. Later.
I think I am about to crossover to the other side. I am going to join a CSA. That's a Community Supported Agriculture farm. The gist of the thing is that you pay a lump sum in advance for weekly deliveries of vegetables. You have to volunteer a few hours to help them; which for me is no big deal. The veggies get delivered starting June and ending December.
I think my new name should be Darth Veggie. Later.
Recently, a friend of mine commented on how much my diet has changed since he first met me. He remembers when I was on a dairy-free and wheat-free diet. The dairy part has always been easy for me. The wheat was harder because our society's diet consists of mostly wheat product. Think about how much easier it is to get a bagel, muffin, scone, or toast for breakfast.
So, right now, my diet consists of plant-based products. I have consciously made a decision to consume primarily plant-based food. I am not sure when I began to make this change. Some people remember me as a vigorous carnivore. My mother nicknamed me "Mr. Chicken" when I was little. I remember one of my favorite meals being a rotisserie chicken, gruyere cheese, and baguette. But something changed. I probably stems from my fear of being 220 lbs. again. But, I know this much... I feel better when my diet consists of plant-based product.
Don't get me wrong. I still love my share of meat. Actually, it's probably more of a fifth of my share. It's hard to limit yourself when you live in a foodie city like New York. So, when I go out, I'll get some meat if the selection entices. But, it isn't the first thing I look at.
Said friend said that he remembers me eating gallons of ice cream, plates of fried chicken, and bowls of spaghetti bolognese. I reminded him that he also remembered me snorting cocaine and crystal meth. Totally different life. I just substitute pints of soy frozen treat, oven-baked tofu strips, and bowls of vegan baked penne casserole. Yummy! Later.
When you see a friend behaving in a way that you feel he needs to change, do you tell him so?
If you see the same pattern of behavior again and again, do you tell him so?
And if you get to a point that you no longer want to hear his excuses for continuing the irrational pattern of behavior, do you tell him so?
And what point do you no longer accept his excuses, accept his behavior, and tell him that his situation is no longer about what he thinks people are doing to him and more about what he is doing to himself... and do you tell him so?
Later.
