Life is Healthy

Greetings from I-80. I’m in Elkhart, Indiana, home of the RV Hall of Fame. Who knew? We’ll be in Chicago tomorrow to pick up my super fantastic niece, Michaela, for a one-week visit to western PA. She is a great big bright star in Larry’s and my otherwise craptastic week of death and such.

Take Wednesday night. We had a torrential rainstorm. A couple of them, actually. And guess who left the sunroof open in her “new” Jeep?

Yeah…that would be me. If my Jeep is a rain gauge, we had at least an inch of rain. And the water is still being absorbed into the carpets and seats. Larry and I had to sit on towels while driving today.

I’m suffering from “schedule interruptus” and it’s making me a little nuts. Life happens, I know that, but negotiating life’s surprises is tricky for me sometimes. It’s as much mental as physical, particularly when trying to stay ahead of the weight curve

I feel like I’ve been dancing in circles for a week. My granddaughter does that and then falls silly giggling on the floor. Her balance is WAY off. And right now, so is mine.

On a typical day, I easily balance calories in and calories out. There may be moments of some food angst, but otherwise it’s all rote.

Then I find myself on an airplane to Houston and sleeping in an unfamiliar bed and trying to cook in a strange kitchen. Then a few days later I’m in my car on a freeway to another unfamiliar bed and no kitchen and I wonder, “What will this cost me at the end of the week?”

Will I pack on a pound? Two pounds? Oh, but wait….does it matter?

Well, yes, it does matter and no, it doesn’t matter. As the Moody Blues said, it’s a “question of balance.”

The question is, can I handle these blips in the schedule, these changes and interruptions and stresses? I wish, after more than 5 years into this journey, I could say (and heartily), “Yes!” But the truth is, I’m still that surfer on the surf board, that bigger kid on the end of the see-saw. I worry too much about the immediate lift and lilt, and instead of seeing the big picture, I see only the minutia.

It’s not like I didn’t plan ahead. I’m the Queen of Planning, as you know. At home this morning, I made dinner for tonight: Hearty Lentil Spaghetti, roasted broccoli and, for my husband, garlic toast. It could all be microwaved in our hotel room. Also in the cooler I packed hummus, salsa, salad and sandwich stuff (including Miracle Whip Lite, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, spicy brown mustard), carrots, string cheese, shredded squash, eggs….good lord, you name it, I’ve got it.

Is your underwear in a big knot just reading this? It’s OK if it is. God knows I have years of it stuck up my backside.

The big picture. The balance. I’m working on it. Because right now, my husband is shutting the hotel blinds and is setting his drink on the nightstand. I promised we’d watch a movie in a few minutes, so I’m posting this and letting it be. Tomorrow, I’ll exercise (I picked a hotel with a workout facility) and I’ll eat their free fruit and yogurt. Then in the afternoon, I’ll see my brother and sister-in-law and Super Fantastic Niece and again, the balance will again beckon me.

Deep breath.

It will all work out. And maybe the inside of the Jeep dry out, too. My butt can only hope.