Day 13
My mentor John Maxwell's word of the day is commitment.
Perfect timing!
These Sunday drives to South jersey to visit with Susan' parents are at best tiresome.
Visiting the in-laws has never been "fun".
Now dealing with them as seniors with their multitude of challenges, fun is not even on the richter scale.
Add to this the general ambiance of an assisted living facility .
None of this is energetic in any shape or fashion.
Still every Sunday, we make this trip.
All in, it eats up probably 7 or 8 hours of the middle of the day.
I can't say it's something we look forward to each week. 
We just do it.
 And we are committed to keep doing this.
I look around at my life and notice there are other commitments that I have that are as draining as these visits.
My sister has been living with us for going on 3 years now.
This commitment is certainly one that I could have done without.
However,a commitment is a commitment.
There are others.
I could choose to walk away from any of these commitments.
I am sure that there are some cases where I may just do that in the near as well as distant future.
Before I do,there will be a lot of soul searching. 
At some point, I know that these things change. Some by choice and others by circumstance.
Commitment is sticking with these choices I have made until that time for change becomes clear.
 I am comfortable with that knowledge.
And I remain as always committed.
Shavua Tov!

Day 12
The Grooming Shoppe is celebrating it's one year anniversary from the day they opened their doors today!
It's been quite a year and a wonderful experience.
Last night after dinner, Max Sara and I snuck over to the shop and decorated with balloons,streamers and such.
The shop belongs to Becca and Susan but I can honestly say that the entire family is invested in it.
We had 1 dog to groom that day.
Today there are 9 on the schedule.
That's pretty close to maxed out for a 1 table shop. 
It has been a very good year!
Today is a "deal with it" day for me.
The scale was a joke this morning.
My feet are an issue today.
I also have a pinch in my right shoulder.
It has been raining and although it is clear at the moment, everything is soaked and more showers are expected later in the day.
Outdoors work is not on the agenda.
I have some Halloween cleanup to take care of today. 
I also have some Why Weight business I need to attend to.
I also have 3 new passengers on my run Monday so I will go and scout out these new pick up locations. One is a wheelchair which always adds to the equation.
I also have to figure out dinner and get to the grocery store at some point.
(I already hit the produce market to hold nme for the next 2 or 3 days)
It's another typical Saturday.
Then again,maybe typical does the day a dis service.
After all, it is another absolutely glorious day to be alive!
Shabbat Shalom!

Day 11
How Am I Doin' Friday and I am doing just great!
I must admit, I have been unreasonably hard on myself lately.
This is day 11 of my current 40 day cycle.
 The numbers on the scale are changing.
 I am being diligent in following the program. 
I am noticing changes.
All great stuff!
Yet, I find myself saying"yeah....but I'm just taking off what I put on....".
It feels like a giant do over.
That is so unfair of me to do to myself!
We all gain and lose weight. 
Some of us more than others.
For myself, weight just jumps on.
I can gain pounds over night.
It just happens.
I also know that for months now, I have made the choice, keyword choice, to eat whatever I want whenever I want. That doesn't mean going wild as if it were my last days on Earth.
For me it meant living and eating,. Not eating to just live or living to eat. 
I said no to food by choice and I said yes (more times than I will admit) to eating foods that I know are not my best choices.
And I lived through it.
The clothes I am wearing today for the most part are the clothes I wore 3,4 5 and 6 months ago. 
No they are not the clothes I wore a year and a half ago when I hit my rock bottom weight.
Who cares!
The important part to me is that I have now chosen to do something about my weight.
I have made the conscious decision that now is the time to address what I currently deem important to me.
Earlier this year I read the book Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson. 
I can honestly say that today I am climbing to another summit.
On my Journey,I have wandered about and found myself on the valley floor. I have even chosen to enjoy my time with the other villagers who live in the valley.
I have enjoyed my time with them and shared much,including food and as well as good times.
It is however time for me to continue on my way.
The Journey is far from over and the highest peaks have yet to be conquered.
I suppose I could hang out in the valley for a while. Maybe even forever. For some people, the valley is good enough. 
Valleys can be comfortable. They can be safe and meet our needs .
For me, the view from the summit is always going to call to me.
If there is a mountain,I always feel the need to climb it.
And I do this knowing that eventually I will end up in a valley again, only to find myself working hard to climb yet another mountain.
Shabbat Shalom!

Day 10
May Word of the Month:
DECENCY
" Decency... decency is what your grandmother taught you. It's in your bones! Now you go home. Go home and be decent people. Be decent."-Judge Leonard White;Bonfire of the Vanities
 Decency.....it's a great word. It fits in with words like humility and grace.
When I heard Morgan Freeman deliver this line in his role in Bonfire of the Vanities, I knew right away what my word of the month for May would be.
 Have a great day and for goodness sakes.....
BE DECENT!

Day 9
 and feeling fine!
(okay the scale was less stupid today!)
It has been 5 plus weeks since I started dealing with this pain in my ankle.
Walking standing or any other upright activity is greeted with discomfort that runs the gamut from intense to unbearable.
To be fair, it is getting much better.
So much so that for the last 2 days, there are times when walking feels close to perfectly normal.
Living with the pain for weeks has left me shell shocked to the point that when I think about standing up or walking, I brace myself for what I am about to encounter. The truth of the matter is, as I just said, it is a whole lot less of an encumbrance and I am looking forward to some sort of normalcy in the near future.
It has been just about a year since I lost my coaching job.
It has left a void, both financially and energetically.
There is a huge disconnect for me.
On a daily basis I was communicating with upwards of 100 people .
Some of these communications were short and factual while others were the starting points to relationships that continue to this day.
Until today, I did not understand the magnitude of this loss.
I have been saying for a while now that my desire to be productive is becoming overwhelming and that I am at a loss as to where I can find that well to draw from.
I am not interested in chasing unicorns.
I deal in the real world.
I am a fairly grounded individual.
I know there is a "something" or a "someone" out there who can use my input or assistance.
I am less frustrated about this just knowing that an opportunity will reveal itself at some point.
Even little things matter. I found a radio station that plays oldies,and classics.
Stuff from the 50's,60's and 70's.
I play it on the bus in the morning. The seniors who sat there in a semi comatose state in the past are now humming, singing and most importantly smiling. Their interactions with each other and myself have blossomed. 
I consider this a win for the home team.
And the home team surely can use a few wins nowadays!

Day 8
Let's not talk about that dumb scale!
I have some great news!
It seems that Publishers Clearing House has another drawing on June 30th which will afford them the opportunity to find my house this time. 
Isn't that fantastic!
I started out my morning planning out what I hoped to accomplish today.
I let the dogs out just around 6:30 and noted that in fact the reported possibility of rain during the night had not occurred. This was great news. I would now be able to take care of everything I needed to handle business wise, help Susan at the shop late in the afternoon and come home and clean my gutters,finishing sweeping the deck and then put all of the lawn furniture back in place .
As I turned off the water from my shower a few minutes later, I heard what can best be described as a deluge outside. 
So much for my plans!
Everything is now drying as the day has turned around.
With any kind of luck, I still may be able to accomplish what I had intended to do today.
If not, the weather report says that although much cooler, tomorrow will be dry  before more rain on Thursday.
John Maxwell's word of the day was OPTIONS.
It certainly is nice to have them! 
Have an awesome day!

Day 7
(the scale was much friendlier today)
Every day I listen to and include in my emails,my minute with Maxwell,my Darren Daily and a quote of the day.
I do it mainly for myself. By including i on my email, I make sure that I take the time to listen to them and to hopefully incorporate the sage advice that comes along with them.
Today,Mr. Maxwell spoke about mentorship and where people like myself,the Average Joe, can find it. 
Another reminder!
I was in someone's office the other day and I noticed a book on her shelf.
The author's name struck a bell and I asked her about it. She said that it is required reading by every person in their organization (a few hundred employees) .
She also said that they have a follow up questionnaire that is used to promote follow up.
I was impressed.
 Impressed by the company's commitment to this as well as being impressed that on my own Journey I have come across this writer.I had read another work of his 2 years ago.
I came home and immediately went on Audible and purchased the book.
It's next on my listen to list.
Next I looked on my bookshelf for the book of his that I had read earlier. It was nowhere to be found.
Later that day, I stopped by a friend's office and staring at me from his desk top was that book which I had lent him over a year ago. I smiled at this pay it forward moment and just how weird all of this personal growth stuff can be.
Curiouser and curiouser!