week2wisdom

i realize that for me, exercising is a lot like doing dishes (and for those who know, i'm not referring to the other metaphor, i'm talking about the actual cups and plates in the sink.)
most of you probably live in the modern world, with a dishwasher, so maybe this is not very relatable. in my house, i am the dishwasher (because i refuse to cook, and this is the division of labor that comes closest to working).
every single time i wash the dishes, when i'm done, i think *that really wasn't bad at all,* and it really never is. at least it's not nearly so big a deal as i turn it into with avoidance - the same way i do exercise. and with exercise, i almost always even end up enjoying it (though i do whine a lot, ask greg).
problem is...the dishes are currently spilling over my double-basin sink, all across the counter, with even more scattered across the house. now that i think about it some more, maybe this metaphor is only useful for making me feel kind of bad about myself :)
our assignment over the past week was to go walking 3 times. i went twice, and i'm okay with that. but the truth is, i'm all growed-up now, and it doesn't seem unreasonable that i should be able to convince myself to complete a simple task every *other* day.
though i hate to take advice force-fed me by mega-corporations with documented human rights violations, i think the best advice to myself right now is to 'just do it'. no internal dialogue about optimal weather conditions, or how various errands should be prioritized first, no invention of spontaneous small injuries...just quit thinking so much and make it happen.
the group factor helps a lot, and somehow i made it up and on the lake with the rest of the team this morning, for a much more challenging workout than last week. and since it seems unwise to try to give up all my issues at once, this means that i will most definitely not wash any dishes today.
re: the picture - that's "olga," about 10 minutes after she was born. my dog turned out to be very pregnant when we adopted her last year. she had 7 puppies only 10 days after we found out about her condition, and we raised them in our bathroom for 2 months. since i lived through that, i think i can make it through this challenge. (and olga's is a prettier picture than one of my dirty kitchen sink would be.)
liz