"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Aristotle

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Letting old bad habits creep in; Time to rebalance

Wow, I can't believe it, it has been over two years since I have made a post. Many times I had worked out a post in my head, but they never got to the keyboard. Life has been very good for me these last two years, but I have been a bit out of balance. I've been working on some very fascinating research at my job.  The work has been so fascinating that I have not paid enough attention to other aspects of my life.  I've started to let old bad habits creep back into my routines.

Before I made major changes in my life style in 2007 I had some very poor habits. I didn't eat healthy and I didn't exercise much, so I was gaining a lot of weight. My oldest brother and I had kind of drifted apart; we were no longer doing crazy adventures we once did on at least an annual basis. I wasn't putting much effort into enjoying life, I was just existing. Then two things change my life around in 2007.

I got real serious with marathon training and about eating healthy. I lost weight, over 30 pounds in a few months, and got into super physical shape. With both physiological and psychological benefits, running revitalized my passion for life. Then at the end of 2007, I was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. But rather than pulling me back down, my battle with cancer pulled me to a higher level of life exuberance than I have ever been before. I learned to truly enjoy even the simplest things, every moment, every day.  I learned to cherish simples times with my wife, special times with my kids, and my oldest brother and I started doing crazy adventures again.  But as time ticked by, it was easy for old bad habits to slowly creep back in.

Now I haven't let all those old habits creep back into my lifestyle. I still cherish my time with my wife and children. My brother and I are still doing many crazy adventures. I still let the beauty of this world warm my soul on a daily basis. But my dedication to running has slipped away and my eating habits are getting sloppy. I did run a half marathon last fall, but this winter I have gone many weeks without any running. (The very hard cold winter this year in Minnesota was not helpful in a time of waning motivation.)

Over the last two years I have received a lot of satisfaction from my work. Many discoveries were made and new gizmos were invented.  But now is time to sway the balance the other way. I miss feeling strong like a race horse. I miss the meditation effects of running. I feel like a blob. Time to change.


P.S. I have been in complete remission for nearly 6 years.