Hello Squarespace!
Honestly, this move is probably for the best. I'll migrate my old Posterous content in soon, but in the meanwhile, let's chat!
My grandfather passed away recently, which has led me to thinking about how little time we have, and how to both extend it and make the most out of it.
Step one: extend the life I have.
Let's face it, I've never been the healthiest person in the world. I've never really eaten very well. I never, ever exercised. I've just kind of wandered around relying on good genes to keep me kicking along and able to fit through doorways. Then my grandfather died. Slowly, painfully, brought on by two heart attacks within a month. His organs just started shutting down. And he lived a healthy life (unless you count the chain smoking)! So if a man who ate well and exercised frequently in his youth could come to such a sad end, what hope do I have? And in the event of the zombie apocalypse, how on earth will I survive?
To improve my chances, I need to get fit.
First, I've started being more careful about my eating habits. Eat less food. Eat better food. Eat tastier food. Keep it all under 1300 calories per day. Easy enough (and I'll probably discuss why that is in another post on another day).
I've also started running. Long-distance running, I should specify. I almost posted on Facebook the other day "Gosh, learning to run is hard!" before I realised that would make me sound like a disabled toddler. Learning to run long distance is hard. It's also rewarding. I've gone for three runs in the past two days and feel great. Sure, my thighs are protesting a little, but they're okay. It just means that I didn't go for a second run today, just my morning 4km run (she says oh-so-casually).
I've been practicing running for a little more than a month now, and I think my body is finally getting the hang of it. My run this morning was an actual run, rather than "run for a minute, walk for five while wheezing heavily, repeat". I only slowed to walk once (excluding my warm up and cool down) and it was only for a few hundred metres or so. So that's fun and new.
Step two: make the most out of the life I have.
I've also decided that if I want to craft and make stuff, well, by golly, I will! So I've turned TV time into running time and lying-in-bed-reading-a-book time into... actually, that's turned into running time too. I have no idea what I used to do with my evenings, but now I make a concerted effort to spend them crafting in some way or another. Given that I can't even remember what I used to do, it's probably a really good thing that I'm using the time for crafting instead.
In the past week, I've made (and altered) some fleece PJ pants for my husband, altered and added pockets to a hideous old work skirt I've had for years, made a little dog sock for my parents-in-law's dog and finished the second of a set of crocheted baby blankets for a friend who recently had twins. All while working full-time and maintaining my housework!
So while the running might not seem craft-related, it's actually positively impacted how much crafting I do, simply by virtue of giving me more energy and motivation.
Plus now, I'm on my way to being ready for the zombie apocalypse. Catch me if you can, zombies, I can finally outrun you! (for the first half hour, anyway)