Sometimes it's little victories that count

Day 30 -- Sept. 6, 2012

Today I'm 192 pounds of rolling thunder.

Yes the snowmen have melted. The eights in my daily weight are back to their normal nines. But it's OK, I've tasted the Promised Land, and all that means is more hard work.

Yesterday's run was a little conflicted. I don't know about anybody else, but running and lawn mowing are the two activities where I solve a lot of the world's problems.

On Tuesday, our younger son announced in a note that he was no longer going out for cross country. This weighed heavy on our hearts and minds as we tried to decide what to do for the lad and with the lad.

There's nothing easy about committing yourself to an exercise routine. Nothing at all. It takes work to get results. 

There's also nothing easy about laboring outside in the 90-plus degree heat. It affects your body, you mind and your psyche.

All this comes at a time when the pressures of school starting up again are blended in with his work on his Eagle Scout project proposal. Any one of the three would be tough, but all three at once were a little too much.

So we had a sit-down with the lad that was part come-to-Jesus and part pep talk. We don't allow our children to quit activities once they join. Even if it means standing on the sideline for every practice. Participation and commitment are two valuable lessons.

We also spent time talking about things we could do to help the situation along a little. We talked about treatments for sore muscles and ways to be a part of the team.

This morning, the lad gave his presentation to the school where he wants to do his Eagle Project, and the PowerPoint presentation was well received. I could see a huge cloud of concern lift from over his head, almost like in a Charlie Brown cartoon.

I could also see the pride coming back. When I looked over my shoulder when I dropped him off at school, the Boy Scout Class A uniform had been replaced by his cross country team T-shirt.

My run, oh yeah, I pounded out 6.5 miles in my run/walk/run style. We're not out of the woods yet with the lad, but we took a good step forward.

So if you see the world's slowest human out there on the street today, give me a wave.