256: Numbers

One peony, many petals

The Weekly Photo Challenge this week is Numbers.  I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, and decided to wait until inspiration arrived.  Or didn’t arrive.  It’s okay if I miss a photo challenge since it isn’t part of any of my ongoing commitments.

Two Verbinum, many blossoms

I won’t continue to count flowers as those are not the numbers I have in mind today.  The flowers are photos I took on Saturday, and I thought I’d use them to break up my thoughts a little to keep me from rambling from here to eternity.  Saturday was a date of meaning for me.  A number with meaning.  It was the second anniversary of my mother’s birthday since her death in September of 2009.  I thought of doing a post similar to last year’s, but the picnic with friends was a great distraction and although I experienced some sadness, I was distracted enough with life that it was a little easier this year than it was last year.  Time probably has something to do with that as well.  Still.  I miss my mother.

Puffed up peony

After looking at what some other bloggers came up with for the theme of Numbers, I checked out Pat Bean’s blog to see what she had done.  Her Numbers post is creative and thought-provoking (which I think is typical of Pat).  She ends with the question:

What’s your number?

Looking into the wisteria vine

It’s something I never really thought about.  There are numbers I like, of course.  Oddly enough, the number 13 happens to be a favorite of mine.  42 is a great number too, especially if you (like me) are a fan of the late, great Douglas Adams.  I quit smoking when I was 42 years old.  Coincidence?  Perhaps.  But 42 IS The Answer to the Ultimate Question of  Life, the Universe, and Everything so there may be some rhyme or reason behind my success at that age after many failures at earlier ages.  Or, you know, it’s just a coincidence.  😉

I am loving the peonies this year

As I get older and find myself visiting my doc a little more than I did while in my 20s and 30s (and 40s, for that matter), there are numbers involved in being and staying healthy.  Cholesterol, blood pressure, height, and weight, for starters.  If those are all good, chances are things are okay for now.

The wisteria grabs my attention from time to time too.

One of the numbers I have spent the past decade working on is my weight.  Apparently I am a tortoise, not a hare, when it comes to weight loss.  Ever so slowly, slowly, I’ve taken off weight since I quit smoking ten years ago.  I shed a little, then sit with the new weight for a few months (years).  Then I shed a little more, followed by more sitting and adjusting.  (I don’t actually, physically, just sit, mind you.)

Going deeper into the flower

I’m very familiar with the “ideal weight range” for a woman of my height and frame.  The problem with that range is that those are numbers I haven’t seen since pre-adolescence.  I was not overweight back in those days, but eleven years of gymnastics turned me into a muscular girl and muscle, as we all know, weighs more than fat.

My ideal weight, my goal weight, is a number that I haven’t given much thought to lately.  The theme/topic of Numbers has brought it back to the forefront for me.  Having done so well with a variety of commitments lately, I think it is time I commit myself to my goal weight, the weight that I think will be best for me and for my body.  It’s a nice number.  I like it.  I won’t be putting it on display because it’s a number just for me.

Numbers. A quick collage put together this morning so at least one of my photos today will fit the theme.

So.  Here I go.  Time to move along on this weight shedding journey and work on a goal I’ve had set for years.  I almost wrote “time to finish this journey,” but taking care of yourself, becoming and staying healthy, isn’t something you finish, is it?  Well, not until you die, at any rate.

I won’t be blogging about it on a regular basis, but I will be working on it on a regular basis.  I’ll let you know, from time to time, how it’s working out.  Blogging, commitments, and accountability all work well together when it comes to goals and success.

Today’s Outdoor Adventure Notes:  I’ve been in and out, doing chores, taking a photo of the scale in the grass, that sort of thing.  Why did I take a photo of the scale in the grass?  I have no idea.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.  Perhaps I was subconsciously linking my outdoor commitment with my weight loss commitment as a way to ride the coattails of what has been a success so far.  And I did like the look of the scale sitting there on a wide expanse of lawn, suddenly reduced down to its proper size.  Somehow it looks and feels bigger when it’s in the bedroom, waiting for me to step on to it.

The weather is heating up again.  We should be near 90 tomorrow.  Although we haven’t reached the Summer Solstice yet, I think we might as well go ahead and call it summer.  Spring, after having so much trouble with Winter, must have decided not to stick around too long and be harassed by Summer.

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