yet another reason why i am a cat person

in general, i do not enjoy exercising. not even a tiny bit. i'd much rather drink water and watch a fitness dvd while lounging on the couch then actually copy the obnoxious, incredibly too perky instructor with abs of steel and a butt on which you could serve tea.

however, in making bigger attempts to eat right and stay fit (and this whole "recovery" thing in general), i am trying to be more physically active.

i came home today and engaged in my usual after work routine (pjs, glass of water, facebook). then, deciding that it was good weather to be outside, i changed clothes again (okay, lie. i put a pullover and tennis shoes on), grabbed cooper's leash, my older-than-dirt ipod mini (because my newest one disappeared at work over a year ago) and headed outside.

i must stop here. cooper is "mine" by marriage. he is my step-dog. for the most part, though i give my husband a hard time, cooper is a fairly good dog (mainly because all he generally does is eat and sleep. oh--and fart. a lot).

so, being good doggy mom i am, i decided to bring cooper along, right? bad idea.

picture it: me, happily striding along to the beatles. cooper, walking, sniffing and attempting to mark everything. we make it a good 20 minutes. then, disaster strikes.

enter cute little yorkie. see cooper sniff. watch mommy tug on leash. see cooper defy mommy and continue to sniff, despite being drug away. go cooper. go yorkie. see cooper duck his head. oh no! the collar came off. run yorkie, run. run cooper, run. oh, crap.

mommy does not like to run.

meanwhile, back at home, my cats are lounging on the bed.

::sigh::

wisdom via dr. seuss

"If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew, just go right along and you'll start happening too."

such a simple statement, yet so profound.

it reminds me that the way we interpret a situation, either by reading too much into it, letting our feelings get the best of us, or immediately deciding that something is "bad," can have quite an impact on the outcome.

i wish i were more positive. i have to work on it most days. david calls me "negative nancy."  i like to refer to myself as "realistic rachel."

things don't always turn out great. but, they don't always turn out horrible.

i think that expecting the worst must be my primary defense mechanism--as if i try to keep myself from being disappointed by not thinking that good things will happen to me. 

but, if i let my intellect take over, i can see that, at least for the past few years, this is far from logical. on the contrary, most situations turn out okay, at worst, and great, a best.

perhaps it is time to work harder on "going right along." i'm ready to start happening--life has only just begun.


as for my "creations," there have been some lately. i just keep forgetting to take pictures (yes, i know...). my goal this next week is to play catch up. stay tuned!


but now, the lake air is calling--it's almost nap time.