I Say and I Do

I am a creature of habit. And habitually, I maintenance a number of streaks in my day to day life. And there’s almost no doubt that you do too. Hopefully, most, if not all, are positive streaks! Speaking of myself, some are obvious while a few others not so obvious. Why do I hold these streaks so dear? I’m not exactly sure, but have a theory.

Generally speaking, streaks serve as my personal motivators. At stake if I flounder is, of course, the streak itself. But perhaps even more at stake is the continued reassurance that I’m moving my life in the “wright” direction. It’s a matter of power over oneself. I say and I do.

My daily running streak is perhaps my most visible streak, which by the way currently stands at 10 years, 9 months, and 4 days. This is undoubtedly a remarkable streak. But when I began I didn’t think or say I’m going to start a running streak? Instead, at the outset, the goal was simply about running to loose weight and get in better shape. And it worked!

Another less obvious streak and the one that served as perhaps the impetus for the others, was my abandonment of tobacco. When I was 22, I decided that May 17, 1982 would be the last time I would smoke a cigarette. That streak has extended to some 9,245 days and is still going strong. I rarely ever consciously think about it these days, but it’s a streak just the same.

A more recent example is my latest streak of not sleeping past 5:30am on work days. This has spanned a scant two full weeks. But even still, it’s a streak that I strive to maintain. Will it last – I doubt it, but it’s a fun streak.

Somehow I gather comfort by maintaining streaks. Also, by developing and maintaining streaks I have learned an awful lot about myself. More specifically, how powerful I truly am. I now know that I can accomplish anything I focus my attention on achieving. It then becomes a matter of importance. Because as even I realize, all my streaks will end eventually – some sooner than others. Those that continue on typically become more a way of life rather than a forced activity.

I suppose that building streaks works for me because they provide the continued reassurance that I can persevere.

I was up Wednesday morning once again several minutes before my self-inflicted cut-off. I was downstairs peeing when the coffee maker kicked on at 5:25am. I glanced outdoors to see a sky draped in cloud cover. I had little vested interest in the weather, so I shrugged it off and tucked my toes under the lip of the sofa and began my sit-ups. By 5:40am my entire repertoire was in the bag and I was seeking out Ykraps for our morning stroll.

It was fairly warm – somewhere in the low 50’s. This, however, was said to be the lat of the mild weather for a while. Not that it’s going to get brutal but we’re headed back to the 40’s for daily highs and upper 20’s and low 30’s at night. I can handle that! We took care of business outside rather quickly and were back inside by 5:50am. I poured my coffee and went to the PC for the next 15 minutes. At 6:05am I made Mindy’s coffee and delivered it. I was back downstairs beginning a meditation by 6:10am. I finished up around 6:22am. I felt so peaceful. I really didn’t want to stop. In the day, I would spend upwards of 30 minutes in meditation.

I left for my run well before 6:30am. It was a decent run. When I returned Mindy had our eggs about done. I topped them with cheese while still cooking in the pan. We ate together albeit a short meal break. Mindy & Bells soon departed. Before heading up to the shower, I went ahead and preheated the oven to 325 for the turkey. After returning from my shower I placed the bird in the oven. It must’ve been just short of 8am. I set the time bake feature for 3.5 hrs and left for work hoping for the best. I knew that I most likely wouldn’t return before the prescribed cook time expired. If the timer didn’t work, I’d have a way over baked bird on my hands. I didn’t fret over it, however.

Jacob and I tossed the football at the bus stop. We greeted Pat & Alena. By 8:05am I was on my way to work. The morning went quickly. My boss IM’d me at 11:05am asking if I was coming to the staff meeting! Wow – how time had flown! Our meeting lasted just over an hour. I left for home and to fetch the bird minutes after the meeting ended.

I arrived home just before 1230pm. The timer alarm was blaring driving Ykraps into his pen. I never gave that much thought – not that it would’ve deterred me. The oven, I saw, had indeed shut down. The bird look awesome. I pulled it out. It was still piping hot and the skin a very crunchy brown. A bit concerned that it might have overcooked. I sliced into the left breast. It hadn’t. The meat was succulent and moist, and the flavor to die for. I was most pleased! I transferred the bird to the second foil pan to avoid traveling with the drippings, which wouldn’t be used. After covering it with foil I headed back to work with the turkey in tow.

I carried the bird to the center. By then, the other turkey and ham were already cut and sliced. I turned my bird over to the “cutter” dude. He sliced it up real pretty. I snagged a big hunk of skin to snack on while I waited for the chow line to diminish. The skin was awesome – crunchy and tasty. I added a boat loaded of seasoning this year. And I’ll do it again. It was very, very good. I received oodles of compliments for the bird’s tasty qualities. I’ve cooked probably 15 turkeys in my day and this was by far the best.

We had all the usual Thanksgiving fixins’ available for our consumption. By far, there were an inordinate number of desserts. I skipped dessert except for trying a small sliver of this cheesecake brownie concoction. Very nice!

As you might guess, for the remainder of the afternoon I contended with a full belly. I left for home around 5:30pm, and it was dark when I arrived. I knew the kids were with their dad but I thought for certain that Mindy would be home. Nevertheless, I carried on with my usual duties and chores. I looked for a note form Mindy and tried recalling our conversation form earlier. Nothing! No sooner did I move towards the PC I heard the toilet flushing upstairs. I supposed that mindy had been napping in bed all along. She had. We chatted briefly. I shared some of the dialogue I had with brother Tommy earlier in the day. He shared news of an official divorce agreement. Sounded much more favorable than originally thought, but that’s often how it goes. However, between the two of them, they’ve racked up some huge legal fees making the only true winners their lawyers.
The important thing her is closure and the ability to focus on inventing and making a new future. He’ll finally have that gift in hand. I know that feeling well.

Mindy soon left for choir. I had about an hour to myself before Jimaken brought the children home. Mindy left the option of a bath to my discretion. She recommended the sniff test. J When they finally arrived, we together opted for a simple wash down – not a full blown bath. They both liked that idea. I allowed the not stay up until Mindy got home. They were up watching TV when she arrived.

We got them tucked in for good over the next ten minutes. We went to bed kind of early but both of us were tired. Going to bed before 10pm has lent itself to my success at waking early.