Staying the Course

 While driving back from Cape Cod yesterday we had two major traffic and weather set backs that turned a usual seven and a half hour trip into a ten hour marathon. During the times when we were sitting in the car inching along towards the Sagamore Bridge we contemplated getting off at the next exit and trying a few detours to get over to the Bourne Bridge. Then an exit would come and go as we watched other cars making the potential escape. But instead we just talked ourselves into staying the course as we were sure whatever decision we made wouldn’t save much time and worse-yet we’d likely find ourselves in another jam that would take us just as long and surely the situation would change soon, right?  So we used the time to take pictures of the snow even though it always looked like rain, talk about a few decisions we needed to make soon and upload our status on facebook by cell phone but that only took about a few of the minutes of the two hours we were sitting there. So I ask you. Were we in the proverbial rabbit and the hare situation? You know...stay the course, plod along, keep your head down and soon you will be crossing the finish line first? Or were we as ignorant as a bunch of lemmings following each other with little thought as to the why other than everyone else was doing it? Hmmm. I’ve been learning first hand how difficult it can be to stay committed. Take this blog for instance. I made the commitment to write a daily blog as a way to start really working at the craft yet almost as soon as I said it I missed a few days and while I couldn’t wait to get back to it a few more days slipped by. Sort of like dieting. You start with grand plans and lots of positive thinking and then you get to a point where you have to decide between the french fries that show up on your plate at the restaurant even though you told the waitress “no fries” or the home made apple crisp offered with ice cream (of course) after a healthy dinner at home with your brother and his significant other or succumbing to more cheese and crackers and a cocktail while entertaining with your family and what do you choose?  The food!?! Sure it’s enjoyable while in “the moment” but a few days of this type of happy eating and you’re back to square one...or worse, you’re dry-docked for repairs. However, instead of beating myself up I chose toe get back at it and here I am writing about it. What did Julie do in the movie Julie and Julia when she missed a day? I still haven’t seen the movie but I think I saw a promo that shows she made up for it by making a lot of meals all on one day so I guess I should try to make up for the days missed by writing as many articles in the next few days instead of just one per day, right? I did read somewhere that the successful dieters are the ones that keep daily food journals so there must be a correlation between writing daily and being healthy. I also remember while taking sailing lessons how difficult it was to learn that I could get to the other side of the lake much faster if I made several ninety-degree turns vs sailing straight across. So I know you can’t wait for the wind and that you have to use the wind you’ve got or create your own but that doesn’t make it easier. So I guess the next few days will be filled with “the three W’s”: Writing, Walking and Writing some more as I know I can get where I’m going more efficiently by staying the course. Java!