It's my birthday. So why do I look so concerned?For my birthday, I made a conscious decision to give myself a break, go all out, and use as many of my daily and weekly points as I wanted to. This seemed like a fun idea. But it wasn't as fun in practice. For almost 3 months, I've been working at portion control, selecting healthier choices, and being content with less. Bucking that trend made me feel guilty, overfull, and bummed.
my birthday cake is that miraculous combination of deliciousness and beauty. That's all we ate, so I wonder what to do with the rest of it?By the end of the day, treats, goodies, savory morsels, snacks, nibbles and munchies had added up--to too much. That's right--for the first time ever, I exceeded my daily/weekly allowance combo. I feel embarrassed. I feel like a greedy piggy. But I also feel...so full. Today's exploits taught me that moderation tastes and feels so much better than total gratification. And if a birthday marks a point where you become older and wiser, at least I know that's one definitive lesson I can take with me from now on.
I may sound sort of Zen about my birthday binge now, but that only came at the price of an emotional purge which was a little ugly. I cried for a while, told my husband how embarrassed and disappointed I was with myself, and then laid on the floor for a while and had my dog lick my face. My husband was, as always, rational about the problem: just exercise more and earn back the points you went over. Once I regained my emotional equilibrium that's what I decided I would do. As soon as my stomach stops feeling like it's going to explode.
I may sound sort of Zen about my birthday binge now, but that only came at the price of an emotional purge which was a little ugly. I cried for a while, told my husband how embarrassed and disappointed I was with myself, and then laid on the floor for a while and had my dog lick my face. My husband was, as always, rational about the problem: just exercise more and earn back the points you went over. Once I regained my emotional equilibrium that's what I decided I would do. As soon as my stomach stops feeling like it's going to explode.
a really surprising birthday surpriseIn all other ways, though, this was a great birthday. I got to spend time with my lovely husband. We got to hang out with a good friend we haven't seen in some time. I got a lot of presents and heard from a lot of people. It's nice to renew those connections. I got to talk on the phone with my mom and my sister and my grandma and aunt. I got a lot of free swag for my birthday at local retailers. I feel like I'm 98% better (with the remaining two percent just an occasionally stuffy nose). I learned a valuable lesson (see above) AND...I discovered a billion baby bunnies!!
There are a lot of wild bunnies that live in Ohio, just around--they've lived in the green areas of every apartment I've lived in. Since we got our dog, I've noticed them a lot more because they are too smart for their own good. They hang around, and when Greta comes sniffing around to go to the bathroom, they dart out from under bushes, scaring/taunting her, and she chases after them...but only to the end of her leash. As if they know, they only run a short distance away. Greta always strains at her leash as if....just...a....bit........further........
Then when you want to get Greta focused back on business, she's so rattled by the sudden appearance and escape of the bunny that she can't deal with it. So we go inside and two minutes later she poops on the carpet.
There's been a particularly audacious bunny living just outside our apartment. It's there when I drive up to the curb in my car, and it's there when I run out of the house to go to school. It's there when I take Greta out to poop, and it's there when we come back after a failed "mission." Today it was there, on my birthday, when Greta, my husband, and I came back from picking up my bodacious cake. I've always wanted to let Greta off the leash to chase the bunnies, but a) I really don't want her to catch and hurt one (or get hurt herself--she's not much bigger than they are) or (b) to be chasing one, and run out in the street and get run over. So I picked Greta up, and ran after the bunny with her in my arms. The bunny didn't appear to be impressed. In fact, it didn't move until we were practically on top of it and I let out this big fake growl. It scampered away but not too far, and then I understood its hesitation. Right where the bunny had been sitting was a pile of little baby rabbits. They were about the size of hamsters--so cute! I was totally mortified. I tried to remember if bunnies abandon their young if they come into contact with humans, or if that's just birds. I felt so bad. We had bought a bag of carrots at the store, and I left some outside near the babies for the bunnies to eat. When we left again, without Greta, the parent bunny was still keeping its distance, but I snapped a few pictures of the babies. They were in a little hollow.
We left. I fretted. I hoped that the parent bunny would come back, but more importantly, I hoped that the babies would move to a safer place. Their hole is ground zero for the big dogs downstairs who are let out to go to the bathroom without leashes. I tried not to imagine the little babies getting eaten.
When we got home, the bunny and the babies were gone. I think they went home, rather than being eaten. Or the big bunny really really hid the babies well. I couldn't even find where the hole had been. I think they may have just been on the bare ground under a tuft of grass. I assume they've gone somewhere safe--and for the less optimistic out there, no, I did not see any little bunny bits around, so I don't think they were all annihilated. It's always possible that some dog ate like 7 hamster-sized bunnies whole, but...I'm trying to stay positive.
It's nearing the end of my birthday and I'm feeling a bit of a post-Christmas letdown. Tomorrow my husband leaves again, I have not a lot to do again, and I am not looking forward to either of those things.
I am, however, looking forward to re-starting the weight-loss week, but this time with a little better hold on the reigns.
There are a lot of wild bunnies that live in Ohio, just around--they've lived in the green areas of every apartment I've lived in. Since we got our dog, I've noticed them a lot more because they are too smart for their own good. They hang around, and when Greta comes sniffing around to go to the bathroom, they dart out from under bushes, scaring/taunting her, and she chases after them...but only to the end of her leash. As if they know, they only run a short distance away. Greta always strains at her leash as if....just...a....bit........further........
Then when you want to get Greta focused back on business, she's so rattled by the sudden appearance and escape of the bunny that she can't deal with it. So we go inside and two minutes later she poops on the carpet.
There's been a particularly audacious bunny living just outside our apartment. It's there when I drive up to the curb in my car, and it's there when I run out of the house to go to school. It's there when I take Greta out to poop, and it's there when we come back after a failed "mission." Today it was there, on my birthday, when Greta, my husband, and I came back from picking up my bodacious cake. I've always wanted to let Greta off the leash to chase the bunnies, but a) I really don't want her to catch and hurt one (or get hurt herself--she's not much bigger than they are) or (b) to be chasing one, and run out in the street and get run over. So I picked Greta up, and ran after the bunny with her in my arms. The bunny didn't appear to be impressed. In fact, it didn't move until we were practically on top of it and I let out this big fake growl. It scampered away but not too far, and then I understood its hesitation. Right where the bunny had been sitting was a pile of little baby rabbits. They were about the size of hamsters--so cute! I was totally mortified. I tried to remember if bunnies abandon their young if they come into contact with humans, or if that's just birds. I felt so bad. We had bought a bag of carrots at the store, and I left some outside near the babies for the bunnies to eat. When we left again, without Greta, the parent bunny was still keeping its distance, but I snapped a few pictures of the babies. They were in a little hollow.
We left. I fretted. I hoped that the parent bunny would come back, but more importantly, I hoped that the babies would move to a safer place. Their hole is ground zero for the big dogs downstairs who are let out to go to the bathroom without leashes. I tried not to imagine the little babies getting eaten.
When we got home, the bunny and the babies were gone. I think they went home, rather than being eaten. Or the big bunny really really hid the babies well. I couldn't even find where the hole had been. I think they may have just been on the bare ground under a tuft of grass. I assume they've gone somewhere safe--and for the less optimistic out there, no, I did not see any little bunny bits around, so I don't think they were all annihilated. It's always possible that some dog ate like 7 hamster-sized bunnies whole, but...I'm trying to stay positive.
It's nearing the end of my birthday and I'm feeling a bit of a post-Christmas letdown. Tomorrow my husband leaves again, I have not a lot to do again, and I am not looking forward to either of those things.
I am, however, looking forward to re-starting the weight-loss week, but this time with a little better hold on the reigns.
No comments:
Post a Comment