Life Interruptions

There's a part of me that feels pretty spontaneous and able to go-with-the-flow. I rank high in the Adaptability personality trait. That's why I can live the crazy life I have working from home and living at work. (Saying that I live at work makes it sound really weird, but that is, in fact, what I do.) I love reacting to new things and solving problems on the fly. That is also what made me really suited for Children's Ministry. Every Sunday was different. No one RSVPs for church and volunteers get sick from time to time. Expect the unexpected is pretty much the story of my life and work.

Every strength has a corresponding weakness right? So here's the thing I'm terrible at: Routines. Some people are great at setting up and sticking to a plan. I am working on this. One of my many New Year's Resolutions is to start exercising right? Well, I've been doing pretty awesome (for me). I've gone to the gym four times a week for the past two weeks. I know, I know, two weeks is pathetic. Just pathetic. But if you knew how hard this is for me you would be congratulating me like crazy.

I also know it takes 30 days for something to become a habit. So I'm halfway there right?! Yes! But here's why I'm scared--I've had a life interruption! It's not a big one (at least I don't think it is as long as all the test results come back OK). Finally, at age 35, I went to the dermatologist for a mole scan. I say finally because I'm so mole laden I once had a 4-year-old tell me that my face looks like a tortilla. (Actually, she said her 2-year-old brother wondered why my face looks like a tortilla because at age 4 she already realized that you probably should blame your brother for a comment like that.) My OB/GYN found a mole once that has never seen the light of day and asked if it has changed at all. Um, seeing that I would need to be a contortionist to track that information I would reply that I have no idea. So yes, I am a great candidate for an annual mole scan, it's just taken me a few years to schedule it because for some reason they don't let spontaneous people like me just walk in when you feel like it and have a minute.

So today was the day and I really just thought they'd have a look around and tell me that we should keep an eye on some of them, but NO, she wants to slice a few off right then and there (how's that for spontaneity Miss fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants?). It just so happens that one of them is on the bottom of my foot, one is on my shoulder and the other one is none-of-your-beeswax, thank you. What this means is that I have a free-pass not to exercise for a week or two because I can't run, I can't lift and I can't swim because I have stitches.

Normally, I love any excuse not to exercise, but not when I've recently made a commitment to not make excuses not to exercise! What is the deal?! (And what is the deal with that last sentence? It's like a quadruple negative--I'll let you do the math and hope it makes sense.) Anyway, this is the kind of thing that could derail me for the next 5 years. I can almost hear myself saying, "Exercise? Yeah, I tried that once, but then I had this mole removed and then I just never got back into it." See? I am that distractible.

But I really honestly don't think that anyone lives an interruption-free life. (Do you? Please tell me if you do so that I can stand corrected.) I'm just thinking that this is my first test of the year. What happens when my new routine gets derailed? What am I going to do with that set-back? Will I give up and check out? Or will I get back on the horse and ride again? I know I am a get back on the horse kind of girl at heart because as a kid I actually did have a horse that was wild and I got bucked off...a lot...and I always got back on. Every time.

So I'm going to enjoy some time off and blog or catch up on some reading and in a few weeks I'll see you at the gym!