Slow and Steady wins the Race...

Do you believe in signs? Ghosts? Angels?

I always have and while I dont always know what they all mean I am sure it is me who is just not understanding it clearly but if I just put all the pieces together maybe something will make sense.

A few days ago at work I referenced the story of the tortoise and the hare when I said to my friend Mike, something like slow and steady wins the race and he said "Really?" and I said no probably not but that is how we have been feeling at work, like tortoises. We burned ourselves out with our superior customer service during the holidays making sure all the overweight white trash women in the south got their bears. Now we are fried.

And we feel like eventually we will catch up again, slowly and surely. yeah except Mike had to bail us out yesterday of a giant hole but its all good now. Slow and steady.

So in the car yesterday D#3 tells me how they are studying the story of the Tortoise and the Hare in English to show how lifes lessons are taught through literature. Second reference, ok, a little wierd but probably just coincidence.

At work yesterday I proudly displayed my Biggest Loser calendar which is supposed to give Ellen and I inspirational tips for losing weight. Other than "Have your mouth wired shut" I dont have much hope for these little tips but in any case, being totally unable to follow the rules I looked ahead a few days on the calendar and it went on and on about the tortoise and the hare and in weight loss the only way to really lose is slow and steady, all tortoise, no stomach stapling, diet pill addict, liquid dieting hare. Just tortoise... slowly chewing lettuce. UHHH

So today I am sitting in my new morning spot McDonalds, and I am reading the second book for my memoir class and low and behold I get to this part and... yeah you guessed it The tortoise and the hare story.

Now I know you are thinking the same thing as me, what does this all mean. Is it that turtle soup is better for weight loss than Rabbit Stew?

Oh that isnt what you were thinking...

Well last night before this 4th reference hubby thought it meant I should walk to
7-11, which is like a mile away and buy a lottery ticket for last nights drawing. I assured him if it meant walking to 7-11 it was for Ben and Jerrys and not no stinking losing lottery ticket.

Slow and steady... what could this possibly mean.

Well for one yesterday my Wii Fit insulted me, like it does everyday by asking me why I thought I was so fat. No really it did. and then it gives you choices, do you eat too much?, do you snack alot? do you exercise too little? Well because there was no All of the Above answer I answered eat too much because I think that is the most damaging and it said maybe you should slow down and chew your food slower.

Then when I was trying to beat D#4's score on the dancing game, it said maybe you could improve your rhythm by stepping off the balance board slower. Really Wii Fit, maybe I should put you in the blender and watch you grind up into little tiny pieces and laugh out loud, oh you silly Wii fit maybe you should break apart a little slower.

I guess slow and steady does have a lot of meaning in my world. I am finishing school, trying to pay off debt and trying to lose weight. All those things I guess will take time but I have trouble with that...time....

when Hubby got cancer time changed for me. It really did. The future to me is always uncertain. Always. No matter how many years go by and how healthy hubby is, I will never make the mistake of wasting a moment today on something that I could easily avoid until tomorrow when it doesnt suit me.

I dont wanna....I dont wanna...That is my mantra. Actually is Ellens mantra but I am sure she wont mind if I stole it.

I envy the tortoise, having the ability to see the goal, see the future ahead and work at an even pace until he gets there. On the other hand, I love the Hare, Oh wait there is something I want, let me go full speed ahead until I get it...Oh wait something shiny. Distractions, beautiful, sweet, procrastinating distractions.

They both have their place in my life. I know I have to lose weight, I am just unhealthy and that is bad. But the long road ahead is too far for me to see. I need results. when the Wii told me last night I had gained 1.8 lbs this week, since Monday, I wanted to eat a candy bar. Slow and Steady? Screw you. Forget it.

But I resisted. And now I will dedicate myself to the long road of losing weight and hope I can slowly and steadily lose weight. Yes a sausage mcmuffin with egg is on the diet. It only has 300 calories. Yeah it says so on the wrapper.

Somehow though I want to race ahead full speed, spend all my waking moments playing the balance games on the Wii Fit and trying to break all the records and knock all the kids off the top spots.

Either way...I will spend the next few days obsessing over this sign from above or below or somewhere or someone else and maybe i will realize what it means or maybe I wont realize until years later, this is how signs are. Sometimes they reveal themselves, sometimes it takes forever. You are lucky if you get to see what the signs in your lifetime mean.

I know why hubby had cancer, I dont know why Tizzy fell or Jeff died, I dont know why my kids had to suffer through such tragedy but maybe someday I will understand the tortoise and the hare.

But for now I will look out for turtles and bunnies and make sure they arent sneaking into my house at night resetting my scales and taking up the top spots on the Wii.

Oh no you silly wabbit, Wiis are for kids.