Little Victories

Once upon a long time ago, a friend told me that she'd written her college application essay on "finally learning to drive" after resisting for several years.

"The theme," she told me, "was A Victory Over the Mundane."

It's a phrase that's stuck with me for more than 40 years. And what I accomplished yesterday and today may indicate such a victory:

• Yesterday—1.5-hours on the treadmill and doing strength work
• Today—35 minutes cycling

To actually put in some semi-serious exercise time is to have made it over a hurdle that seemed somehow huge.

But, having done it, and not being exhausted to the point of uselessness by it, it turns out maybe that hurdle wasn't so big.

Add to that, 9 holes of golf on Thursday without tiring, and perhaps we're seeing a trend. Perhaps I'm not destined to be a basket case for the foreseeable future. Perhaps the daily nap quotient will be reduced. Perhaps I'll be able to stay awake past 8 p.m.

Perhaps.

After all—none of this exercise raised my heart rate to competitive levels; and it took me almost as long to bike the route I took as it once did to run it. (Wouldn't want to be overly positive. My old man wouldn't approve.)

Another blood count tomorrow may give us more good news. In the meantime, golfing, treadmilling, working out, cycling—I'm chalking it all up to Another Victory Over the Mundane!