What a year for a new year

One of my favorite holiday songs is Dan Wilson's "What a Year For a New Year" The song says that, even when times are rough, the new year or even the new day is a welcome restart.

I wish for you the chance to start fresh, make new dreams, new friends, and new opportunities in the new year. I wish for you the determination, strength and courage to let go of what's not working for you and reach out for something better and more meaningful.

I wish you all the best in 2010. You deserve it!



What a year for a new year
We need it like we needed life I guess
Last one left us lying in a mess
What a year for a new year

What a night for a sunrise
And we thought the dark would never end
Reaching out to try to find a friend
What a night for a sunrise
Sunrise

What a day for new day
And our star shines like a miracle
And our world is almost beautiful again
What a day for a new day
New day

What a year for a new year

What a night for a sunrise
And we thought the dark would never end
Reaching out to try to find a friend
What a night for a sunrise
Sunrise

Soon we’ll be lying in our beds
And new dreams will fill our heads
And the old ones will be ended
Hope we’ll forget about this place
Let it go without a trace
Wipe the teardrops from our faces
Oh! What a year for a new year!

Age is good for the ego

I used to have a flat stomach. I didn't even have to try. Now, there's a little roll of flab there, even when I'm in good shape.

I used to have a round bum. When I was younger, I hated it. Now that gravity has taken its toll, I wish I could get the old one back.

I was flat in places I wanted to be round, round in places I wanted to be flat. Now the formerly flat places are round and the formerly round places are flat. Who knew?

When we're young, we're so obsessed with our appearance. Maybe it's biological... we're looking for a mate and the better we look the better chance we have?

As a feminist, I cringe at my own self-critiques. I'm not supposed to care so much about what I look like. And for the most part, I'm happy with what I've got.

Getting older makes me realize that, no matter how hard I work out, I have the body I have. I'm never going to have that 22-year-old body again. Would I want it? No way!

I was skinny then. I have muscles now! I was scrawny then, I'm strong now. And I've gotten comfortable in my skin. I don't like it when my pants get tight, but that's an issue we all have as we age, isn't it? And we all know we can do something about it (and I don't mean plastic surgery or liposuction).

Aging has forced me to pay better attention to my health. I can't eat whatever I want any more without my cholesterol jumping 50 points. I've been a vegetarian for 20 years, so sometimes it doesn't seem fair that I should have the same health problems as someone who downs McDonald's burgers three times a week, but there you go.

Instead of being obsessed with my body, I can enjoy life. I can enjoy my family, my friends, my cats, my hobbies, my business. I can enjoy my workouts because they make me feel good and keep me strong and healthy. And yes, I can even enjoy food, and I do! In moderation, of course.

Running the stadium

I ran up seven stadium aisles in a row yesterday, the ones in the picture at the left.

There are about 84 steps going up, and for some reason, they get even steeper at the top. Actually, four of the aisles have the top twelve steps blocked for construction, so I completed *almost* seven stadium aisles. It was a milestone for me.

Read this blog post from April '09 to see how long it's taken me to get to this point! I didn't even try running the stadium until sometime in June, and I didn't take my stadium workout to five days a week until around September. Knees are a little sore, but nothing I can't handle.

I can do it!