Has ANYONE seen my wagon?

smcassaro

Love your post! It did however remind me of a blog that I read recently that inspired me; here it is & hope it inspires you to catch your wagon!

You didn't fall off the wagon, you jumped
Posted on 08/03/2011 by Ashalahn_LMT
This post is not written for the thin-skinned and the easily offended. If your ego bruises with a breath you ought to read no further. If you can not handle the accusations I am about to fling nor the judgements I am about to pass, I suggest you click elsewhere. Otherwise, welcome to brutal honesty. You have been forewarned.

Falling off the wagon. I must read this phrase, or some recycled version of it, every day. It permeates blog posts and forum threads and status messages. It has become quite sickening to me actually. I stopped reading beyond the title or subject line if it has those words. I don't log on here to listen to your whining followed by your excuses finished up with your promises to do better. Let me analyze the phrase and do my best at providing an explanation for my vitriol.

Falling off the wagon. The word "fall" implies an accident. A unforseeable, unavoidable event. If this were the case, then why do I see so many status messages predicting the impending doom of their weekend wagon fall on Friday afternoon. Does everyone uncover their dusty fitness crystal balls? Do you all develop clairvoyant abilities? Or did your early morning coffee grounds give you your omens in swirls and clumps? Most likely the answer is "no" to those questions. (If not, you should be out playing the lottery and not reading ranting fitness blogs). So, if you can't see the future. Yet, you still predict the coming fall from the wagon. To me, logic suggests that this is far from an accident. But rather, a pre-planned jump. A leap. A swan dive into a pool of calories and gluttony. You didn't fall off anything. You jumped. At least grow a spine and admit it.

Falling off the wagon. Wagons, by form and function, are plodding beasts of inexorable, boring monotony. Their path is, quite often, straight and true. In short, it's really not that difficult to hold on. You didn't fall off the Lamborghini whipping through hairpin turns. You fell off a wagon (either the oxen drawn style or the Radio Flyer is still slow). Were you not paying attention? Stay focused. Or perhaps you were teetering on the edge? You set yourself up for failure. Maybe you just climbed up and didn't have a good grip? There's plenty of people on MFP to lean over and give you a hand. Did someone shove you off? We'll discuss personal responsibility in an entirely different blog. The fact remains, that no matter what excuse you sell in your Monday morning confessional, YOU were still responsible. Ok, maybe there was an actual emergency that threw you from the wagon, but seriously, EVERY WEEKEND?

Let me see if I can bring a bit of positivity to this post.

1. If you must leap (notice I didn't say fall), plan for it. You don't dive into an empty concrete pool, don't swan dive off the wagon without making sure you'll land safely. (What's wrong with me, I just condoned "cheating"?)
2. The fantastic thing about wagons being so slow is that they are easy to catch. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and take a couple of paces. I bet you'll be able to climb back up again.
3. You know where the wagon is going. Even if you fall and lose sight. You still know the destination. You know the path. Follow the tracks. You'll catch up.
4. Hold on tightly. Sure, bumps will attempt to jar you loose. No road is perfectly smooth. Keep an iron-clad grip.
5. Falling is painful. Stop it. Falling repeatedly ends up with things being broken. In this case: your pride, spirit, motivation, and dedication.
6. Climbing up and jumping off regularly takes more energy than just getting on and enjoying the ride.
7. Don't make excuses. The more you exercise your excuses the stronger they will become.

Let the hate and anger commence.
As always, thanks for reading.