It’s all about choices

“I didn’t have time” may be the lamest excuse in the book. There are very few situations in which it is true. Most of the time it actually means “I chose not to use my time for that.” Conscious choice or unconscious avoidance, decisions are made all the time, every day. Can I fit in a trip to the grocery before picking up my daughter at school? What if there’s a line? Is it worth the hassle of potentially freaking her out by being late? Can I do anything to make sure I am still on time, or, barring that, that she doesn’t freak out?

I’m thinking about this today because I went through that calculus and computation this morning, trying to fit all the puzzle pieces of my day into a frame that seemed too small. So many things to do for the holiday! Errands Jason asked me to run, ones I need to do, and an appointment with my doctor that is awkwardly placed smack in the middle of the day. My brain has a map, a clock, and a list all open, shuffling tasks around like some sort of bad movie animation.

 If I exercise, I have to drive back to the house to shower and change, which means no time to return the boots, and all of my exercise stuff will be soggy when I try to pack. Oh, shit, the wet laundry from last night is still in the washer. Add that to the list. This would all be so much easier if I just skipped the gym. But I have a streak going, and I know I’m going to be slacking later this week. Not the way to kick off a holiday devoted to sloth and food.

I made a choice. I could have said my day was too busy, I don’t have time to hit the gym, and no one other than me would have known.

But I do have time, if it’s important to me.

I can return the boots next week, and Jason’s errand is on the way home from my doctor. And exercise doesn’t have to be performed in sweaty Lycra to count. It won’t be a full-on workout, and I’ll be drinking my tea and writing this post while I walk, but I can make it work, because it’s important to me.

So if you saw me at the gym this morning in my jeans and sweater, now you know why. A brisk walk in street clothes keeps up my streak and cuts 45 min of cleanup out of my schedule, or at least pushes it back to when it’s convenient for the rest of my errands. It’s not perfect, but compromise never is, and besides, I have the rest of the month to do “perfect” gym visits. This will do for today.