Blair

Clothes fitting looser

Clearer skin

Better sleep quality

Being able to touch your toes

Feeling more confident

Having more endurance

Being faster

Going down a clothing size

Having more energy

Getting excited for a workout

Losing inches

Doing more reps

Getting compliments from others

Completing a challenge

Feeling hydrated

Walking up the stairs without getting winded

Running longer without getting as tired

Hitting your step goal

Getting 8 hours of sleep

Having more determination

And he went WOW. That’s amazing! And I said, “Oh no, but I’m not any good at ANY of them.”

And he said something then that I will never forget and which absolutely blew my mind because no one had ever said anything like it to me before: “I don’t think being good at things is the point of doing them. I think you’ve got all these wonderful experiences with different skills, and that all teaches you things and makes you an interesting person, no matter how well you do them.”

have i eaten?

have i had water?

have i showered?

when I was 11, my family had a basset hound named Paul. he was a Very Good Boy; however, being the only dog in a household caused him considerable stress, so we had to rehome him after only about 9 months. after a while, we lost touch with his new family. I always hoped he had the best life possible, while resigning myself to never learning what that life might entail

a few months ago, I dreamed that I was playing with Paul in a field. he was as happy and energetic as ever, zooming around and coming back to me for pets and to give slobbery basset kisses. eventually, though, he trotted over to a thick, opaque wall of light gray mist at the edge of the field. he darted in and out of the mist for a while, staying more or less in sight, tail wagging. I think I said something like, “I can’t go with you, Paul; I’m sorry.” then he wandered off into the mist for good, and I woke up

me being me, having led a pretty Weirdness-intensive life, my first thought was, “classic Dead Pet Saying Goodbye dream. that checks out.” but he was two years old already when we had him, and that was 17 years ago. bassets generally live 8-12 years. I’ve heard of rare dogs making it 16 years or so, but 19? while possible, it strains credulity

I did try looking up his show name online that day- he came from a show-dog breeder, and had Papers™ -but found nothing. and why would I? unless a dog was in a viral video or something, they wouldn’t have any sort of death notice

it's okay...

...if you're having trouble finding the motivation.

it's okay. it's normal. you aren't faking it or being lazy. it's just extra difficult sometimes.