#august reflection

Post Title: “How August Felt”

Text:

August in one word.

Or one photo. Or one sentence.

I’ll go first:

“Like organizing a messy drawer and finding a note from my past self.”

💬 How did this month feel for you?

August is almost done and I’m already reflecting on the weeks behind me. I set five goals for August and I’d like to report I’m on track for five big ticks but sadly no gold stars for me. It’s true that my life has been hampered by this chronic back pain and fatigue, so maybe I’ll give myself a sticker for stoicism.

Goal #1 was to do my mobility exercises every day and I’ve had a good shot at this, probably because I’m desperate. Goal #2 was to get to bed by 11.00pm most nights. I’m a failure in that department. I think I’ve succeeded twice and one of those was questionable. Goal #3 was to do my readings before each class and review notes afterwards. A low pass here to date. I may have prepared but revision has gone down the gurgler due to my chronic fatigue. I have also made little headway on my assignments. Goal #4 was to ride my bike & lift my average speed to a consistent 24kph for rides that include traffic lights & crossings. This is a work in progress. I’m not beating up myself on this one because I’m trying. Goal #5 was my event goal; to do the York CycloSportif and finish before lunch is over and that is a definite tomorrow!

I’ve also got the City to Surf 12km Walk coming up on the last day of August. I usually run it (well, jog anyway) and I knew that wasn’t going to happen so it wasn’t on the list (you shouldn’t set yourself up to fail with goals - they should be challenging but achievable). But I didn’t want to miss out on the 40th anniversary of the event I’ve supported for eight years so signed up to walk.

To date, I’'ve put my August pass rate at 50% (2.5 out of 5) so not much to crow about, even with the extenuating circumstances. With eight days to go, I hope I can lift my goals ‘grade’ from a Pass to a Credit, but most of all, solve this back pain issue!