When Getting Through the Holidays is Challenge Enough

“When do you want to run this week? Does Wednesday work?”

It’s Sunday morning and Marla and I are sitting on our bikes waiting for Spin class to begin.  

“Yes…oh wait…no…my online grocery order is coming on Wednesday morning.”

“You’re getting online groceries?”  She looks at me a little quizzically.  

“Yes, my Mom’s coming Wednesday night and I have no food in the house, I have to work after I pick her up and I don’t get paid until Tuesday at midnight.”

My beautiful tree
Decorated by an army of five nieces and nephews
They are my Christmas joy.

Ahh the holidays. A minefield of physical and mental challenges. Never is the tension between light and dark so pronounced on so many levels. 

First the literal. You wake up in the morning and it’s dark, and when you get home at night it’s still dark. Heaven help you if you don't have a window seat at work. Even the cheery Christmas lights struggle to illuminate this heavy backdrop for the season of joy. 

Then on the figurative level with the inevitable pressure to be extra happy.   I’ve been struggling with this one for about 20 years now.  I am 100 times better than I was, but it doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try or how much therapy I pay for,  I still miss my Dad at Christmas and I still cringe a little at midnight on New Year’s Eve when I don’t have a date and it’s the kissing moment. 

Finally, there's the battle between healthy living and the season of parties.  Those of you who know me, know that even without the aforementioned factors to escape from, I appreciate a good party.  Thus arises another tension, the desire to indulge my true nature and stay out late, drink lots, eat cheese and wheat and then blame it all on the anticipation of Santa Claus and wrap it up with a bow by calling it a remedy for the holiday blues. 

Me and my Dad.  1973

The older I get and the more people I talk to, the more I realize that I am not alone. By the time many of us reach middle age, we know that some sadness in life is a simple fact. No matter how much we roll our eyes and wish things were different, we shouldn’t be surprised when the holidays are fuelled by the tension between factors like money, emotion, food and the lack of time.

So how do we make the best of it? How do we cope? How do week keep our fitness goals on track?

I've read quite a few articles on this from the experts.  All of them call for restraint and adoption of strategies.  Most of the strategies they suggest are good ideas in theory, but they don't take into account the competing tensions of the season and seem to require super powers of self-denial that in my flawed humanity...even after all I have accomplished...I just don't have.

So this year, I have decided to create a few survival strategies of my own. Hopefully being realistic and accepting  a few simple truths will make the next few weeks a little easier. 

Truth:  I will sometimes be sad. 

Strategy: See grief for what it is…evidence of love.  

Truth:  I may find myself throwing a couple of pity parties about everything including my lack off and need for self restraint.

Strategy:  Get over myself.  I have the best friends a girl could ever ask for and I’ve worked really hard and achieved great fitness and lifestyle goals over the last few years.  I have gotten past bigger challenges than these next two weeks and I have the next six months of the 43 Project to plan.

Truth: In the case of certain parties, I won’t be home before midnight, I will drink and even if I eat before I leave home, I will get hungry. I may eat cheese.

Strategy:  Ok…it happened.   I had tonnes of fun.  I won’t use it as an excuse to go buck wild for the next two weeks.   Practise self forgiveness. 

Truth:  I stayed out late and I don’t feel like training today.  

Strategy:  Look at my training schedule and try and give myself a rest day on the day after a party.  That said, I need to pick my parties, I can’t do this for all of them.  I am training for the 5km Resolution Run on the 30^th of December.  Maybe I can occasionally consider making an adult decision and get home at a reasonable hour.

Truth:  There's a lot of fun stuff happening over the next couple of weeks.

Strategy: Stop thinking so much.  Enjoy the moment. 

So with my online grocery order busting out of my fridge and my holiday plan in place, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support over the last six months. Your notes, our conversations and your posts on my blog page have meant the world to me and have kept me going.  My heartfelt best wishes, prayers and blessings for the holidays and the New Year go out to you and your family.  xo.    See you in 2013.

Never quit,

Mary

I will not be blogging next week, but will be back again clogging up your inbox and Facebook newsfeeds on January 2^nd