Every day at Noon I get up from my desk and walk out to the time clock to punch out. I return to my desk a couple of minutes later with my lunch in hand. The next thirty minutes typically consists of reading random articles on the web.
This week has been different, I’ve been passing the time by looking for people just like me. I’m trying to find fellow bloggers who are striving to make healthy changes in their lives. The process sounds so simple, doesn’t it? I’ll just fire up Google and key in a search for weight-loss or fitness blogs.
The results are just as you would imagine. The big dogs pop up first, sites like Men’s Health and Nerd Fitness. Excellent sites, I frequent both of them, but I’m looking for something more personal. What are the odds someone from either of those sites are going to respond to a comment that I take the time to write?
I dig deeper in the Google search results and get closer to what I’m looking for. I’m finding personal blogs where people share their journeys. Some of the most recent blog posts are inspiring enough to make me want to leave a comment. Just before I start writing, I check the date on the latest post and see that it was from months or even years ago. Disappointed, I move along to the next result.
I wish I could tell you an amazing story about how I met someone just like me, someone trying to make healthy changes in their life, but I can’t. I don’t mean to sound melodramatic but I’m starting to feel kind of alone out here in the blogging world.
Well, it’s that time again. Time to get back to work. I suppose the search will continue tomorrow…
Walt,
You’re right that not many people blog about their struggles with making better choices. It’s difficult to admit even to your closest friends that you need to change. In fact, most people find that friends are discouraging when it comes to positive change, intentionally or not. Likely because they don’t want to face their own choices and conclude that they might need to change as well.
The good news is that we mere strangers struggle with the same issues. It’s hard to be more fit, eat healthier, and be more kind to everyone. We all backslide. It’s ok. Just get back on the horse and move in the right direction.
Keep working on you. Your family is worth the investment. The extra years and better quality of life with your babies is reason enough.
Keep writing. You’ll reinforce and clarify your own beliefs and chart a clearer path for your journey. And you might just inspire a few shy folks to improve their lives too.
-john
John,
I suppose I’ve been blogging for so long, putting little pieces of myself out there for public consumption, that it doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything all that difficult. It makes sense though, I don’t think I could have easily shared so much when I first started.
Thanks for the kind words and taking the time to leave a comment. I hope to see you around the blog more often. It’s always nice seeing new comments come in.
Thanks
No worries Walt.
I’ve been following your blog for a while now. I think I got pointed to it from one of the shooting forums – maybe brian enos or something like that. I don’t remember.
I usually don’t comment on much. Part of being me I guess. I’m a veteran of long service and many wars – Bush, Clinton, Bush again, Obama… That experience has taught me to listen and observe a lot more than I speak… for reasons some understand and some don’t.
Anyway, your blog inspires me more than you might think. You seem like a responsible family man that takes his job as a husband and father seriously. That’s more rare in this era than we might like to admit.
So keep at it. For every comment on the blog know that there are so many more who participate and use what you share.
May God bless you, your family, and all that you do