Like many others, the last few months have wrecked havoc with my mental well being. I may LOOK as cool as a cucumber to some folks, but inside, I’m concerned about the state our country is in right now. Disease, civil unrest, and raging unemployment weigh on my mind daily, and while I don’t think we will ever be the same country we were six months ago, I do wish that things would calm down. I wish this stupid disease would disappear, civil unrest would no longer be necessary, and everyone could get back to work. I would like for our “new normal” to be inclusive, happy, and free of COVID.

A girl can dream, right?

The last few months have taken a toll on my weight loss efforts as well. As in, I’ve gained back half the weight I’d lost. I’m not at all happy about it, but things happen, and I’ve been cognizant of the problem, if not proactive. My diet hasn’t been great, but where I’m really suffering is in the lack of movement. I don’t walk like I used to, and I don’t get out of the house nearly as much as I did before March. I’m an introvert, but I’ve learned that I want to be an introvert on MY terms, not on the terms of some virus that wants to kill us all. And I’ve said it before, and I’m going to say it again – despite what some folks think, depression is REAL.

My ass can testify to that. Ugh.

But recently, I came across some pretty darn good motivation to get back on the wagon and start working to lose weight once again. I’ve decided that for my birthday this year, I’m going to learn how to ride a motorcycle. I’ve signed up for a class in August, and I’m really REALLY excited about it! Chris bought a Harley a few weeks ago, and we’ve been riding when we can, which hasn’t been often. Have you seen the weather in Southeast Texas? Not exactly conducive to riding. Learning to ride is something I’ve always wanted to do, but just never did it. Chris and I started talking about how much fun it would be to do weekend trips on the bike, and I realized that I don’t want to ride behind him; I want to ride on my own. So after talking about it a bit, I decided to sign up for a weekend course on how to ride.

Our son signed up for the same course!

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this course. I was telling my mom, who was surprisingly cool about it, that I’ve always wanted to ride. I was always drawn to horseback riding, and in my mind, this is just a horse of a different color, so to speak. Yes, yes, I know it’s totally different, but it’s that same feeling of excitement I always got when I got ready to ride a horse.

So I’m sure you’re wondering what this has to do with anything. Well, first of all, I needed something to get my eating and exercise back on track, and I think this is working. I can’t imagine how much more comfortable riding will be when I’ve lost weight. I know that for the time being, while I’m riding with Chris, it would be a lot more comfortable if I was thinner. I’m betting the same thing will apply to riding alone. And who doesn’t want to look good while doing something like that?

But I also think that riding will give me a certain amount of freedom I don’t currently have, what with all the COVID-19 crap going on. And I hear that it could be a year or more before things get back to “normal.” After I get my license, riding is something Chris and I can do without being too close to other people, and that will afford us the luxury of being able to get out of the house. Also, as someone who has always loved things like horseback riding, boating, jet skis, and road trips, I think this is going to be awesome.