Enthusiasm followed by disappointment

Several months ago I made a discovery that really changed my life. I have had a weight problem virtually all of my life. To be honest, I don't eat as well as I should. I'm a single guy, and although I do enjoy cooking, it's just as easy sometimes to stop through the drive-thru and get dinner that way. So, I tend to eat high-calorie foods that aren't very good for me. Fortunately I made a discovery a few months ago that improved my diet quite a bit, but I'll talk about that more in another blog.

Another big reason why I have gained some much weight is the difficulty that I have in getting aerobic exercise. I have always really enjoyed lifting weights, so that part of my exercise program has been easy. But the aerobic part has always been a challenge.

Then I found out about a water aerobics class at the gym that I just joined. I LOVE swimming and the water. There are a lot of reasons why I love the water, and I'll discuss them some other time. Anyway, when I found out about the water aerobics class I was very enthused. But, I wasn't sure how well I was going to be able to do the class.

So I showed up one evening, and I talked to the teacher. She was very nice, and I asked her if I could just observe the class that evening. She had no problem with that, so I sat and watched about 15 minutes of the class.

During that time I saw several positive things. The first thing that I noticed was that there were two other guys in the class. When I thought of water aerobics I thought that it was just going to be me and a bunch of old ladies. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, because the women that were in the class ran the gamut in their ages. So there was a nice cross-section.

The other thing that I noticed was that the movements looked like something that I could do. There were things that I would have to modify, but I could definitely do most everything that everyone in the class did. So I talked a little bit to the teacher, and I told her that I would show up two days later for the next class.

Fast forward to now. I have been going to this class three times a week for several months now. It has been extremely beneficial to me, and I have lost some weight, as a result of my increased activity level. This class has been a godsend to me, and I'm sure I'll write more about it in the future.

Unfortunately I haven't been in the class for a few weeks. The heater in the pool has been broken, and the pool has been way too cold to have class. I have been lost without this class. I have felt sluggish and lazy. I have truly missed this exercise--and I never thought I would ever miss exercise.

I went to the gym on Saturday, and I happened to run into the teacher of the class. She mentioned that the pool had finally been fixed, but she said the gym owners weren't able to get the class on the Sept. schedule. She wants to just make signs and get the word out. She feels, and I agree, that we shouldn't wait until October to start the class again. She told me that she would let me know when the class starts, and I'M VERY EXCITED.

The title of my post is "Enthusiasm followed by disappointment," and that was the enthusiasm. Now the disappointment...

I got home, and I was very happy. Then I checked my email. I am on the mailing list of a local band, and I love listening to live music. This band was promoting an appearance at a local bar. Now I am not a big drinker, but I do spend a considerable amount of time at this place. As I said, I love listening to music, and I know a lot of people there. So this place has become my "hangout."

This email mentioned that this would be the last night ever for live music at my hangout. I'm not sure why they are discontinuing it, but they are. I'm sure it has to do with finances, and I have noticed that the place has been kind of empty lately. But, I am very disappointed to hear about it. I am a creature of habit, and I feel like one of my favorite activities has been taken away.

So, I'm thrilled to have my water class back, but I'm really going to miss listening to all of these local bands. Now, I know there are a lot of other places in the area to listen to people, but this place was perfectly accessible for me. Accessibility and comfort plays a HUGE part in deciding many things for me, and this was great.

But even though that news was disappointing, it has been a great weekend overall. My high school won, the Mizzou Tigers won, and I have tomorrow off.

I have a family thing at my parent's house tomorrow, and that should be lots of fun. I haven't seen my nieces in a couple of weeks, and I can't wait to see them again.

The start of a journey...

I have always loved to write, and I've always thought about keeping a blog. Unfortunately, I have never gotten beyond the "thinking about it" stage. But, that has changed.

I can't promise that I will update this daily, but this blog will be an expression of my feelings and thoughts. I'm also going to use it gauge some progress on some lofty goals that I have for myself. If I put my goals OUT THERE for the world to see, I can make myself more accountable.

Well with all that being said, I'm just going to mention some superficial things tonight. I have a lot of "meatier" things that I want to mention, but that is for another time.

I just got back from a high school football game. I love football--in fact I love all sports. Being at the game tonight made me realize how lucky I am to be a teacher. Even though my school was the visiting team tonight, we still had a large crowd in attendance. I had such a great time cheering on our team--especially the students that I have had in my classroom. I have to say that I was very proud of our fans tonight. They were enthusiastic, fun, and most importantly well-behaved and respectful.

I also had a great time just having students just yell out, "Hey Mr. K!" as I was rolling by. That was so much fun. Our students were not allowed to get on the track to watch the game, but that's where I was. This is one of, the many, perks of being in a wheelchair. I had one of the closest seats in the house.

Anyway, my dad was with me, because he is on the Board of Education for the team that we were playing. He got to meet a couple of my coworkers & students. He even remarked about how the kids really seem to like me. I don't ever like to toot my own horn, but I'm a very lucky person in that respect. Teaching isn't easy sometimes, but there is no other thing that I would rather do in this world.

Along those lines, I am very excited about the Mizzou/Illini game tomorrow. My siblings and I have taken my dad to the game in the past, but we weren't able to get tickets this year. That's ok, it will still be fun to watch it. I hope Mizzou wins, and I hope they have a great season this year.

That's about it for today.