Ask not for whom the dinner bell tolls; it tolls for me. After a couple of weeks of preparing, soliciting donations and talking a lot of smack about how much I'll lose the time has come for me to stop putting my food where my mouth is and start exercising. Hopefully none of my sponsors will be too offended by my waddling out of the starting gate a couple of days early. That's right, we've bumped up the starting date for Pounding Poverty to today, December 30. Here's why I made that decision:
On Saturday, December 28, I had promised my two children that we would go hiking so long as the weather was pleasant. Unfortunately Mother Nature called my bluff and it was freaking beautiful that day. Innocently thinking it couldn't be that bad I loaded them up and we went to Raven Run (a true Lexington treasure) for a short hike.
I've been hiking at Raven Run since I was a kid. Just about anyone who grew up in Lexington took school field trips there and knows the short hike to the Kentucky River overlook without even looking at a map. I'd done this a dozen times or better although not for a few years. But just a third of the way down the mile or so trek we hit a mud pit comparable to the La Brea Tar Pits. For at least a quarter of a mile my kids and I slogged through the kind of mud that eats your shoes and houses creepy Scooby Doo monsters.
By the time we reached the beautiful overlook I was too tired and out of breath to stand. I sat on the famous limestone cliffs hating myself. I'm sure there was a tear somewhere among the sweat rolling down my face. How did it come to this? How did I ever let it get this bad? No one ever wakes up and says, "I no longer care about my body. I'll just let it go and to heck with fitness, appearance or overall health." Life doesn't happen in one of those magical moments from the movies where proud or ominous music marks some life-changing epiphany. Life is a series of small decisions about whether to eat broccoli or burgers and the consequences smack you in the chest one way or another.
The return trip to the parking lot took twice as long and I nearly had to lay down in a grassy meadow for a while just to make it back. The kids, always positive and cheerful, urged me on with smiles but I could tell they knew something was wrong. They knew Daddy should be better at this than them. He should be stronger, faster, an example. And so, ankle deep in mud and doubled over in the middle of a Kentucky wood, I decided it was time. Pounding Poverty starts now.
The next day involved two hours of recipe hunting and shopping as I prepared for the big day. My awesome wife made special muffins with fresh, organic ingredients for me to eat for breakfast. My pantry has traded Little Debbie for a cornucopia of fresh fruits and veggies. And I am now a proud member at a gym near my home and have an appointment this week with a personal trainer.
So today, Monday, December 30, 2013, is the day my life changes. It's 10 a.m. and all is well (muffin for breakfast and a healthy lunch waiting in the fridge). I'm not so naive as to think it's always going to be this easy but I have each of you with me, cheering me on. We have now have $42 per pound in sponsorships and it's not too late to join in if you want to be a part of the Pounding Poverty team.
To each of you I just want to again say Thank You. Regardless of how successful we are in this endeavor it is so encouraging to know I have friends, family, and colleagues like you who have my back. This is going to happen. Stay tuned for dispatches from the dining room...
I started out of the gate early too. I'm with you on this. My per pound pledge for your efforts, is really for my own. This is not out of reach!
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