You're skinny, so...that must make you smart, too.

So, this morning, I saw this picture in my Facebook newsfeed, and it just kind of annoyed me. If I had a nickel for every time I have seen a similar picture plastered on Pinterest...  But this one just got under my skin.  For those who are not even motivated enough to click the link, it shows some skinny running woman's backside and the words, "If you're tired of starting over, stop giving up".  I have decided that images like these were created for only 2 purposes: one, to make the skinny (and trendy) people feel better about themselves, like a bunch of Jillian Michaels wanna-bes who think just because they strap on a pair of Nikes and parade their Spandex-clad fannies along the local running trail, this qualifies them to give life-management advice.  The only other reason I can think of that these type of image/messages exist is to be pathetically posted on the walls, boards, and refrigerators of those who actually enjoy allowing themselves to be humiliated and beaten down, whether by others or themselves. The idea is that by reading this mantra, one will find the inner drive to become like the person in the photo.  "Thinspiration" is a common heading under which images like these are classified (whether the term is used correctly or not), but I have to stand up and say that I find statements like the one discussed here are anything but inspiring.

First of all, it doesn't make any sense.  If someone is tired of starting over, that someone has obviously NOT given up, because they keep picking themselves up over and over and over again.  Does that sound like someone who gives up?  Nope.  In fact, I would have to give this individual a huge amount of kudos for perseverance, and a big helping of encouragement, because it does take courage to keep trying at something that is hard enough to knock you down over and over.

Secondly, it is demeaning.  Just because one has to start over, even many times, does not mean that their previous failure was because they "gave up".  It implies some sort of character flaw, that the person is a "quitter", etc., when in fact, as mentioned above, I believe that quite the opposite is true.  Many things get in the way of perceived and so-called success, especially when it comes to physical fitness.  Often, it is a matter of priorities.  We can quote some generic cliches about how nothing is more valuable than your health, but truthfully, sometimes there are things more valuable than your health, at least temporarily, and we put those things first while doing the best we can to care for ourselves in the meantime. Consider a family that has fallen on hard times and the provider who has to pick up 3 jobs just to make ends meet.  Do you think he has the time (or energy) to spend half an hour a day going for a run so that he can keep in top condition?  I'm sure he'd like to, but other things must come first.

Being a stay-at-home mom with a husband in school and also carrying two jobs, I have to argue a similar point.  I cannot just push my young children aside because I want to exercise everyday.  I am on my own with them for almost all hours of the day, and when I have the good fortune of my husband being home to help, my time needs to be spent caring for the family in general, through such things as making dinner, keeping the home tidy, and so forth.  It is very, very hard to carve out the time needed to devote to my personal health, even in the early hours of the morning.  I'm pretty sure that I'm not just making excuses for myself here.  I have decided that the well-being of my family must come first, and right now, that means putting myself second.  That is just the way it is.  It is only temporary, as our situation will (hopefully) improve and the children will become more independent, and I do try to eat well, manage my body's intake, and walk instead of drive when I can, but does the fact that I am not fit and toned mean that I have "given up"?  I resent such an implication, and I know that I possess the character that is suggested I lack.  Self-appointed-Jillian-Michaelses of our society, get over yourselves, and for the rest of us, don't let them walk their self-righteous, $200 fashion-statement Nikes all over you.  Respect yourself, be true to yourself, and don't you ever, EVER feel ashamed to start over.

All Hail the CrashTest Queen!

Yay, me!  And yay for you, too.  It has taken me a whole month, but I finally managed to carve out a few minutes of peace and quiet for myself.  And where am I spending it?  Here, with you!  You're so lucky.

I wanted to inform everyone that I recently demonstrated my hard-core commitment to the CrashTest Lifestyle by performing an act that, I'm pretty sure, guarantees my lifetime membership in the as-of-now-nonexistent club.  What is the CrashTest Lifestyle?  One that endures and, yes, even dares to invite, the inevitable thrills and spills of a diverse and full life worth living.  Not adrenaline junkies, we are but humble and quiet participants, who have, and eagerly continue to, volunteer for the ride of our lives- indeed, the very ride to end all rides!  Viva la Vida!!!

That being said, I just wanted to let you know that to prove my devotion last week, when things got a little too slow around here, I decided to run my car into my house.

Okay.  Enough said.  Now you know.  I rock, right?

Go me.  Crash Test Rider.  Or, in this case, "Driver".  Or, if the truth be known, "Not-Driver".  More like, "Unintentional-Passenger", really.......

Hello. My name is Emily, and the last time I wrote in my blog was...umm...well, never.

So, as if I don't have enough to do, I now have this thing called a "blog" to occupy all of my non-existent spare time. I know, I know. Where have I been for the last 10 years? Oh, I've heard of them, and browsed them time and again, for contests, how-tos, etc. Anything useful that might possibly make my day-to-day better or at the very least more interesting. I blame Google for turning me into an information junkie and Pinterest for filling my mind with a to-do list that can, sadly, never be finished. But I have stayed away from the blog. Why? Because I did not know what to write about! Who wants to hear that I am tired of finding bare shelves when I go to a store to claim a deal, or that I hate having to take my son in to the school office for a tardy slip because I am the one who cannot manage to get him there on time? Lately, though, my husband has been telling me that I need to put my thoughts out there to be read. While I wonder if maybe he is just tired of my rantings and is trying to get me to impose them instead upon the unwary web-surfer, I have come to the realization that maybe it could be somewhat therapeutic, a fun experiment. And, so, to you who have stumbled upon this site during a fragment of your own precious free time, congratulations!! You are my first victim! Mwhaaa haa haaa!!!