Open and Honest

In repairing my mental health I made a promise to myself and a friend (and maybe posted it here on my blog? I can't remember) that I would post at least once a week. I had to hold myself accountable. I had to do this, if I ever wanted to make myself feel pleasant again. I had to, if I wanted to get rid of everything I hate about myself.

So can we add to the list of things of things I hate, "not keeping my promises"?

I've always, always, prided myself on being a very honest and open person. But I'm coming to realize that I've been lying. Not just to people, but to myself. Open is not something that I'm good at. It never has been. Sure, I put on a good face. I talk CONSTANTLY. The endless babble that flows from my mouth and fingertips annoys the piss out of some people. No one cares that I just painted my nails. I do that two or three or more times a week. It's not news; it's not special.

Everyone knows about my family drama, and that's "personal" so of course I'm open, of course I'm honest. Except that I'm not.

I don't feel like I'm very honest. I don't feel like I'm very open. I share actions, but I don't share feelings unless they are the obvious sort of feelings. My last post, I really got into my feelings, and it scared me away from the blog for... how long? A few weeks, anyways.

And a lot has happened in these past few weeks:
1) My mother had a custody hearing about getting Lauren back. Originally I wanted to write a whole post about this. I am so torn, so broken up over this. Lauren doesn't know what she wants, and I just want her to be wherever she's most happy. I think things are perfect just the way they are: Lauren with her nice, big, family, and Amanda home with my mom (provided my mother continues to stay sober). Lauren visits my mom on the weekends. But Lauren sometimes feels out of place with Mindi and her family, and also feels obligated to go back to my mother. She misses Amanda when they aren't together. But then, at other times, she's so happy where she is. She's happier there than she ever was living with my mother, and feels obligated to stay with Mindi, because she was taken in and loved just as much as any of the other kids. Right now, nothing has been decided. I don't trust my mother, probably never will, but I trust my sisters enough that if the situation ever got dangerous, they would say something, so I'm okay with them living with my mom. They go back to court in June.

2) I bought an antique sewing machine. Remember how I said (or did I say?) that I had almost entirely stopped writing? Well sewing has been filling the creative void for me. I'm very slow, and end up having to rip things apart constantly. I've been working on this one quilt for ever and have to keep taking out stitches, but I'm enjoying it, and I have completed a few things at least. Anyway, the other day I was out with my future Mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law at an antique shop. I saw this pretty old table, and then realized it was a sewing machine cabinet, and then realized that it still had the old machine. When I found out that it was only $20, I decided I had to have it. The table alone is worth twice that, and if the machine works (it definitively needs to be cleaned and oiled first. Cobwebs everywhere and it squeaked like a seal when I turned the wheel. BUT all the parts moved so that's a good sign) it's worth a small fortune. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. I had to leave it at my MILs house, because Jeffrey made me promise to stop bringing home stray furniture. He's right. I do have a problem. I can't walk away from a pretty piece of furniture unless I know it's in a good home.

3)  I'm in disgustingly bad shape. I knew I was in bad shape. I've been in bad shape for years now. And Jeffrey hasn't been in the best shape either, so we decided to go for a jog. I didn't make it out of the parking lot before I felt like dying. I suffered from a headache for the rest of the evening. It was horrible and embarassing, but mostly, scary. I can't even run an 1/8th of a mile. I can't even jog that far slowly. I decided I wasn't ready for jogging yet. I need to get in shape, but I can't make myself feel so sick again. I'm too busy for that. So I went for a walk last night instead. It wasn't more than 3/4 of a mile. I was panting by the time I got there. WALKING. Not even walking briskly, but just walking like a normal person walks. Even at my previous worst, I could do that. I used to be able to walk endlessly without feeling anything. And now I cant. I'm scared. I don't want to be that sickly. I need to get better.

4) My coworkers have changed! I have worked at Wendy's for over two years now. And it's greasy and gross, and the smell of french fries has permanently permeated my skin. It doesn't wash off. Customers are rude asshats almost just as often as they are kind. It's surprisingly hard work, in a physical sense, and I don't particularly enjoy any of it. It doesn't pay anything and we end up with a new manager, on average, every 3 months. Half of them are jerks. My favorite manager was transferred about a month ago to a new store. We were really upset. She loved our store, and we loved her. Yesterday, I found out that she had been transferred again, BACK TO US! The new manager that had replaced her (whose name I never even learned. I never worked a single shift with her) hated our store so much that she threatened to quit if they didn't transfer her. So now we have V back and it's super awesome. I don't really have friends outside work, and she was the closest thing I had to a best friend in the area. I was heartbroken when she was transferred. All of us were. On night shift, my shift, we are a group of best friends. There are only two people I don't like.  And on the same day that I found out V was coming back, I found out that M (one of the two I don't like. She's a bossy rude bitch, and she likes to push and shove people. I'm clumsy enough on my own. Please don't knock me into the fryer.) had put in her two weeks notice. All in all, awesome.

5) And most importantly, and the reason I started this post, Jeffrey and I had a pretty serious argument/discussion. It started about grammar (just because I don't write much any more doesn't mean I don't still care)  but that was more just the surface stuff. What it came down to was that whole "open and honest" thing that I kept trying to pretend when it wasn't really the case. I don't want to go into particulars here, because it's fairly personal (I'm not opposed to sharing if anyone is curious, but I don't like to air my dirty laundry online so publicly). It was crappy, and I still feel awful about some of the things I was thinking and feeling, but eventually I shared them, and he had no idea that I had been thinking and feeling such miserable things for so long. There are not a lot of things I hate more than arguing with Jeffrey, but, as crappy as it was, I think it was probably a good thing. It cleared the air in a lot of ways.

And already, I'm starting to see that I'm getting better. My first blog post after the break* I mentioned an argument I had with Jeffrey, in which I said nasty and hurtful things. I didn't do that this time. I wasn't even tempted to. I didn't even yell. We just talked angrily. And it was good. It was awful, but it was good. We both have some things to work on, but we are working on those things.

I'm going to be more open and honest on here too. Because I want to be. Because I need to be. Because I want to be someone that I like, again.

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* What do I call that break? The post I made on Feb. 12 feels like the first post on a brand new blog, but I've chosen to keep this on my old blog (because back story is nice, right?) It's like a different timeline though. I feel like it needs a name.

Getting in Shape, part 2

Back in March I made a post about getting in shape. I figure it's about time to update you on my progress.

I did not do the couch-to-5K plan. In fact, I hardly did anything except buy myself some shorts. Then about three weeks ago, Jeffrey and I started jogging. Because I was with him, I did nto stick to the actual plan. I figured that I would just do what I could and let him do whatever he felt like.

It's had it's ups and downs. The first time, I was horribly embarrassed. I was winded before we even got out of the parking lot, and I had to start walking not long after we got on the sidewalk. There's a flag on the side of the road outside a shop that we jog/walk to, and it's about a quarter of a mile away. That first time, I walked most of the distance there and back, and was horribly embarrassed by my out-of-shapeness

My bad knees did slow me down. I was good the first few times, hardly any pain, and then one day it came back. First it wasn't too intense, just a little pain while jogging. I pushed through it. Then one day, while I wasn't jogging, it came back full force in the right knee. Every step I took was killer. Even though I didn't say anything, Jeffrey took me and bought me a knee brace, that same day, and it's lovely.

Yesterday I jogged almost the whole way there and about half way back. I'm not quite at my goal (all the way there and at least half way back) but I'm getting close. I went from barely able to go up the stairs, to almost able to jog 1/4th of a mile without stopping. I'm excited. I'm proud. And, oh my god, I'm SO SORE!

This is the first day that I'm actually hurting. It's not my legs that hurt, but rather my core. I never realized how much my abs were involved in running, but they are, and they hurt. I feel like I've just done 200 crunches. It hurts to transition from sitting to standing, and in the other direction. It hurts to walk. I'm sort of waddling because it hurts less. It's a bit ridiculous. Thankfully, though it hurts, the pain isn't actually bothering me beyond that. I recognize this particular sort of pain, and in the end, it's a good thing. It's that building-up-muscle sort of pain. Nothing major, just soreness.

Mostly, I'm proud of what I'm doing, and I have secret hopes that this might relate somehow to my bucket list. Not going into more detail than that, in case things don't work out the way I hope.

Getting in Shape

Most of the time, if I mention getting back in shape, someone says "But you look fine!" or else "But you're tiny!" Let me explain to you that being in shape and being thin are NOT the same. Take a look are some sports players for example. Pitchers, in baseball, often have a bit of a gut on them. That certainly doesn't mean they're out of shape. It means they have a belly. Football players are quite large, and in great shape. I am thin, and NOT in good shape.

I get winded when I walk up the stairs. That's NOT healthy. That's NOT being in good shape. I don't like it.

It's my fault. I had a ton of excuses for not doing anything. I moved to a new area, and wasn't comfortable going anywhere by myself. I have bad knees. I have housework to do. No matter what day or time it was, I had a reason to not excercise. The only one that is truely valid is the fact that I do have bad knees. But you know what? I've had bad knees since I was 13. I've only been in truly bad shape for about a year.

So I'm getting back in shape. And I'm happy about it. I'm taking up jogging. Running has always been an issue with me. Of all things, that is the one that causes the most knee pain, and swelling. I say fuck it. Jogging is supposed to be good for the heart right? Well my heart has been screwy for years, with no doctors paying attention. Maybe I'll fix it for real. So yes, I'm going to be jogging with knees that hurt the more I use them. If I am in pain, I'll take a break. When the pain goes away, I'll start back up again. I'm not giving up.

I'm excited. A little nervous, but excited. It's spring. It's a great time for jogging. Someone suggested I do the Couch-to-5K plan and that looks like its doable. I hope. I am starting today.

Also, I need to buy something a little more comfortable to run in. Jeans just don't quite cut it. I love new clothes, and having an excuse to buy them. :D