Tightrope Walking

     Well, I’m back. My brain apparently took a vacation, went to the circus, and has remained there all summer. For a while there I thought it had run away for good, and all I could think about was The Big Top. I had a whole circus-themed blog piece going, but it was just too over the top. So I had to start from scratch, which is not easy when your brain is still at the circus and it’s hot, and you’re not at the beach, and all the neighbors are on vacation, and the bathroom needs to be cleaned, and you hate cleaning bathrooms… (I did say there’d be whining. You were warned.) I’m still sort of in love with the original circus concept though, (In particular the Illustrious Illusionist, the Astonishing, Enigmatic, Illogical, Obfuscating, and Underhanded Obstructo Vitare.)

     Trying to become a more compact version of one’s self really is a sort of circus high-wire act, I think. In these terms I see a shiny, spangled performer on a tight rope, many, many, many feet in the air, no net in sight. They might be doing this while riding a unicycle and juggling several bowling pins. The pins may be labeled “family”, “work”, “social situations”, “emotions”, “hormones” or “whatever”. A wobble to either side would be the end of the performance, with the Tightrope Walker plummeting into a pit of self-pity, doubt, disappointment, pointy rocks, spiders and Lean Cuisine.

     It’s pretty clear that in order to get from one end of the wire to the other, a few things are necessary. Finding balance is one. We start out on platform A and our goal is to get to platform B without falling or dropping any of the bowling pins. In order to reach the other side successfully it is essential that we keep our balance which is, of course, much easier to say than it is to do. We want to lose weight but we also want to eat blueberry pie and we don’t have time to exercise and we have families and jobs and dogs and bad knees and gardens and tons of excuses obligations that get in the way.

     Finding and maintaining balance is easier when we have encouragement, another important aspect of our tightrope act. A couple of Lovely Assistants on the platforms at either end can help the whole process appear seamless. One gently pushes you at the start to give you a little momentum, the other steadies the unicycle while you dismount, and they both cheer for you from start to finish. If you freeze up in the middle, start wobbling or look as though you may fall, the Lovely Assistants will shout encouragement from either end to keep you going. Family and friends are almost always our most loyal and vocal Lovelies. Our families help us stay on track, sometimes by abstaining from Chunky Monkey ice cream for a while just so we won’t be tempted. Our friends tell us that our hard work is paying off. A spouse may toss out the random “you look really good” which just might make us rethink the fried macaroni and cheese appetizer.

     While encouragement is important, it isn’t quite enough to help us achieve the original goal, which was to get from Platform A to Platform B with the bowling pins still spinning and a person still on the unicycle. We need support to do that. If we install guide wires or use a harness we’re likely to feel more secure, which gives us the confidence necessary to successfully cross from A to B. We worry less about falling (or failing), and concentrate more on the process. Sometimes we just need someone else to catch the pins so we can keep our balance. Support can come from different areas. It can be a professional organization like Weight Watchers, a television show website with an online community, or a neighborhood moms’ group. But support doesn’t have to be anything formal or pre-arranged. It can be as simple as a daughter taking over the occasional morning dog-walk freeing up gym time for dad or a husband who gets up early for a power walk with his wife. Maybe a son cooks dinner a couple nights a week while mom goes for a run or the neighbor serves only low-fat munchies at their next cocktail party. It all helps.

     So, you may wonder, just what does this all mean? Do you want to join a circus and wear sequins, Kate? (um… no. Sequins are not flattering.) As we are all aware, it can take a lot of oomph for anyone to attempt a diet and exercise program in the first place. In order for any program to be successful, a person needs to create balance between their quest for fitness and everything else in their universe. And to do that, encouragement and support are needed from family and friends. Rocket science it ain’t. Next time, boys and girls, perhaps we will visit the carnival fun house and have a look at those magic mirrors!

     Incidentally, my current weight loss is somewhere between thirteen and fifteen lbs. Weight loss can vary by day, barometric pressure, or pastrami Reuben consumption.