Avoiding Ditches

Here's an interesting fact:  for every mile of road, there are two miles of ditches.  That's not necessarily a comforting thought, to be honest.  Because I have repeatedly referred to my own weight loss experience and beyond as a journey, any metaphor that relates to a journey - like a road - catches my attention.  Being aware that there are twice as many miles of ditches as there is road, the question is, how do we stay on the road and not end up in the ditch?

Some roads are broad and smooth and we can easily put ourselves on cruise control and travel a good distance without giving it much thought.  When traveling down these roads, we're almost oblivious to the ditches because there's a good margin on both sides and we never veer near the edge.  There are times when staying on plan is easy - you feel great, the scale is moving nicely, and you may feel like you're on cruise control because you're making great progress and don't have to think about what you're doing.  You just aren't tempted to stray and you feel like you could do 5&1 indefinitely.  It's a good place to be!

It's those other roads that are scary to navigate - narrow, bumpy roads that keep us gripping the steering wheel and fighting to stay away from the ditches that loom on either side.  Those bumpy roads often show up unexpectedly and can stretch on for what seems like endless miles.  Perhaps it's a busy schedule or stress that makes the road bumpy, or maybe it's something else.  Maybe the scale gets stuck at the same time that life throws us a curve or two.  Regardless of what finds us on a bumpy, narrow road, our challenge is to keep moving forward.

How do we do that?  Simply, it's by keeping our focus straight ahead and gripping the steering wheel.  (I said it's simple, not easy!)  When things are difficult, that's when it's most difficult to keep focused on where we're going and not allow other things to distract us.  That's also when we're most prone to veer straight for a ditch.  Knowing where we want to go and keeping our eyes fixed on our destination is key to staying out of ditches.  Gripping both hands on the steering wheel is also critical, and this requires full attention and determination.  Sometimes it's just plain hard and the effort required to stay focused is exhausting.  What I know is that as exhausting as it is to keep going when it's hard, that is far easier than trying to get ourselves out of a ditch.  It is ALWAYS easier to stay on plan than it is to restart again - and again - after spending time in a ditch.

Staying on course when the road is bumpy comes down to the choices we make.  It's not easy, but it's worth it.  Keep your eyes on the road, keep gripping the steering wheel, and choose wisely :-).