You may have noticed we seem to have slowed to a crawl with this project. OK, OK, you're right. We've slowed to a slumped-over-mass that breathlessly attempts to say "slow down" as a baby that is awkwardly learning to crawl scoots on by. I'll be honest - it's gotten downright sad on this end. We started out so well - we both had such fire and passion for what we were doing. But, as things seemed to get busier and we seemed to get more tired, the motivation to do anything other than sit and talk about how busy and tired we are has faded further and further away. If I peek down the hall, I think I can see the motivation... no, wait, that's not motivation, that's a shirt that needs to be put in a laundry basket. Hmm... maybe the motivation is in the freezer (and if it isn't, maybe the Angel Food Cake Ice Cream Cake I made last week is...).
It's bad, though. We haven't been getting rid of stuff, we haven't been training for our 10K - and despite doing a much better job with making healthier meals, we've been snacking as if there is no tomorrow (note to tomorrow - if you don't happen... ha, we win!). And that Half-o-meter that was "coming soon"? Um... it's still coming, at some point... I promise (I feel your skepticism - you should probably keep that handy). Needless to say, we've got to get ourselves out of this rut. Sleep is slowly getting better - Sorin had two teeth cut through in one night and since then he's been sleeping for longer stretches. If that trend continues, hopefully it will be easier to not keep "eating for energy" when we feel like we are gonna pass out (or possibly die of sleeplessness) at noon, 2:00, 5:00 and 7:00-11:00 each day.
In the end, though, no matter how many obstacles we can point to (like lack of sleep and free time), there's only one thing keeping us from really getting things done: Lauren.
Ouch....mostly Lauren.....ouch, ouch, OUCH! OK, it is just as much my fault.
But, as I was saying, the only thing keeping us from really getting things done is us. We've both been choosing to take the easy way out and sit on the couch doing whatever instead of doing the things that will make us happier in the long run. No matter how tired we have been, when we started this project it made us happier and feel a bit more energized just to look around our house and see it clean. The feeling of accomplishment after going for a run, cleaning out a closet, or parting with some useless object that we don't need but had kept on a shelf for 6 years over-rode the exhaustion and made us feel good. We need to get back to that, and we know it. The question is, how?
If I've learned one thing about me, it's that I'm highly motivated by distinct goals. When money, pride, or even just a stupid bet is on the line, my competitive side takes over, and I find extra motivation to get the job done. So, the answer is quite simple - start offering me money and we'll be just fine. What's that? You don't want to offer me money? Fine - but know if we fail, it's your fault, loyal readers (because, after our dearth of posts during April - if you're still reading, you are most definitely loyal). So, we'll have to do this a different way...
12 posts. We are gonna post a minimum of 12 times (this one not included) during May. And we're not talking "we still ain't done shit!" posts - we're talking posts with results. A garage that is finally cleaned out and able to park two cars in it. A corner from hell that hasn't simply migrated to our dining room table. A large amount of clothing donated/thrown out. Half as much beer in our fridge. Maybe even one of those lingering projects of our house like fixing the ceilings in our bathroom or putting the cabinets in our laundry room at least started - if not finished. The possibilities are endless (not really, but I'm on a roll - just let me have this moment). 12 posts of substance. 12 posts with us back on track. Let's make it happen Cap'n.
But that's not all (if you act now, we'll throw in a second set of Shamwows, two extra tubes of Mighty Putty, and the mini point-n-paint for free) - because we know that this idea is just a short term fix. We'll make our 12 posts in May and then you'll get three posts in June about how I picked up dog poop and thought about going for a run twice. So while this month goes on, we're going to be figuring out what the evolution of Dichotomy is - figuring out how we keep our halving, our happiness, and our progress towards a simpler life sustainable. And we invite anyone reading this to be a part of it. Tell us what works for you. Tell us what you'd like to see from us. Tell me why (ain't nothing but a heartbreak). When all is said and done, we just want to make this something that can keep us motivated to create the better life we want to be living.
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I decided your last entry deserved an encouraging comment but (you will not be surprised to learn) am having a devil of a job figuring out how to post same. No doubt it's embarrassingly simple--to those for whom computer-speak is intuitive. If this works, consider yourselves encouraged.
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