Being "Big Stuff"

I had a great time looking after my son during our "Dada & Son" weekend.  Since I come home so late from work and classes every day, I wanted to give my wife a break to let her recuperate a bit.  We didn't do anything fantastic.  We basically followed our set routine and just let my wife lay low.  However mundane you might think that would be, I found the whole experience pretty exciting.  This weekend was one of the few times that I really got to notice how much my son is growing up.  He climbs up on the step stool to be at counter level so he could help Dada fix meals.  He loves running around outside and views new things with a sense of wonder that I have somehow forgotten. I still get tickled when we walk around outside our complex and hangs on my leg as cars roll by.  I know he knows what they are, but at the same time I remind myself that they seem like giants because of his height.

One thing did stand out this weekend.  My son was on his step stool playing chef as I was fixing some water from the refrigerator.  I usually have a large cup of water regularly throughout the day and he enjoys trying to drink out of that cup like Dada, but usually gets most of it down his shirt.  Today was different.  I decided to give him his own water in a cup his size and see what he would do with it.  When I put it in front of him he placed what he was playing with down to the side and firmly grasped the cup in both hands.  He then ever so carefully brought it to his lips as he took a REAL drink.  He didn't try to suck the water out like he would through a straw or try to tip it back like a body shot during Marty Gras.  I was SHOCKED and cheered with my hands above my head.  He just looked up, grinned a huge grin and went back to drinking.  He drank the whole cup without spilling it.  I couldn't have been prouder seeing that the day before he spilt most of a cup of water down his entire shirt.  In the Drinking department my son graduated from being a baby to being "BIG STUFF"!

I am amazed when I see things just 'click' with him.  It is like he tries, and tries, and tries with disastrous consequences.  But with just one slow, methodical attempt that succeeded, he now knows the best way to do tasks that earlier would frustrate the fool out of him.

After thinking through what wonders I saw this weekend, I thought about my trials and tribulations regarding my weight that have plagued me for years.  Really, how different am I with my struggles than my son is with his?  Thinking about it, I have had the tools in front of me for a while now.  I have just not been willing to choose to take a drink out of that cup as slowly and methodically as I can.  I have chosen to run through programs, diets, and exercise camps for the majority of my adult life hoping that the lessons and thoughts would stick to my body at the end.  Only to be disappointed when I find out that for some magic reason, nothing has changed.  It is depressing when you think about it and I know we ALL have thought about it.

I figure it is time to just put down my toys like my son, pick up my cup of health and fitness, and be 'Big Stuff' for once in my adult life.  My life has changed in the past 16 months since we have had this gift of a baby boy.  I need to and feel the urge to man-up and be healthy and fit in order to be around long enough to see him grown up.  I want to experience his wonder and excitement about the world as he experiences it.  The only way to do that is to man-up and be Big Stuff like my son.

I will be posting my fitness goals and weight goals on this blog for all to see.  I have noticed that if I stay in the corner and just keep that stuff to myself, it is easier for me to let things slide.  I would ask you, the reader of this blog, to call me out when you don't see a post of my progress in a while.  If you want to post your PFGs (Personal Fitness Goals) with me, feel free.  Together, we can pull through the hard stuff and get to the land of health and fitness.

'CLICK'!