December 29, 2010

Maybe tomorrow

One morning, soon after my oldest two kids had moved back home for the month-long winter break, my daughter and I settled by the fire to do work. Since the boys were asleep, the house was quiet.

Then I heard a thumping noise coming from upstairs. It sounded like someone jumping rope. I set down my laptop to go upstairs and investigate when my daughter offered an explanation.

“Oh, that’s Boy in Black. He must be planning to take a shower,” she said, barely glancing up from the stack of papers she was grading.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s his rule,” she said. “He doesn’t get a shower unless he’s done a bunch of exercises.”

That’s right. Boy in Black won’t shower unless he first does push-ups, planks, and leg lifts. The jump roping comes last: I know after I hear the thumping noises that I’ll hear the shower run.

“Yeah, I keep to the rule even when I'm at a tournament,” Boy in Black told me when I asked him about it. “Even if I've played a 100 points and I'm exhausted, I won’t take a shower until I've done my exercises.”

I like the common-sense idea of incorporating exercise into my life by tying it to something routine. Last night, I resolved that I would do 50 stomach crunches before taking a shower. My abdominal muscles could use a little tightening.

This morning, I got up, thought about exercising, and then decided that since I was staying home today, I didn’t need a shower anyhow.

Clearly, I am not as self-disciplined as my oldest son.

11 comments:

landismom said...

I'm almost too cold to take a shower every day, this week while I'm not working. Exercise in the morning helps get me warm enough to face the shower!

Lorianne said...

Oh, you sound like a woman after my own heart, Jo(e).

Tie-Dye Brother-in-law said...

Hmmm...

“He doesn’t get a shower unless he’s done a bunch of exercises.”

You didn't do a bunch of exercises, so you denied yourself a shower. Sounds pretty self-disciplined to me.

:-)

L said...

HA! That's funny, I'm with you... why not leave the exercising for tomorrow? Now, your BIL is really funny too!

jodi said...

You make me laugh.

Yankee, Transferred said...

I like your approach.

holly said...

I follow your son's rule most of the time. That is, until my hair gets too greazy to leave the house.

Jennifer said...

You just made me laugh.

Happy new year.

Magpie said...

Indeed. Happy new year!

Rev SS said...

laughing with the rest ... you are funny!

Unknown said...

Ha ha. One way to save on the water heater!