Good morning! It’s Monday again, as if you needed a reminder of that. I hope yours is starting off nicely.
At the start of each week, I try to figure out the things I need to do before week’s end. I tried that last Monday, as you may recall. I’d like to say life got in the way, but that wouldn’t be nice. It’s also not true. What mostly got in the way last week was me. I did everything except what I was supposed to do and then spent the weekend trying to catch up. But the pool was nice.
So, this week, part of my list is pre-populated. I’d like to say I won’t accept any excuses, but I’ve met me. I know better. My lower back is already giving me an excuse, and that one is kinda hard to ignore. But part of coming here and telling folks how to move forward is admitting when I’ve messed up and getting back on track.
For me, that means getting active and building some strength and energy. It’s amazing how fast we lose it when we don’t use it, especially as we age. Also, I’m taking medicine to help me lose weight. It works great, except it has this side-effect of losing muscle faster than fat. I need a pill that turns bourbon into muscle and fat into poop. Anyone???
I’ve got a bicycle sitting on the carport. It’s a nice one, too, but it’s covered in dust. The last time I rode it, I had a stroke. Not a stroke of genius or a stroke of good luck – just a plain old, garden-variety stroke. Some of you may remember. It wasn’t a bad one, and I came away unscathed, mostly. Except now I have an excuse when I say something stupid.
Earlier this year I put air in the tires and took a short ride down the street. The gears weren’t shifting right, so I brought it home. A week later, the tires were flat again. So, I installed new tubes. But it still wasn’t shifting right, so a neighbor tuned it up for me. Now the tires are good, it shifts perfectly, and the chain is oiled. I even wiped off most of the dust. I’m out of excuses.
So, what’s stopping me? I’ve wondered at times if my hesitance is due to the way my last ride ended. I’d like to think I’m not afraid, but Pavlov’s dog proved that two seemingly separate things can be completely intertwined in the brain. For the dog, a ringing bell meant food was coming. Maybe in my mind, that bicycle caused the stroke.
Okay, we both know better. But Pavlovian conditioning is very real and it can be crippling. My wife had a head-on collision 23 years ago, and to this day her heart stops if a semi next to us drifts an inch in either direction. She can drive, but she doesn’t really want to. And in heavy traffic, forget it. I won’t let her. Not with my nerves in the car.
The point of all this is that we need to pay attention to those little Pavlovian events that may be getting in the way of what we should be doing. I’m not talking about the little jobs I never got done last week. I’m talking big picture. You know, like riding a bike. Okay, maybe not quite that trivial, but you get the idea. For me, that’s just one step in my journey to better health.
What’s standing between you and your goals? That’s not always so easily identified. More often than we’d care to admit, there’s some dark event in our past that we associate with whatever we were doing at the time. And that’s not entirely bad. It’s what kept the first caveman from picking up a rattlesnake again. But bicycles and strokes? Come on, Dave!
If we can identify those negative events that are holding us back, the solution seems pretty simple – try again, but don’t blow it this time. Success breeds success, and failure breeds fear. Keep trying. All it takes is to hit the ball one time, and you’ll swing a little harder the next. Learn to work past those fears, and nothing can hold you back.
That’s all for now. Think about those silent factors that may be standing in your way, and why. What are the real hazards, and which can we write off to Pavlov and his slobbering dog? Separate those, and you’re on your way. Have an awesome day!
© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved
