Day 12, 13 & 14 - A Blast From The Past

The morning of Day 12 arrived far too quickly. Unfocused and slightly bewildered, I head out the door. Why must I deprive myself of sleep in the endless pursuit of fun? The evening before, I had told myself it was so "worth it". I've since grown hours older and wiser. I now know that I had meant, "It was fun, but tomorrow I'm going to pay dearly." Nothing in this world seems to come without a price, so there's no room for protest when the bill arrives. Just pay up and move on. I promise myself an early night on Day 12, but I apparently am not only a glutton for food, but for punishment as well.

The evening of Day 12 looked to be a quiet one. I'd planned to play some cards for a little while, then head home to bed. Shortly before leaving, I received a message from someone that I hadn't seen in far too long. He was visiting from Ottawa for the weekend, and was looking to meet up. It sounded innocent enough. After the card game had ended, I headed out to a local speakeasy to convene with him. I entered to see a gathering of friends from years gone by. A small scale high school reunion had erupted. The planets aligned in our favour that night, as we had people from all over just happen to be visiting at that moment. Someone from Thompson had come in for the weekend, and another from Korea had just arrived back home for the week. Others would be moving away to the West coast within the month. A chance meeting for all involved, and we waxed nostalgic well into the wee hours. My stomach hurt from laughing so intensely, and I was smiling so much that my cheeks ached. Just a fantastic night for all of us. As I drove my friend home we agreed to head out for a lunch date the following day. An uninterrupted sleep awaited me. No alarm to be set, no wake up call required. It was time to rest easy.

Sleeping in is such a treat. The mornings when I'm not being jolted awake by the nattering of an absurdly generic morning radio personality is one of the simple pleasures of life that I truly do appreciate. I rose on my own terms on Day 13, and not long after I headed out for an early lunch. We ate at one my favourite places, dining on one of my favourite dishes. Mongolian stir-fry. Thankfully, it's a delicious, nutritious and generally light meal. We spent most of our time rehashing the events of the evening prior, the memorable as well as the not so much. Having had our fill, I dropped him off, unsure of the next time we would be crossing paths, but very glad we had an abbreviated, but thorough visit.

Having not seen these old friends for such a long while really created an appreciation for the short time we had to relive our pasts. Though it ended as quickly as it had begun, we all had a fantastic time, and it truly felt genuine. We instantly fell into our old routines, and it soon felt as if we hadn't missed a beat. All the inside jokes were still valid, all the little catch phrases still fresh in our minds, as though the sight of each other had rekindled a part of our youths we thought had long expired. Words can't fully describe the joy I felt that evening, and it really inspired me on my journey even more. Someone even told me I looked younger than the last time they saw me, which was likely 8 years before. Whether we keep in touch, or fall back to our regular routines, it's comforting to know that the friendships we had formed so long ago can remain as solid as ever. Time will neither age nor tarnish our memories, they will only make them more enjoyable to reflect on the next time we meet.

Day 14 was quite uneventful; groceries, fill up the car, not too exciting. The weather started out as exceptional, and looked as though a bike ride could take place, but turned soggy by the time all of the errands had been run. The workout routine for the weekend was sporadic, but good (30min/1.5mi/15° incline, 200/30/30). No improvements yet, but I will look to change up the treadmill program shortly. My weight seemed to have been hovering over the weekend, but I hope that the coming week will be marked with another jump in the right direction, maybe even a peek into the 240's. I find it sort of sad to be looking forward to the 240's again, not long ago it was a sign that I was expanding, but it has now been relegated to a benchmark of loss. Unlike those recently revisited teenage memories, once the 250's are a part of my past, I will not be fondly looking back on them.