I had an important, early meeting at work today.  My usual routine gets me to work 15 minutes before the meeting time.  Instead of relying on the bus service, which has its hiccups, I decided to sacrifice an hour of sleep and pull my schedule back an hour, meaning that I got to relive the feeling of waking up at 4 AM, taking the first bus deployed up to the gym and getting to work around the same time that I used to get to my old job.

Even though I was out waiting for the bus an hour earlier than I was yesterday, yesterday felt colder by far despite the fact that a 22 degree morning felt like 11 with the windchill.  It was unexpectedly pleasant this morning compared to the bitterness of yesterday.  The wind was blowing yesterday and swooping under my hood.  No fun at all…but that’s typical winter in the Mid-Atlantic.  As long as the snow stays away, I am good.  Snow in this area means one thing: ice is imminent the following day from freezing overnight…and it lingers for-ev-er!

They have refrained from turning the heat on in the gym, which is great.  Nothing worse than sweating before your workout has even begun.  Even though it is cold outside, I can handle the temperature—even the wind—as long as my hands don’t get cold.  I keep warmth well, but as soon as my extremities get cold, well, all hope is lost!  But the workout went well. (saw Darlene there this morning as well!)  I got another round of leg pressing in the books, including another successful set at 900 pounds while keeping my hands on the handles.  Yes, I know this is proper form, but attempting to lift such a daunting amount of weight with a stroke-effected right leg, well, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  That’s why I slowly built from 630 pounds with my hands on the handles a few months ago to 900 currently, after leg pressing 900 pounds and more for nearing 4 years now.  …Wow, time flies.

I’m lifting 1170 while securing my quads with my hands for safety, and after 900 gets a bit easier I guess I’ll have to start lifting more “properly.”  I was really thinking this through today and I realized that I’m doing so much more than anyone ever imagined.  My entire right side is stroke-effected, and yet I am actually planning to leg press over 900 pounds without any form of restraints or precaution other than solely the strength of my two legs.

Proportionately, I’m stronger than anyone in my gym that I have seen.  That’s when I realized that my desire to continue pushing and see how far above expected I can attain is driven by the possibility that I may inspire someone else to become proportionately stronger than me.  Michelle can already run a mile and Anuja is training for that 5K.  I have inspired so many already.  If I keep going, maybe, just maybe I will continue to draw them into uncharted territory and help them discover how strong they can be and how little their impairments, limitations, disabilities, whatever actually hold them back.

The strength is coming and nothing would make me happier if someone else blows me out of the water and leaves my accomplishments a flittering memory of how average Greg was compared to the achievements of what is to come.  That’s my inspiration and drive for continuing to build higher tomorrow.  And it is never going away.  I’m simply waiting for someone to take it away.

Saturday
Helped dad set up new widescreen TV
Helped my mom do a few things around the house
Went to the storage unit (which was left unlocked for some reason) and pulled out the Christmas stuff
Of course the outdoor Christmas lights were in the back of the pile (luckily I put all the Christmas stuff in one section)
Back home to finish fixing the widescreen TV and having family time at the end of the day

Sunday
Do part of my morning workout
Have breakfast with family
Do second part of morning workout
Take the box of lights outside with dad and pull the lights out of the box
Separate strings and lie them on the ground to test
Replace dead bulbs and begin helping dad put them around the windows and door
Dad got excited and wanted to put lights on the roof too, so I hung around and helped him as he called me (so that he didn’t break his neck trying to get up and down the ladder)
Debated and finally drove myself to the gym for a leg workout
Leg pressed 900 pounds with my hands on the handles and various other exercises
Home to get cleaned up and watch a movie with mom


Yes, I promised I would get submissions out to agents, but I have my list of agents at least and know what each one is looking for.  I’m slowly realizing that my weekends are going to be dictated by errands that need to be done and responsibilities to be completed.  Sure, the Christmas season is always busier and more chaotic than the average weekend, and I’m realizing that that is just how life goes, so you work around it.  Each day this week I will work towards sending one or two submissions and then spending the next weekend completing what needs to be done.  I can’t put things on hold until my submissions are out.  I have to find other times to get them out.  Busy week ahead, not like weekends aren’t busy enough :)

Running the same route through my community for over three years made me quite the recognizable face to everyone who lived in the houses on the streets that I ran.  One woman saw me walking with my friend one time and asked me why I ran so much, what motivated me.  Others would wave from their yards or honk their horns if they were driving.  I had become a town celebrity…being on CNN and every local news channel didn’t hurt my popularity either.

I would always run by this one house, remembering it for the Christmas inflatables and other various holiday decorations they routinely put up.  It was a great way to remember what time of the year it was.  One day I run by and the mother who lives there honks her horn at me.  Apparently I’m an inspiration to a lot of people, but Darlene is more of an inspiration in my opinion.

All I do is live my life the only way I know how, and while that inspires others to push beyond their own limitations and disabilities, I don’t have to be responsible for anyone else really.  Not to the degree that a mother does…and not to the degree that a mother does whose kid son is diagnosed with cancer.  Darlene lost enough weight to win my gym’s second installment of Biggest Loser, and while I have a personal disdain for the competition, seeing how it has personally changed and bettered Darlene is beautiful to see.  I still see her in the gym a few days a week and, with the sincerest smile, she tells me about the latest trip to Children’s and how her son is currently doing.

On top of that, she recently found out that her husband is getting sick.  After all the time and effort put into getting medical care and attention for her son, the other half of her support system is getting sick as well…and yet Darlene is smiling as bright as always.  Sure, I overcome my limitations every day and help others find the strength and determination to begin their own journey doing so, but I don’t have to live with it, live with my entire world changing over the course of the year.  I’m not sure if it is just around me, but there are a lot of unfortunate events happening this holiday season so far, and actually steadily across the year for that matter.

As tough as it is to deal with, I always find the strength to just keep pushing through.  I figure I have come this far, I can’t let that be for naught.  And while I’m as happy as can be, Darlene’s year has been unimaginably more challenging.  Not only does she toughen up and push on through, she is doing so with a smile bigger and brighter than I could ever imagine.  She’s the embodiment of hope and determination (coming from me, you better believe I don’t say that casually) and nobody more has inspired me across this year.  …And to think, she started by rooting me on =)

As much as I love December and the holiday spirit that comes with it, it’s serving to be slightly inconvenient with everything I am trying to get done this year.  A few agents are opening up for new submissions, outlining their guidelines for submission and how to contact them, all of which is great except for the fact that finding time to actually compile and organize the required materials is even more minimal than usual.

In a way it is sad, but part of this season is determined by the television.  My family has a dvr, but space is limited with 3 people recording different things on it.  Every December we seem to get the DVR up into the 90%+ range.  Each day is at least spent checking the dvr to make sure it is at bay, haha.  Not that I am complaining in the least.  Hallmark and holiday movies have become a staple with my mom and I.  My dad even says that he will watch 3 each year.  He always complains at the start of each film (never fails) and by the end he always gleams at how fun the movie was and says how wrong he was (again without fail).

Yes, I started listening to Christmas music the day after Christmas, and no I am not ashamed about it.  The truth is that even though parts of the holiday season can be corny, it is a time I love embracing.  It reminds me of childhood, and the fact that I almost never had this childhood at all.  Each year I thank Dr. Johnson for somehow saving my life, and I probably do it daily without even being cognizant of the fact.  There’s just this prevalent sense of happiness and joy, that albeit brings a lot of stress and time crunching with it, can’t help but make you smile with one of the multitudes of Christmas movies put out each year (and I swear, even more seemed to come out this year.)

With that, happy holidays and safe shopping.  I think we all need that, haha.  I’ll be posting regularly across the month as best as I can, but the next couple weeks will be tight.  I’m finding all this information on agents, but the closer the holidays get, the more sense it will make to put off this goal of mine until after the holiday.  It’s not what I want to do, so it’s going to be a long couple weeks testing my time management and desire for sleep.  Not that bad I’m sure, but as dedicated as I want to be on this project, and as much as others are counting on me to get it done, me thinks the DVR will be filling up much faster this holiday season, but there is no greater reason to postpone the relaxation of the holiday season than getting myself one step closer towards this dream come true.

More to come.  Stay warm!