Third breakfast & never giving up on your dreams
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I still wear the sweatpants in my marriage. But over the past several years, I’ve grown quite a bit as both an athlete in a human.
Take a recent weekend at my parents’ place, for example. After starting—and even completing approximately half—the prescribed workouts for the day, I was more than ready for second breakfast. I opened the fridge, happy to whip up a feast for the whole famn damily. But there was absolutely no bacon to be found in there!
“No problem,” I told myself, “I can adapt.” So I simply got some eggs cooking and bread toasting, then turned to the freezer and located my little sister’s year-old wedding cake to thaw for third breakfast.
This, my friends, is growth.
Once we were back at home, my husband and I returned to the processes and habits we have developed to support our ongoing improvement.
“Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” — Jim Rohn
Case in point: every month we buy an enormous package of bacon, break it into weekly rations to get us through seven breakfasts (and maybe a BLT or three), and freeze it. Some call this meal prep. I prefer to think of it as crisis prevention. Bonus: this simple ritual also deters me from eating bacon five meals a day.
Obviously, meaty and salty breakfast foods remain a big part of my life, and I have honed my breakfast preparation and consumption skills with concentration, consistency, commitment, and character, though not with any coordination or greed whatsoever. Our dog recognizing the word “oops” as a promise of a floor snack illustrates just how much food I drop — further testament that I remain the one in our relationship who best embodies the sweatpants lifestyle.
If adaptability, forethought, and selflessness are any proof, you will agree that I’m committed to a lifetime of growth and learning—all while remaining true to my salty soul. With the support of friends, loved ones, teammates and coach, colleagues, and my beloved bacon sponsor (oh wait, still don’t have that last one), I’ve been able to achieve some pretty exciting dreams recently, not the least of which is qualifying for Ironman World Championships in Kona.
This competitive success has actually provided me with two additional areas of self-improvement: confidence and hope. That KQ spot reminded me that I can achieve my dreams. Dreams like someday having a bacon sponsor. So as I prep for the biggest race of my life by taking a rest day today, I’m still working toward my years-long goal of matching with a bacon brand that appreciates me for what I am: a mostly committed athlete in a not-so-ideal body thanks to an imperfect diet who is perfectly suited for a bacon and cupcake pairing.
I can’t believe you read this whole post! If you enjoyed it, please share it and send bacon sponsor leads (or just packages of bacon) my way.
More about me: I wear the sweatpants in my relationship.
