Some days it seems as if all that can go wrong does go wrong. You make all the right plans, do all the right things but, somehow, everything conspires against you. Those are the sort of frustrating days that can leave you feeling frazzled, cross and as if the whole world is against you. If you’re very lucky though, you will have friends who know just how to make you feel better. This post is about some of mine.
October 16 2012
Despite the early hour and the fact it was hardly light when I set off, I did manage to walk to work this morning. At ten to eight, when I made it to the office, I was disappointed to find that the little shop where I buy my bottle of water wasn’t yet open. Arabella’s car wasn’t in the car park but the cheery security guard greeted me and commented on my early start as I entered the building. Disappointment number two came when I got to my floor and found the office empty and locked. There’s a kind of keypad where you put in a code but, because I’m never the first to arrive, no one had thought to let me know what it was. Bang went my plan to get the priority emails answered before Arabella got in. She was very apologetic when she found me waiting outside and quite surprised that none of the early starters had yet arrived. This was later explained when we heard there had been a fatal accident on the motorway and they were all stuck in traffic. At least I now have the code to get in though so next time I won’t be waiting around like a chicken wing at a vegan convention.
We were both eager to get down to some work, given how much we had to get through before Arabella goes off on her travels again. Sadly that wasn’t to be as disappointment number three reared it’s head in the form of an uncooperative computer system. Mine crashed when I tried to open my emails but did at least start straight up again. Arabella wasn’t quite so lucky. She plugged her laptop into the wifi dock but it came up with an error message. I suggested shutting it down and restarting which she tried to no avail. It took over twenty minutes to actually close and then opened with the same error. IT for the company is a remote access kind of thing, much the same as we had at Mad House but, possibly because it’s in the UK rather than India, it tends to be a bit more efficient. Arabella spent the whole morning on the phone to them while they tried to fix the problem. Apparently a system error had somehow corrupted her email account along with a few other things. It took until two o’clock for them to retrieve everything so, although we managed to get a few odds and ends sorted out, most of the things we really needed to do had to wait.
Because of an early afternoon meeting that couldn’t be put off, it was after four before we finally sat down to go through the urgent schedule issues that had been the whole reason for our early start. Obviously the going home early I’d anticipated didn’t happen. In fact I didn’t leave the office until six and even then, half the things we needed to go through didn’t get looked at. Still, I did manage to go right through my bulging inbox and get that under control. I dealt with a few changes and cancellations that I’d not have got round to if things had gone to plan too. Oh well, tomorrow is another day so fingers crossed we can crack on with it all then.
The walk home from work didn’t happen. I texted Commando to let him know I wouldn’t be leaving until at least half past five and, when I finally got outside, he was waiting with the car to give me a lift home. To be honest I can’t say I was disappointed with that at all. It may be less exercise calories but, after such a fraught day, all I wanted to do was get home as quickly as possible. I was starving too and looking forward to my pasta dinner.
Once Commando had gone to work I had a bit of a Biggest Loser fest, watching some episodes I’d sky plussed, and caught up with the Biggest Loser forum on Weight Loss Resources*, the website I joined to help me lose weigh. After such a day of disappointments it was nice to know my lovely friends on the forum would never disappoint me.
Mr Bumble is one of the stalwarts of the group and, surprisingly, she is not a man, as I thought when I first saw her name. She is in fact a tiny woman who spends her life darting round from one place to another in a perpetual state of movement. She is probably the most inspirational and amazing woman I know. It wasn’t always that way though. Once upon a time Mr Bumble was a morbidly obse woman who couldn’t even get out of a chair unaided. Meeting her, it’s hard to believe she was ever anything but the ball of energy in front of you, but I’ve seen the photos, I know it’s true.
Through hard work and will power she has managed to shed around twelve stone, more than I weigh, in just three short years. She didn’t have surgery, she didn’t use any of the meal replacement diets (in fact she will warn anyone who asks not to try them), she just ate well and exercised. And boy did she exercise. I first met her in person when we did the London Moonwalk together. It was my idea to enter the Moonwalk and when I posted about it on Weight Loss Resources she signed up too, along with another member, Mel C (no not the Spice Girl). One moonwalk was enough for me (well so far anyway, never say never) but Mr Bumble has done so many since then I’d actually lost count. She has walked marathons all over the world, Iceland, Berlin, the Disney Double, you name it, she has walked it and at a speed that makes me feel like a slow coach.
She is always running late, always finishing things off at the last minute and she’s usually still putting final touches to her latest mad marathon costume as she travels to the event. She is the lady you see manically sewing sequins onto her bra on the plane or train. I think I’ve always known she was completely stark staring mad but she has proved it beyond doubt.
Mr Bumble did another half marathon at the weekend. When I asked her how many she’d done now she told me, since May 2011 when we did the Moonwalk together, she’s done seventeen full marathons, six half marathons, a load of five and ten kilometre races and she has four more full marathons and one half to do next month. Apparently she’s then going to have a ‘rest’ and just do the odd fun run in December. She actually thanked me for setting her on the track to finding something she really loves to do. I think I may have created a monster!
Seriously though, I’m glad she’s found something she enjoys so much, even if I think she’s bonkers, I have nothing but admiration for her. Much as I love walking I’m not sure I’d have the energy to do half what she does. I’m not saying I’d never do another marathon because I loved the training, if not the actual race. The problem is the training takes up so much time and these days I never seem to have enough of that.
Anyway, I don’t think Mr Bumble should be thanking me at all. She has been such an inspiration to me since I joined WLR*. She was one of the first members to welcome me when I eventually found the courage to post on the forum (I seem to remember Mel C was the very first). At the time I was feeling a bit desperate, like this was my last chance to get to a healthy weight, and I thought perhaps I was too old to be even trying. Then Mr Bumble told me her story, and said she was a little older than me (sorry for sharing that Mr B). She gave me hope that I could do it and she’s encouraged me every step of the way.
Every single one of the WLR girls and boys who post on the Biggest Loser forum have supported me on my journey, they’ve picked me up when I was down, celebrated my triumphs with me, answered my questions and been all round good friends. There have been times when I’ve been on long walks and felt like giving up that I’ve heard a little voice in my head (it has an American accent thanks to Annep) telling me “the mind gives up before the body,” or I’ve thought of Mr B and the way she NEVER gives up no matter what odds are stacked against her so I’ve pushed on. I honestly think stumbling upon them was the best thing I ever did and I thank each and every one of them every single day. They are one thing that never disappoints.
*it was actually Biggest Loser Club at the time but the site closed and transferred us all to sister site WLR where they gave us our own Biggest Loser forum
Glad you have such splendid friends.
Me too 🙂