A Year in Review 1: The Lonely Walk

This has been an extremely lonely year. I started out in January of 2007 like so many others that had made new year resolutions. My resolution was to lose weight. I joined a fitness center shortly after I made love to a six stack order of French toasts, eggs, sausage and home fries, right in the middle of the IHOP restaurant. I was feeling shame and remorse for having continued this pattern of behavior throughout most of my adult life. With noticeable syrup stains on my shirt, I left my car in the restaurant parking lot and made my way to the front desk of the fitness center which was across the street. I signed up for membership that very day. It was a very anti-climatic day, because I returned to a house with a refrigerator loaded with all the take out cartons containing previously purchased foods, some that I enjoyed, others that satisfied me for that moment. No one cheered me when I returned to work or church. I felt like a drug addict announcing to his family that he had once again entered rehab; the looks on their faces, sincere but not convinced.