write.as/jonbeckett

Alexa, the curious daemon that lives within an electronic gadget on the bedside table burst into life in her metronomic way once again this morning – filling the room with Ronan and Harriet from Magic FM as they wished everybody a wonderful day before playing the same twenty songs they play every day.

I really need to choose a different radio station, but it's kind of comfortable. The presenters' voices, their banter, and the stream of 80s songs are familiar – like a warm blanket of sound. Which doesn't help much when you're supposed to be getting out of bed.

I did get up though. And in a fit of stupidity, pulled some running shorts and an old t-shirt on. A few minutes later I found myself wandering out into the morning air rather apprehensively. I haven't been running in AGES.

It wasn't actually that bad. For the first kilometre or so I surprised myself – thinking “I can still do this” – but then all the little aches and pains that come with being enormously unfit came back to haunt me. It's going to take some time.

I did it though. I went for a run. Go me.

By the time lunchtime came around I could have eaten the entire contents of the kitchen cupboards. I didn't. I'm not allowed – on account of being “on a diet”. It's not really a diet – it's just “not eating entire bags of cookies from the supermarket”. Not that I do that, of course. Not THAT often. Ok. No more than once a week. Usually.

The second big change I made today was venturing out onto the green outside the house at lunchtime to sit on a bench with a book and my cup of coffee. I texted a few neighbours, and told them of my daring escapade – wondering if any might join me. Their days sounded much like mine – which explained their absence. I sat and read some more of “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig. I've been meaning to read it for ages, but spent most of today realising “oh, I've already read that bit”. My memory has holes in it like a piece of swiss cheese at the moment.

Anyway.

I'm rather pleased with myself this evening. Small steps (or strides in this case). The route back to fitness is going to take a while, but I know I'll feel better for it – and intervention was probably required before I develop my own gravity.

In other news, the entire day flew past – filled with a never-ending succession of worky-work things that I'm not going to write about here. It's amazing how time flies when you're not having fun.