I have this gardening problem.  I LOVE to be in the garden, planting, weeding, designing, creating and just making my surroundings beautiful.  This includes putting out the non-living solar lights that I just got as a “just cuz” gift from my husband.  It took a long time for him to learn that and I love it when he does it, especially when it involves my gardens and my yard.  I have gardens EVERYWHERE in my yard.  The current count of established gardens is 6 with one that is halfway done in that count.  I have two that are in my head that I will dig out in preparation for next year and one that I know I want to create but I haven’t quite envisioned it. I just love to be surrounded by flowers and plants.  It makes me so happy!

This happiness is also my potential downfall.  If I have the chance to garden, everything else is second best including any planned fitness.  Yesterday, for example, I was going to go for a run after work. My friend at work emailed me saying she was getting rid of a bunch of plants at her house and asked me if I wanted anything.  YES!  I was about to go to Home Depot and pay for daylilies after work but she had a bunch of them she didn’t want.  Instantly my plan was about to go out the window to go get my green jackpot!  I was so excited.  It turns out she had to pick up her son after work so I had to wait to go there and get them which was a good thing because I did get my run in first but it was touch and go for a little while.

Not only does gardening create an instant motivation for excuses in my world but it also is a time suck.  When I got home that night just as dusk was setting in, I began planting so they didn’t die or at least so some of them didn’t die before I could get them planted.  Last night I skipped a workout to go plant the rest of my new babies.  Now gardening is a workout but not a replacement for a workout even though sometimes it feels like it is.

Today I am going to get a run in or a biking session or maybe a walk with my son, my wingman.  I’d rather be gardening but when I set the date to go get more plants from my friend’s house, I said Thursday on purpose because I knew if I said Wednesday it would start a several days long excuse-fest for not running or working out.  As it is I have stopped lifting weights again and I am a little pissed about that.  I just can’t do everything I want to in the span of a week because 1) I’m not willing to be at the gym every single day now that the weather is nice.  2) I won’t spend more than an hour and a half on the outside, working out.  I’m not that committed and I’m never going to be in the shape I see in my head again because time is my enemy and my passion lies elsewhere.