There’s a box of clothing patterns sitting next to my desk that’s been there for weeks. My mom dropped it off for me when I told her I wanted to learn to sew. Much like cooking, it’s a lost art I’d like to launch a search and rescue mission for.

Because I didn’t dive into the box of patterns within the first week or so it was there, it’s become a part of the landscape and I’m much less likely to look through it now than if I had during those first couple of days when it was a ‘new thing.’ I do the same thing with books. If I don’t start reading that book within the first week or so after I’ve gotten it, the probability significantly rises that it’s just going to end up sitting on the shelf for the next year or so. And that’s a conservative estimate. I have books I bought in the 90’s that I still haven’t read.

What does this have to do with weight loss? Excess pounds are a lot like my box of clothing patterns in the corner or that library book that I have now renewed for the second time. If you don’t take care of them right away, you might never take care of them at all.

My boss is this way about stuff in the office. An old set of curtains sits on our reception area table and our old phone system is stacked in a conference room. No one in the office even notices them anymore because they’ve been there for months. But when a salesmen came into the office the other day, he saw the curtains and immediately asked us if we’d just moved into the building. We’ve been here two years. The junk in the office is normal to us, but is viewed as an item in need immediate attention to a stranger.

When people ask how you can possibly let yourself go, how you could possible gain so much weight, that’s why. All that weight is a box of dress patterns in the corner or an unread book collecting dust that you keep telling yourself someday you’ll get to. You just never do.

With the new year’s arrival, I think a lot of people are noticing things they’ve left undone. I know this blog’s traffic has gone up a bit in the past few days. I wish everyone luck and hope they stick with it. Losing weight takes more time than cleaning out your closet, but there are less dust bunnies. Except for the ones on your treadmill.

Oh, happy new year everyone! Except to those of you on the Mayan calendar, in which case happy 12.19.12.16.12.4 ‘Eb 10 K’ank’in G8