And that, my friends, is what we call progress.

I felt the black cloud coming yesterday evening. I'd had a rough week at work and was feeling especially unhappy with my life and what not. I can't explain where this desperate feeling comes from, but I can tell you that it is powerful and is capable of making you think about dark things. I don't mean dark thoughts as in hurting myself, but rather thoughts that really aren't worth your time thinking about.

Up until last year, my response to such a feeling would be to go to sleep. Or lie in bed trying to sleep. There would be unexplained crying, too. However, yesterday was different. As I felt the hopeless feeling coming on, I jumped up and told Ross I needed to go to the gym. Being the astute and wonderful husband he is, he knew exactly why. He kissed me and told me drive safe.

Rather than wanting to take to my bed, I'm now trained to crave physical activity when my mind has gone loopy. Obviously, this is a much healthier and more productive option. After just 10 minutes of running on the treadmill and breaking a little sweat, I felt better than I had in days - not just because I had made the healthy choice, but because I finally was understanding how to take care of myself on all levels.