There he is again. He is in his element. On the couch. Under a blanket. Curled up next to members of his pack. He is safe. He is happy. He is living his best life. Oh, to be a dog.

My dog Max has it good. It didn’t start out like that, but things got much better after we met. If he could talk, I am sure he would tell you the same thing.

We have always loved dachshunds. They are lively little things. They are full of life and are a ton of fun. When we got to Texas we wanted to find another one. My first dachshund, Shorty, passed in 2012 and it was beyond time to find our next buddy.

I was able to find a dachshund rescue here in Texas. They specialize in finding cool dogs good families. I had my eye on a handsome little guy that was down in the Houston area. It was further than I wanted to drive, but was willing to take the trip. Before we could head that way, the rescue called me and asked me to consider a dog much closer in south Fort Worth.

When I got down to the apartment where the foster family was keeping him, he was easy to spot. He was full of life and super skinny. He was very friendly and the decision was made. We had a new family member.

First order of business was getting him some food. The lady I got him from told me that he was only given one (small) cup of food a day. I get that dachshunds have bad backs and need to watch their weight. I could see his ribs and not in a good way. I thought about getting him a hamburger on the way home.

It didn’t take long and Max was a part of the pack. He is one of the friendliest dogs I have ever been around. Usually dachshunds don’t like people outside their pack. They are protective and territorial. Max? Not so much. He won’t put up with people messing with us (or us messing with each other), but he is always ready to say hello to new people. It can be pitiful at times, but it is cute.

When we got him they told me he was less than 2 years old. We got him in December of 2016, so he should have been a Christmas baby 2014. I found his paperwork last year and it appears he was closer to 5. I felt like I got robbed of a few years. However long we have him, he is going to be a happy guy. That is part of being in this pack.

I look at him sometimes and I remind myself I need to adopt some of his ways:

1. Max loves everybody. I don’t know if he has met someone he doesn’t want to be around.

2. Even pushing 11 years old, dude loves to play. He keeps his 3 year old Jack Russel sister busy. Like him, I need to play more. I might have less stress if I did.

3. He is a relaxer. When it is time to wind down, it is time to wind down. I love that.

I love this guy. He is a great dog. I am glad that he gets to be my buddy.

I almost can’t believe that 6 weeks have gone by since I started my 100 Day Strong journey. It has gone fast and hasn’t been as hard as I expected it to be. Sure, tracking my food has become a learned habit, but in the grand scheme of things it has been really easy.

So far I have:

1. Taken a picture of my progress every day. (I will share some of these at some point, but am not ready yet.)

2. Exercised daily. Currently I am lifting weights 3 days a week and walking for at least 30 minutes on the other days. I have put in a workout every day for 43 days. It feels good.

3. I have counted every calorie for 43 days. I am often reminded of the adage, how can you track what you don’t measure? The answer is, you can’t. You may think you are doing good, but unless you have the data to prove it, it is just conjecture.

4. Read/Listened to a chapter of a book every day. I am going to put together my reading list as a part of this journey. There have been some good ones that I am eager to share.

5. I have wanted to blog for years. I will occasionally pick it up and put it back down. I have been consistent every day for 6 weeks. I am eager to keep going.

6. I have consistently downed 100 ounces of water, or more for this whole time. This may be one of the biggest wins of this journey. I think I was chronically dehydrated before I started. I am feeling a lot better.

7. I have encouraged at least one person per day. since I started. This may be my favorite part of the whole thing. I love people. I love letting the truth lift their spirits. It is good for them and for me.

Bring on week 7. At one point this was all a dream, and now it is a reality I am living in the middle of. Let’s keep the dream going.

I love going to work before the sun comes up. No, I don’t like getting up early. No, I don’t like sitting in traffic at 6 am. What is it I love? I can see the stars as I walk out to my car. It is beautiful.

For a few moth out of the year Orion hangs out over my driveway. I can see his shoulders and feet, though the dagger on his belt is a little faint. He shows up well considering he is hundreds of light years away.

I have always loved the stars. I remember learning about them in grade school. Our class had a lesson under a makeshift planetarium. The teacher pointed out Orion, Taurus, and so many more. My favorite back then was the Big Dipper. I am sure I imagined it was dipping ice cream.

What would it be like to travel among the stars? Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a space ship like on TV? Just to fly around the stars and take it all in. That would be amazing.

And to know God made it all with just a word. He spoke and there it was. It really gives you a sense for how awesome He is and how small we are. And yet, He loves us.

Anticipation. That with a few butterflies in my stomach. That is exactly how I felt when I pulled the door open. Would she be there? Would she be as excited to see me as I was to see her? As I entered the room, I saw her across the way. She looked up and beamed a beautiful smile.

It took a moment to register that someone else was looking at me. We had not seen each other in a few months and she did not look happy. With the decision made in an instant, I knew I was going to deepen that feeling for her. We hadn’t dated for months, but it was time to make that distinction clear. I asked her to join me in the next room.

“I know you are surprised to see me. I need to tell you something. There is no future for us. We both know that. I am sorry for where I have hurt you.” With that I turned around and went back through door number one and sat down next to that lovely smile.

This scene happen over 24 years ago. I had just come back from a trip to Utah to Oklahoma. I hadn’t been to church in weeks and I had a feeling I needed to be there. I did not know that they would both be there. On one side was my future. On the other was a past that had run out of road. Seeing them both there was surreal.

The woman with the beautiful smile and I have been married for almost 24 years. I later learned that my past found a new future and she was very happy in it. For that I am glad. She was a good friend. We were just not right for each other.

Why do I tell you all of this? My future changed in a moment. My wife and I started dating in the few days after. We were married 6 months later. It only took a moment. I just had to seize it when it presented itself.

If you have been waiting for a change or if you know the past has to be in the past to get to your future, your moment may be close. Keep your eyes open. Step into it when you know it is right.

I have had a rough past regarding food. There have been times in my life where there wasn’t much. The have been times in my life where there has been plenty. During the plentiful times I think my unspoken desire has been to make up for lost time and/or calories. Not a great way to be.

That may be why I have been known to eat a large pizza, by myself, in one sitting. I always rationalized that it was thin crust and much less filling, which I still believe to be true. However, thin crust or not, one does not need to eat 2000 calories in one sitting. (I just looked up the info and based this off a Dominos large pizza topped with Pepperoni.) I am not proud to say I have done this many times in my past.

For this reason, my 100 Days Strong journey has been amazing. I have a target calorie goal of 2600. When not eating a large pizza, I am able to fit a plethora of foods inside that count. This includes cookies I get from the cafeteria at work, 250 calories for chocolate chips and M&Ms. I am also able to drink an occasional glass of wine, 280 calories for 12 ounces. When you don’t blow all of your calories in one meal, it is surprising what else you can fit in.

This calorie goal is accompanied by a goal to eat certain percentages of carbs, fats, and protein. God made all three of them, and our bodies need them. It just helps to balance them out.

The result of this? So far I have lost 16 pounds in 40 days. I feel like I am finally getting over my fear of not having enough food and giving myself the freedom to eat what I want…as long as it fits in the numbers.

I am on my way to 100 Days Strong. I can’t wait to get there and see who is staring back at me from the mirror. He will definitely be smaller. He will be more fit. He may even have conquered some very old hang ups about one of his favorite things. I like that.