Trying to make the best of bad situations

The best part of being retired is that I seem to have more control over my life than I did when I was working. There are lots of things that are beyond my control, but more things are within it. For example, I've never stayed in bed until noon (other than on sick days), but it's nice to know I could if I wanted to.

For years I was a real lardass, with my weight ranging between 250 and 260 pounds. There was a lot of stress in my job and one way I handled it was to overindulge in comfort food. I loved cheddar cheese, and could scarf down 600 calories worth as a between-meals snack.

My blood sugar levels were elevated for several years, and in 2004 my doctor officially diagnosed me as diabetic. I'd done some reading on the subject of diabetes, and decided it was too serious a condition to ignore. The doc told me I could probably get my blood sugar under control if I lost fifty pounds.

FIFTY POUNDS ? Are you kidding me ? was my initial reaction. After I considered the alternatives, though, I decided to give it my best shot.

It took a few months, but I lost weight and got my blood sugar back to normal. The process required some major decisions regarding lifestyle changes and a lot of self-discipline (which hadn't been my strongest suit). Calorie counting and routine exercise weren't agenda items during my working years, and I rationalized sloth and gluttony as products of job pressure. But I learned old habits can be replaced with new ones when there's enough incentive to do so.

What brings all this to mind is the price of gasoline, currently $ 3.999 at the corner Exxon station where I fill up. The upside of retirement is being able to sleep late if I want to; the downside is living on fixed incomes that don't readily accomodate rapid increases in the cost of living.

Diabetes forced me to make some lifestyle changes and four dollar gasoline is forcing me to make some more. I'll be using less of it every month, and the next car I buy won't be another SUV that barely gets 19 mpg in city driving. I'm spending less time tooling around town and more time around the house, and learning to enjoy it. I can't control the price of gasoline, but I can control the amount I buy, thanks to retirement.