When we first moved to Georgia, life was hectic. Like crazy hectic. We had just moved half-way across the country. We moved from a brand new home to a 1970s home that needed (and still needs) some serious love. The bank had lost our wire transfer for the down payment of the home. Ryan was starting a new career as a real estate agent. Life was crazy. Add to that,  my in-laws were coming to town. 

In preparation for their visit I did a Costco run and bought all of the things I thought we would need for our meals and snacks while they were here, including a watermelon. 

Now, our home, like many Georgia homes, is built on a slope, which means our main living area, including the kitchen, is on the second floor. When I got home from my Costco run I was in a hurry to get back to work and it was raining outside. So, I made a decision. I would unload all of the perishables (chicken, lettuce, eggs, etc) immediately and allow Ryan (my husband) to grab all of the heavy things when we got home. Candidly it was a hard season for me, and if anyone was going to walk the stairs, carrying cases of beer and Topo Chico in the rain, I didn’t think it should be. 

What happens next is where the story gets really fun. When the rain stopped I actually ended up bringing up the heavy items, all but one. Not on purpose, just an oversight.

My in-laws came in later that night in a rented car they got to make the drive from BNA, Nashville’s international airport, to Chattanooga. It was a great car and the only vehicle we had that could fit all 6 of us in it at a time so that’s what we drove for the next 5 days. 

For the next 5 days I had no need to get into my car. For the next 5 days, in a humid Georgia summer, where I think the highs were between 96 and 98 degrees, I left that watermelon not just to sit in my car, but to rot.

If you have never smelled a hot, rotten watermelon, I pray you never do. It’s gross, like really gross. I don’t know that I can accurately describe it but it’s like overly fermented yeast and sweaty feet. It’s a powerful combination of potent smells. 

When the time finally came to drive my car,  I opened the driver’s  door of my Subaru and immediately my nose knew exactly what I had done. I went to grab the watermelon from the back of the car but when I picked it up, the guts fell from the middle of the shell, causing rotten watermelon juice and meat to explode all over the backseats and hatch. 

It was disgusting. My mother-in-law (who is such a trooper) and I drove to town with our windows down but it didn’t do much to help our cause. 

This happened over 6 months ago. Since then I’ve cleaned the entire interior of the car, I’ve shampooed the seats, and we’ve set off two air freshener car bombs that are supposed to remove odors…but the smell lingers; it’s nowhere near as strong but it’s still there. It’s still there just enough that I’m taking my trusty Outback for a professional interior wash this weekend. 

Why am I telling you any of this? 

Because I heard a quote from Warren Buffet that makes it all make sense.  I have no idea what context he was saying it in but when I heard it, it resonated with me on what I call a soul level. Like I knew it was meant for me. It goes like this, “You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.” 

I did something horribly wrong when I left that watermelon in the car and as a result I’ve been having to do A LOT of things right. In other words, that one thing wrong has been making me put in a lot of extra work. 

It’s impossible to get into my car and not smell the smell that reminds me of this quote. So literally every day I’ve been asking myself the question, “what are you doing wrong?” or “how are you making your life harder?”

Here are a few of the things that have popped up most recently:

• One of the curtain rods in our bedroom fell down. It fell down because we didn’t use anchors. If I had installed the curtain rods with anchors, they likely wouldn’t have fallen down. Now, through a series of following events, we have to repair large holes and install anchors. 
• I classically stay up too late, binge watching shows I’ve seen a million times. That makes the morning really difficult. If I stopped doing that I could wake up earlier and set my day up for success. 
• I eat a lot of things that I know aren’t good for me. It’s not uncommon for my breakfast to be a piece of candy (like my See’s marshmallow heart from Valentine’s Day) with my coffee and call that breakfast. When I do that I spike my blood sugar and my caffeine at the same time, causing me to get anxious and making me spend more time than I would like at the gym. If I chose a healthier option then maybe I could spend less time at the gym (a place I don’t overly enjoy being). 

This is by no means an exhaustive list. I’m sure if I really considered it there are a million ways I’ve been making my life more difficult; where I’ve been forcing myself to do more things right because I keep doing other things wrong. 

For me, the one I always go back to focusing on is what I’m putting in my body. Drink less caffeine, go to bed earlier. Start the day with a more nutritious meal, be set up for success and crave less sugar. Choose healthier options, move your body because it’s a gift and not because you’ve consumed too many “bad” calories. 

If nutrition is an area where you are looking to make a few less “wrong” decisions, then make sure you order one of our Oh Goodie! Boxes so you can have a bunch of better-for-you treats to choose from. 

My favorite indulgent but good for me treat (the ones that are keeping me away from that See’s candy) are the Brownie Butter Protein Power Balls. With only 2 grams of added sugar and 6 grams of protein I’ve been having three of these with my morning coffee and it’s just enough to get me through my morning cycle class.