A new outlet.

This week has absolutely sucked.

The comic’s new pages don’t suck.  My marriage doesn’t suck.  My infant son doesn’t suck (except when he’s gulping down a bottle).  My friendship and working relationship with Garth doesn’t suck.  My immediate family and relatives don’t suck.  So that’s the good news.

But everything else this week has absolutely sucked.

I won’t go into the details because it’s a long, drawn out story.  I won’t bore you with the details of my personal dramas and other dark clouds hanging over my head.  I gripe about them enough in real life.  What I’m interested in talking about today is my new way of dealing with a week full of suck: exercise.

In the past I would turn to more creative endeavors to get my frustrations out.  I still do, but I don’t rely on them as much as I used to because I already have an excellent creative outlet in the form of this comic.  I still listen to brutally heavy metal, powerful classical music, and/or jazz of all moods to release some tension, but I’m one of those people who needs a physical release when things get really bad.  The act of writing and drawing used to provide that release, but at this point in my life when I’m trying to improve my self-image and physique, the act of exercising is doing the trick.

I’m not spending hours upon hours at a gym.  I work out from home for approximately 30-40 minutes weekdaily, usually while my son is asleep and/or amused enough by my grunting, groaning, and panting.  I use resistance bands that give a maximum of 20lbs resistance because that’s all my pathetic body can handle.  I’m keeping track of my progress by keeping a workout journal and posting weekly photos of my pathetic dad-bod on my Instagram account (browse at your own dad-bod peril).  But as much as I struggle with a small amount of weight/resistance, as much as I hate my scrawny arms and chicken legs, as much as I loathe the soreness that plagues me after a workout… damn, do I feel better.  Especially after the consecutive days of suck that have made up this week.

Is this me turning into a fitness buff?  Probably not.  This is me achieving a balance that has been sorely lacking in my life.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have some amazing creative outlets, but my physical happiness and health have been neglected.  This is me turning anxiety and sadness into something productive and beneficial.  My dark cloud will not spill over into what is meant to be a fast-paced and fun adventure story.  I will blow away these dark clouds on my own!

Like Mega-Maid from Spaceballs, I will go from suck to blow!

…

…you get the idea.