Most promises I’ve made once, one I renew every night. At bedtime, the last thing I say to my daughter is, “I’ll see you in the morning, I promise.” As of today, I’ve said this same thing to her for 6 years straight.
By the time I say this she’s often already asleep and can’t possibly hear the words. It’s ok, she’s heard it enough times that it’s likely just pleasant background noise for her by now.
In 2020, a few months before the pandemic locked everyone down, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. My daughter was a year old. I’d just started a new job and stress was high. Then the pandemic hit and our family moved in with my mother-in-law in Denver. In the thin mountain air, stress and blood pressure went higher.
The cardiologist told me I needed to bring down my numbers. He prescribed meds and a lifestyle change; “lose weight, exercise more or else.” I’m paraphrasing, but the message stuck. The first thing that came to mind was what I’d miss if “or else” came to be. Would I miss teaching my baby to suffer with me for the Mets or dance to the Macarena at her wedding?
I’ve always been a runner, but at a mile-high, distance running and I don’t mix. I tried, it didn’t stick, no improvement to my numbers. Next option. Peloton bikes were having a moment and a sale, so I bought one. That was better and I rode it 3 – 5 days a week. Not enough. I needed a daily routine I wouldn’t break.
After dinner on July 4th I was feeling cooped up. Denver was having a heat wave, highs in the 100s. It felt like the perfect time to go for a walk, a long one, but not alone. I asked my wife to come with me for a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood. We made it a vigorous walk and came back sweaty and accomplished.
When we finished we both got notifications on our Apple Watches. “You hit all 3 goals! Great job today, David. That’s how it’s done.” I’d seen this message before and ignored it. Turns out we’d both completed all 3 Apple Watch activity goals; minutes exercised, hours active and calories burned. We closed all our “rings.” Yay us!
I’d seen this notification before and ignored it, but something about the simultaneous achievement made it memorable. Something clicked.
Was this the way to make that lifestyle change the doctor ordered? Could I put Apple’s gamification to good use? Worth a try.
With renewed hope, that night I made a promise to my daughter, “I’ll see you in the morning, I promise.” That was promise #1.
My wife and I committed to daily morning walks; less sweaty that time of day. We did it, every day. Every night, I renewed my promise to our kid.
Those daily walks stopped in September when we moved to our home in New York, but I continued to earn the daily rings closed notification. Soon, I’d exceeded my prior record for consecutive days closing all 3 rings. I kept going. I keep going.
Some days I go for a long run outside. Some days I run on the treadmill. Once a year or so, I get on that Peloton bike just for old time’s sake. A few times a month I resort to doing what I call “the shuffle.”
I run in place, or around the living room and wave my arms like a maniac while I raise my heart rate until the calorie counter goes up. I do this until I get that sweet, gamified notification. “You hit all 3 goals!…”
Some friends witnessed “the shuffle” once and I swear, they think it’s the most interesting thing about me. Maybe they’re right.
Today, at 2,191 days and counting, the consecutive days streak is now long and distinguished.
Another friend recently asked if there was an amount of money I would take to break the streak, my answer, yes, of course there is. I’d gladly take a million dollars to stop the daily notifications.
You see, the streak is not the point. The streak is just a daily reminder that I kept my promise. I don’t need the watch to prioritize my life.
What matters to me is that every night when I make that promise to my kid, what I’m thinking is, “I promise I’ll live through the night to see you again.”
I’ll keep making that promise as long as I can.
Disclosure: I write these posts. AI helps me edit them.