After "happily ever after"

   Nobody ever talks about what happens after "happily ever after." In films, it always ends with the couple kissing or a wedding ceremony or a fade to black with hopes of good things to come. Rarely do you see the inevitable roller coaster after that dramatic fadeout. What happens is, little by little, Cinderella gains a couple of kilos. Now the question is what is she going to do about it? She's gotta change things up a bit, obviously. Happiness comes with a price. You start to go out more, going to restaurants...AHA! There's the root of it. Now here's the question: is she going to compromise her personal happiness because of the strides she's made which have actually led her to this moment? That's a very firm "no." But let's face it: munching on an entire bag of mini rice cakes is no help in the matter.
   The setback of a wounded knee does not exactly do any good either. Don't let people fool you: in exercising, there is hardly any greater high than running, if you can bring yourself to do it. Biking, not really. Walking, too time consuming (half the distance in twice the time - funny you only realize this when you start to run). Swimming, extremely inviting but as of yet, untried.
   So the question keeps popping up in this and a few other aspects of my life: what are you going to do about it? What I'm going to do is make myself happy and stop being lazy. I'm going to get back to work in a week and cut out the crap. I'm going to bite another bullet and run the 10k Hill and Dale Run (yes, that is the actual name). It is the "Hill" part which frightens me. I've driven over part of the route but haven't had the nerve to try it with my sneakers. Flat road is one thing, hills are entirely different.  One thing is for certain. I shall not be Cinderella at the end of the ball: one shoe on, hitching a ride back to the start line.  Time to man up and put the rice cakes away. Why is it a constant battle?

P.S. If you want a look at what happens after the whole "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy marries girl" routine, watch the Audrey Hepburn movie "Two for the Road." After happily ever after, with a side of vitriol.