Reflections

This week is providing me with some natural opportunities for reflection. I've always been the type to recognize anniversaries of different events and ponder how things have changed in my life since they first occurred.

Today marks 6 years since my mother died. During the years prior, as her disease worsened and other stress in my life became overwhelming, I began my descent into frequent emotional eating. At the time of her death, I was pregnant with my first child, and I used the pregnancy as just one more reason to drown all my sorrows in junk food and laziness.

Now here I am, many years and heartaches later, pregnant once again, but living a completely different lifestyle this time around! I'm over halfway through my pregnancy and I'm still running, swimming, and doing yoga. I definitely indulge in junk food more often than I do when I'm not pregnant, but not to the extremes that I have before. Most of the time I believe that if my Mom can see me now, she is probably proud of the changes I've made in my life. I bet she's pleased with my increased strength, both physical and emotional. My Mom was an incredibly strong woman, and I know she respected strength in others as well!

My other reason for reflection this week was my "bootiversary." A year ago yesterday, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture and put in a removable walking cast. A setback in my quest to become a runner, that injury could have been just another excuse to slip back into my old ways. Instead it became a turning point in my life, as I refused to take my injury lying down. I purchased a pool membership, overcame my complete lack of skills in the water, and pressed on with my weight loss and fitness journey. Before long, I fell in love with swimming, set exciting new goals, and began this blog!

In a strange way, I am thankful for my stress fracture. Had I never gotten hurt, I probably never would have discovered the wonderful world of swimming! I might not have learned to appreciate running so much either, if I hadn't had to go a few months without. The injury and subsequent recovery led me to change my whole approach to fitness, and I'm really grateful!!

So this week is bringing me lots of memories and mixed emotions. At the heart of it all is a sense of gratitude for my life, my health, and all the lessons I have learned over the years. I am truly blessed!

As a side note, I have to give a shout-out to my wonderful husband, who turns 33 today! He is my biggest fan and I never could have made so much progress on my journey without his constant support and encouragement! Happy Birthday, Lonnie! I love you!