May Day

I didn't mean for May to be such a monumental month for me but it is really shaping up to be that way.  I signed up last week for my college graduation ceremony. This has been a long time coming. I started college like many right out of high school but found that I was not ready to actually go into class and study or at least didn't have the motivation to do it. I took classes off and on but than a couple of years ago decided I was getting passed up on too many jobs to not do something about it. It seems the corporate world wants you to have a degree but they don't really care what it is in. I started back to school a couple of years ago. It has seemed like an eternity and because I didn't get my associates first I lost some credits that I had already taken because of my stupidity. I originally wasn't going to walk but as I get closer to finishing I am finding that I am excited to walk and prove to myself I did it.

The other thing that is monumental for me in May is my first and maybe last half marathon. I originally was not chosen to do this half but they later came back and let me in. The Ogden Half marathon is set along the beautiful Ogden Canyon and is mostly down hill. As a runner you realize even though down hill should be easier some times it is worse on your chins and other parts of your body.  In the past I have only done 5Ks and a 7k so this will be the longest I have ever ran. I am trying to get into a training schedule but the holidays are hard on time. I am going to have to settle down and start getting my running time in so that I will be prepared for this huge goal of mine.

I posted a picture of the Ogden canyon where there is a waterfall at one spot. My goals are somewhat like this waterfall. When you have your goals they may make you feel you are going off a cliff like this to a waterfall. They may seem steep and a long way to the bottom or end. If you believe in yourself to reach out and jump over that cliff you may find that you amaze yourself. Any goal that is worth while is just outside of your comfort zone and will make you grow and be stronger.  You just have to have the guts to make that first leap of faith.

I am a huge Lord of the Rings Fan and I really love the quote from the movie where Bilbo is talking to Frodo his nephew he says :"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to” Bilbo Baggins. I think come may I will look at what I have done and maybe go out my front door again to see where I will be swept away too. Meeting these goals doesn't mean I am done it means I can move on to new ones.

Gratitude should be your attitude

My little sister Melanie lives in Montana with her husband and 7 of the most amazing and beautiful children.  I don't get to see them enough and some of that is my fault. She is so amazing to me because of the fantastic mother and optimistic person she always is. She is so nice all the time and super resourceful. She was recently here for thanksgiving and I am always amazed at how she is with her kids.

Last week I received a card in the mail from Melanie.  I was a super sweet note just telling me how proud she was of me and how she admired me. The note was so sweet in made me cry. It also made my week and had me thinking how often do we take the time to say something nice to someone, this includes ourselves.  Then this morning I had some random stranger tell me I looked nice today. This made me smile and thank the person. I walked into the store and was instantly uplifted by his kind words. We never know what a kind word for someone does.


This made me think am I the type of person who has gratitude for people and lets them know that I am thankful they are in my life or do I just take them for granted. I hope that if I am not I grow to be a thankful person.  I have some amazing people in my life and I hope they know how much I am grateful and love them. I try to tell them as often as I think about it but I am sure there are people that I don't tell I love and appreciate them often enough.

I once had an experience where I had a great friend go into the hospital for brain surgery. I felt really impressed to go visit her before she went in the next day for surgery. I visited her and let her know that I loved her and was grateful for all the things she had done for me growing up. I told her how much I appreciated her being there to listen to me.  She went in to surgery and it seemed to work OK. Not very long after her tumor grew and we lost her just a few short months later.  I look back on that and was so grateful I had taken the time to visit her personally.  Since then I try to not any thought like that pass without acting on it. Several times it has lead me to do things like send notes to people or go to dinner with friends. I will never have any regrets because I  know it is best to act on that thought. There is a reason for that thought. I feel that we should always be grateful for those in your lives and let them know because no one is promised tomorrow.

Looking ahead to next year

Around this time of year people start looking ahead to what they want to accomplish in the year to come. I am not normally a person who sets new years resolutions but I started thinking about next year and what is actually on my plate. I will officially be graduated in March and am looking at walking in May. I also have been selected to be in a half marathon in May. This leaves me thinking is there anything else I might want to accomplish. I think that this is quite a bit to handle in one year but what if it were something that compliments what I am already set to accomplish.

The one thing that has eluded me is my goal weight. I have come a long way but I would like to lose some more weight. I will never be super skinny and I am OK with that but I would like to lose a bit more weight and feel healthy. This I think I can accomplish because of my goal to finish the half marathon. I have to train for the half and part of that is eating and drinking more healthy. I am better than I used to be but not as good as I can be.

There is nothing holding me back from obtaining my goals but me and it is time to have a serious talk with me.  There is a quote I recently saw and this is how it goes.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

 

 

Next year I am going to challenge me to change myself. I think I will win the challenge.