I LOVE MY JOB

Have I ever mention that I love my job? I love my job. Not only do I get to create activities and programs for the awesome community that I live in, but it's also a chance for me to see some people that I don't get to in my normal activities.

Yesterday I had a friend stop by the office to register her boys for summer baseball. She mentioned she had lost 25 pounds so far and was still working toward her goal. Now, I have to say I am the least observant person I know. I don't notice when you get a new hair cut. I don't notice when you buy some new clothes and I CERTAINLY don't notice when you lose weight. I don't know why. It's just not in my nature. You would think I would notice these things. I am definitely an observer of the body. I observe body mechanics. But I don't watch to see how small or big your butt is.

As I talked to my friend, I was amazed at how similar our stories where.

1. For years, I've followed the advice of weight loss experts and shouted my goals from the rooftops so that someone would hold me accountable. That didn't work. When I finally got the "click", I silently just started making changes in my life which made the difference in my weight loss and fitness level.
2. I put myself on the shelf. I became a mom and I put everyone else in front of me. Oh don't get me wrong. I still had my selfish moments, but I let my health drop in my priority list.  
3. I stopped being true to myself. My friend said it best. It was as if I had suddenly grown up and wasn't allowed to do the things I enjoyed. I had to grow up and that meant all work and no play.
4. I denied my true nature. All of my life I've striven to be the best. I was the 8th child of 9 and I was going to prove to everyone out there that I could do everything they could do even if they were at least 7 years older than I was. My cousin could do a back handspring. I did 7 - and a back air. But suddenly being competitive (said with a sneer) was no longer a positive thing. I heard "Carla's so competitive" a few too many times and suddenly I wasn't proud of my achievements. I just wanted to blend in with every other woman out there.

My talk with my friend made me realize that whether we have 10 pounds to lose or 50 we all have demons to strike down and conquer. And while the details may be slightly different, our stories are similar and we need to support and motivate each other as much as possible. After all, we are all sisters in this game of life.