Healthy You Challenge

Yesterday as I was taking a shower I started to think about my life. (One does that a lot on the "other" side of the hill.) I wondered...if I was allowed to live just one day over again - which day would I pick. I tend to get philosophical in the shower sometimes...

It was kind of an "Our Town" moment. Has anyone read that book or seen the movie? It was originally a play and I have to say it is one of my all time favorites. It's about a girl that has died and is given the chance to go back and relive just one day in her life. I'll reveal more later.

So as I'm sudsing up my armpits, I'm thinking about which day I'd pick. Would it be just an ordinary day? Or maybe a Christmas Eve at my Grandparents. Yeah...that would be good. Or no. Maybe my wedding day. Or the day my first daughter was born. No...as good as that was...there was a lot of pain involved.... The panoramic screen in my mind played out day after day and I just couldn't decide.

Want to know the wierd thing though? There were days that I skipped right over - that at the time they were happening I thought were the most important days to ever occur! I'm thinking like...old boyfriend days... Like when the guy I was totally enamored with finally asked me out in high school. At the time nothing else in the whole world mattered. But would I relive that day? Not in a heart beat. Or the day my new living room furniture arrived. I'd never had brand new furniture and was excited all week waiting for it. Would I pick that day? It wasn't even in the running. Or how about the day I reached my goal at weight watchers (way back when.) Nope. As good as that was - it wasn't a contender.

I guess my point is - that sometimes the things we pin our hopes on and devote so much energy to - aren't really all that grand in the scheme of life. The days I was torn over repeating were the days I was with people I loved. People who loved me. Ordinary days. Days that life was happening and I didn't even know it. Didn't even appreciate it.

Which brings me back to "Our Town." The main character realizes as she is given privy to observing herself in an ordinary day - how much she missed. The little nuances of life that slip past us when we're not looking. Or maybe looking - but not seeing.

My point to all of this is (and I've repeated this theme so very many times in this blog) is that life is such a gift and we need to keep our focus on what really matters. And yes it matters to me that I lose the extra weight. It's not good for me. But lately I feel as if I've devoted every waking minute to it and I'm not appreciating everything else!

It's easy to get trapped into the "life will be better when I'm thinner" mode. Because truthfully... some things will be better. But that's no excuse to put today - or this week - or this month - or even this year on hold until we're at goal. Because frankly - there's a whole lot happening right now that we won't get back again. Ever. People die. Relationships end. Kids grow up. And in between all that - life happens.

Often times when I watch old family videos - I see things that I never noticed before. Things I should have at the time. They were right before my eyes! And I missed them! And so it is with life.

So my challenge for all of you this day is - don't start waiting to live your life for that day when the weight is gone. Live it now! The weight will come off. In the meantime...yes.... we will blog about our efforts and encourage one another and glory in our triumphs. But don't forget that somewhere in between all of that - your clock is ticking. We are all allotted only so many minutes you know.... so make the most of each one!