I changed my profile content and goals yesterday. As I stare at that new goal, I believe that I’ve matured enough in this journey to realize that some things on my previous wish list were superficial things, i.e. the tangibles. That is not to say that they were meaningless fantasies or gestures; rather, they only represented the most outward appearance of what I was ultimately trying to achieve and just recently figured out.

I think that I’ve arrived at this ONE thing that has made this journey more acceptable, and in more ways pleasant and enjoyable. I’ve become more aware of the types of food that I feed my body, and the amount of food that it takes to fuel it. It’s also not as easy to shirk off planned exercise. It helps to stay accountable for my evening walks (low level cardio) when my man and dogs are accompanying me. The spirit of competition also keeps me moving, exercising–especially when all my MFP pals are doing something to change their lives, posting their progress every step along the way. The general sense of well-being, of alertness, of “being present” that I get with this new lifestyle is a very desirable, very energizing feeling that it’s difficult to accept that there was a time when everyday living was an impersonal blur (especially when I slip off that wagon). There’s a very real sense of existence nowadays, rather than plain subsistence.

 “It is never too late to be what you might have been”.

While I lament that it’s taken me 2 years to get to this point, I feel guilty that it took half a lifetime to grasp above. I never realized how weak I was before life demanded strength of me. And when the demands were made of me, I nearly failed so utterly without realizing it was my weakness dragging me down. I count it a victory that I’ve recognized the need for change, even if it is later than life than I wanted. I count myself lucky that I arrived at this realization.

I’ve made changes to aid me in my success: building a social network of supporters, logging my data in MFP and other sites, getting an HRM, installing health and fitness apps, reading and researching all the info on the world wide web that I can get my hands on to ensure my health and fitness. The more I gather data, the more I realize how much there is yet to learn. Thankfully, it is this influx of learning that keeps me engaged and vested in my future. Not to mention all the new fitness toys that I can lay my paws on.

Some people change because it’s the difference between life and death; some people do it because they want to be with loved ones as long as life permits.

Me: I want to find out my true potential…who I could be, the best version of me that can possibly be. It’s the stranger in a future mirror that is staring back at me, beckoning…and it’s so exciting to meet somebody new. That future somebody who is me.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” 

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