The first time my world was turned upside down was when my husband left. Plunged into single motherhood, the most challenging and rewarding assignment ever handed to me, I think I lived on a sort of treadmill for about 15 years.
In August of 2011, my world was shaken again, this time by Hurricane Irene when my river invaded my house. That experience pushed me off the treadmill and woke me up to a new way of experiencing life. The first rebirth day.
The latest shake-up came a year ago today when I had to get serious about my health. Several days after an appointment with an endocrinologist to check up on a old thyroid issue, the phone call with blood test results came. Diabetes. Oh, and you now have multiple lesions on your thyroid. Thus began the second rebirth and the full wake-up call.
They bring you in for a lesson so you can learn how to poke a hole in your finger and squeeze out blood for the little meter device. It took days to master that skill. I don't bleed very readily apparently. Lose weight. Eat right. Exercise. Hello Weight Watchers. Hello dietician. Hello road-worthy sneakers.
Luckily, I'm a good student and I was finally sufficiently scared by all the doctor talk to get really serious about following everyone's instructions. Weight dropped off and keeps dropping. Eating right and now enjoying it. Thyroid ultrasounded and biopsied. Difficult surgery decision (keeping the thyroid for now). Diabetes gone. Needles done. High blood pressure gone. Energy up.
Through this long year with some high points and some very low points (my father died eleven months ago today), I've had the support of family, friends and coworkers who have been constantly encouraging and celebrating the little victories along the way. I can't thank them all enough for helping me to keep focused and understanding my single-mindedness this year. Thank you to my office mates for putting up with too many conversations about weight loss and people's reactions who hadn't seen me in a while. It got a little embarrassing at times. I'm so rich with an abundance of caring people in my life. My cup runneth over.
Life is good. I'm not afraid of jumping.
To celebrate the brand new me, a playlist of some of the music that moved me and got me moving:
Gavin DeGraw, Meaning
Andy Grammer, Lunatic
Chris Wallace, Invincible
Colbie Caillat, Think Good Thoughts
Jamie McLean Band, Peace and Glory
OneRepublic, Life in Color
Gavin DeGraw, Candy
Alicia Keys, Brand New Me
New Kids on the Block, Remix (I Like The)
Gavin DeGraw, Free
Find my playlist on YouTube: I Hope You're Not Afraid of Jumping
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