A Brand New Day

Halloween night - so much candy. And of course, in the midst of it I got an itch to make a mango-blueberry pie with all of the fruit in my freezer. Our house is filled with sugar right now. We need more trick or treaters! This weekend I helped co-chair a great event, the annual YF&R Harvest Dance (see attached picture of Livey in her firefly outfit). I loved doing it (especially since our committee was filled with great friends) but it's a relief to have it complete. One more event (CWA's Annual Bus Trip, also put on by great friends) in 2 weeks and I'm going to step away from co-chairing special events for a little while so that I can focus.

Paul and I have decided we want to try again for a baby mid-2011. That means I need to focus on my health as a priority. Hence today's blog title. I've done a lot of good work this year, but October wasn't the best month. After the mermaid I lost some of my gusto and haven't been running as much as I'd done before. Today at lunch I'm going to speed walk a 5K at the gym. I also brought 5 produce items for my lunch/breakfast today to reinvigorate my 10-a-day challenge.

I got an e-mail from a dear friend who I've called my cousin for years as her parents are my parent's closest friends and essentially family members, Allison (Silveira) Ribaya. About a year ago she learned that her 15-month old son Gavin had a Wilms Tumor on his kidney. He had surgery to have it removed and immediately went into chemo. Thankfully a few months ago he was given a clean bill of health, although he will have to be tested every six months until he is six, at which time we hope he is declared officially cancer-free. To learn more, visit their blog.

She and I were commiserating about the difficulties of weight loss and she said something that is so true, it was (forgive the Oprah reference) an "aha moment". She was saying that as she loses weight it's as if she is shedding the stress, anger, fear and sadness she had felt over the last year. What an incredible statement.

There's a reason we gain weight. Sometimes it's the way we know to quell our day-to-day worries, even our happiness's (who hasn't celebrated a victory with a big slice of cake?). But I'm learning that I've used food to help me through my emotional ups and downs for the past decade and I really don't need it. Exercise is so much more effective. And I know it will get easier as I go along. Going to the gym isn't going to be such a chore if I keep doing it.

Thank you to Allison for letting me share our conversation, it was enlightening for me and I hope it is for some of you as well.