reality bites, but not a lot

This last half week has been… well, not all that I’d hoped, let’s say. I started out super-charged for the new challenge at The Sisterhood. And I still am. But reality is really throwing a spanner into my perfectly laid plans and aspirations. Reality like bleary days full of rain not being terribly conducive to daily walks. Reality like the fact that, occasionally, other people’s needs DO come before your own. And reality like when you’re cold – really cold, sweater-wearing, icy hand cold – you want a steaming bowl of soup, not a bowl of fresh green salad. I’ve missed one walk, and I’m not sure the few bites of coleslaw I had for breakfast (what??) on Saturday really count as a #saladaday.

I honestly don’t know what I’m going to be able to report tomorrow. I’m doing my best, but I feel like the universe is conspiring against me. Let’s move on, shall we?

In other news, tomorrow’s my birthday! I’m going to be… wait for it… 40. Impressive, no? And I’m so glad to be turning 40. My teens were just godawful years. In my 20s I hated myself. In my 30s I finally started to live. Now? I love myself. I can’t wait to see what this next decade has in store for me!

For my birthday, I’m giving myself two gifts. One is intangible, and not something I talk about on this blog. But it’s a good thing. Cryptic enough for you?? The other? Is this:

I’ve tried to run so many times in the past. I got most of the way through the C25K program last year but,  for some reason I can’t recall now, never finished. Maybe I pushed too hard and got hurt. Maybe I got bored. Maybe I – oh, wow, look! a butterfly! and shiny things! But I’ve read good things about the Up & Running program. I like the idea of the support forums, and the warm up week which will hopefully help prepare me mentally. And Shauna. She has that awesome accent and she lives in my favorite place in the world.

In other news, I’m one workout away from completing stage 3 of New Rules of Lifting for Women. Kirsten and I are plowing straight on with stage 4 – I love that she’s with me so I won’t falter and fade. And my other Iron Sisters are, for the most part, determinedly pushing on. I am so proud of all of us!

So, in short: reality bites, but not a lot, and I refuse to wallow in it. Looking ahead toward brighter days