Life Happens

Life happens.

I met the love of my life, made plans for the future, and he walked away from me with no explanation.

Life happens.

I made plans to go to the gym this afternoon after work. But, the battery of my truck was dead and by the time I got it taken care of, it was too late.

Life happens.

You think you're making progress in the right direction and suddenly all you can do is cry.

Life happens.

You see characteristics in your life that remind you of the one person in your life that you DON'T want to be anything like, and even worse, close friends notice.

Life happens.

I could go on and on with anecdotes of life's happenings, but that is not the point of this post.

This past year I battled and worked harder than I have ever worked in my life to accomplish the goal of completing a marathon. My training was in the midst of going through the most traumatic experience of my life. I almost gave up, but fought through. God was faithful through it all, He showed me His faithfulness in many ways, one of which was my absolutely amazing friends. I completed the marathon in October and since then have struggled with eating healthy and exercising regularly which I had been doing so well on for several years. I had lost over 80 lbs but then found myself slowly gaining. I went through a period of gaining and losing for a couple months until I had gained over 20 lbs back. I have been very frustrated with myself but set out with a grand plan for the new year. I set out my running plan and determined to get back to healthy eating habits. I planned a 13.1 mile run on my birthday in April with a friend and planned on doing the DM marathon again in October. However, the struggles have remained and I find myself frustrated.

Last week I decided to finally start getting some counseling. This was a LONG overdue decision but one that I knew was a step in the right direction. I have had 2 sessions with my counselor and it is going well. Rome wasn't built in a day, but I know that each session is a step toward building a foundation of healing in my life. I have been doing some self evaluation and have realized that I have been SO focused on my healthy eating and my exercise that other areas have suffered. I tend to be the type of person who focuses hard and determines to do something, and in the meantime other things sometimes don't get the attention they deserve.

I want to live life well, and to do that I need to be well... not only physically, but emotionally, mentally, financially, and spiritually as well.

So, with this said, I have a new plan for the year. YES - I want to continue on my path of physical health. I NEED to lose more weight and be consistent in my exercise. But, training for a marathon is extremely time consuming. I have decided to still do the 13.1 with my great friend Wendy on my birthday, April 23. But, I am not going to run a marathon this year. I need to learn to focus on becoming well OVERALL. This means I need to be more well rounded in how I spend my time. I need to spend more time just journaling and looking at my life and seeing what changes need to be made. I need to spend time in God's Word and in prayer, talking to and LISTENING to my Father in Heaven.

It is my hope and prayer that at the end of this year and every year I will be healthier - in every area of my life, not just one.

Running the race of LIFE to the finish, and seeking to live WELL,

Sherri