The Last Post of the Year, Part I: I will be Happy for ME

Well, in a few hours, it will be the year 2022. 

I must admit, with all that is going on in the world, I had no idea what my world would look like on December 31, 2021.  But no matter how it went down, my baseline goal is to be alive. . . 

. . .And to be thankful for being alive to see the dawning of a New Year.

So I spent time this week thinking about three different parts of myself, starting from outward and going inward: the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. This post may just be one lonnng post. Or it may be in three parts as three different posts.

The Physical. I have been thinking about this all day. This has been a pretty transformative year for me from a physical point of view. I managed to lose approximately 65-70 pounds this year. I would have never imagined it. I took a chance on a weight loss life coach back in early January, and it worked out pretty well. I dropped off some this past year, so one of my new years goals is to get back on track, and lose more weight. I have managed to keep the weight off, with little fluctuations. But I have a better plan for the new year, and I am always in touch with my problem spots. So that will be the work for the next few months. And I am equipped with the tools to monitor and take care of that. 

I know at the beginning of the year, I made a goal to walk 10 minutes a day. Just 10 minutes a day. I cannot tell you how elated I was to walk that 10 minutes, then surpass it by walking 15 minutes. I mean that was half a mile. A whole half a mile! 

And soon after, I made a goal to just walk a mile a day. This took me a little longer to accomplish. By this time, it was the late winter, and I didn't know if I could make it. Plus, I walk slow, and it was so hard having to watch people walk past me. I felt so slow. I had to get to a point where I pushed past that.

And today, I thought about all of this and how far I have come. Some 11 months later, I am able to walk an average of 3 miles a day. I had a goal of walking at least five days a week, but I easily walk six to seven days a week, especially if the weather is nice (or at least bearable). It is a little harder when it is cloudy. And I have only walked once in the rain, with my umbrella of course. I will have to take the L on that, because I refuse to do that again. But I have always gotten my five days in. And when it's gloomy, I will walk for at least half an hour around my private island, i.e., my kitchen island. 

But that has been good for me, the weight loss and the exercise. A couple times a week, I will walk 4 to 5 miles at a time. It all depends on how my joints are feeling. I have osteoarthritis, so I listen to how I am feeling. If a knee or a hip threatens to start hurting, I head in the direction of my car or my house. The pain is nothing excruciating, but just annoying. The exercise seems to help that. And I challenge myself and walk hills. I wasn't able to do that early on. I make sure there are a few inclines along my walking route on purpose now.  

I was diabetic according to my HA1C numbers, but I have knocked a couple of points off that, so I am not even in the prediabetic range now. That's a good thing. My cholesterol is high, so I am trying to work on that. My primary care doctor whines about this, so much so that I canceled my last appointment. I will continue to work on it and see her again when I figure it out. 

Until then, like I told her... I am going to be happy for ME, even if I am the only one happy for me and my progress. 

I can happy for me... and at the same time, face and work on my challenges. I WILL continue to make progress.  

But nevertheless, I have made a promise to myself:

I will be happy for ME.