On facelifts . . . and things that change your life forever

I've been meaning to update my blog header for awhile.  When all things blogging fell by the way-side back in February, I got terribly behind on keeping things current.  As you can see, I finally found the time to do it.  Yay.  But I have to say, I'm a little floored.  You know that old saying "Its hard to see the forest for the trees"?   Well, yeah, the same can be said about life.

We (and when I say we, I really mean me, but I am pretty darn sure you can relate.  Because if there is one thing I've learned in the past few years, its that more of us feel this way than we realize.  THAT is an important thing for all of us to understand. Oops I digress).  Anyway, we tend to get bogged down in the day to day--making dinner, finishing our work, getting in our workouts, the number on the scale, how we could have eaten better.  Sometimes it is so easy to fall into the mindset of what you didn't do, that you forget about the things you did do.

As I look at the pictures I stuck in the header above, I can't help but feel overwhelmed.  The memories in each one of those pictures are overwhelming.  And then I look back at the first race report I wrote on this blog, in June 2012.  A mere 26 months ago.  That person, she really didn't know how strong she was.  I hadn't discovered cycling yet--I was still riding a hybrid.  The weight room was still a foreign place that scared me to no end. I had one triathlon and one half marathon, along with a couple of 5ks under my belt.

 It's strange, I found a picture of me in 2008 (on the left) and 2010 (on the right), and I think I still felt like I was trapped in my old body for a long time.  Sometimes I feel like I am still trapped in it.  Physcially, there isn't a huge difference between the picture from 2010 and where I am now. I may even weigh more.  But I FEEL stronger. More capable.

Anyway, I digress.  About a month ago a dear friend's 7 year old son underwent brain surgery.  Twice.  Once was decompression surgery to relieve symptoms of his chiari. The second surgery was because he contracted meningitis.  To date they have spent 20 days in the hospital.  She has two other children at home, and I can't imagine the pull she must feel to be in two places at once.  Her entire ordeal and her son's struggle is one of those things that puts life in perspective. That make you see the forest. And the trees. And the small beautiful bits of every day.  You can read more about Gabriel's journey here.   A crowd funding site for his medical care and incidental family costs have been set up here.   It's been hard NOT to think about this family as we go on living our every day lives around here.  As my hubby and I  whine about silly little unimportant things like our jobs and the kids fighting and missing a workout, this kid has been fighting for his life. Its one of those humbling things that really makes you want to re-evaluate life.

So, don't miss the forest for the trees.  See the beauty in your life.  In YOURSELF.  In every little accomplishment, every little victory.  Give yourself the grace to feel the way you do, and just . . . live.

Sorry for the esoteric rambling.  Its just going to get worse as we get closer to m daughter's birthday!