Today's post will not really be fitness/weight loss related. In honor of Thanksgiving, I have decided to dedicate this post to being thankful, because gratitude is not something I express nearly as often as I should.
Friday is Black Friday - one of the best days of the year if you love to shop like me. I get off merely on the excitement, but I refuse to be one of those pushy and rude customers - I'm happy to wait my turn. This week I have been pondering what to buy, perusing the sales ads of my favorite places to shop on Black Friday (Target, Best Buy). This week, I came to the realization that there really isn't anything I NEED. I told the hubs that I was finally content with everything that I have that the need to buy stuff just for the sake of buying stuff wasn't all that important. He said "WOW! It only took 26 years..." haha.
I now believe that life isn't about having what you want, it's wanting what you have (I think Sheryl Crow has been singing this sentiment for years...). Now don't get me wrong. I will still be with the crazed shoppers at the Outlets on Thursday night, checking out everything the stores have to offer. I do want to buy some more workout pants and work shoes but I will not buy something just because I want to buy something. I will not be saddened if I leave the stores without bags and bags of stuff. And I am mentally preparing myself to put stuff back on the rack if I am at all unsure if I want it.
This new outlook also relates back to my weight loss journey in a way. I am becoming more confident in who I am and where I am. There are certainly days where I feel ugly and fat and completely unmotivated. But those days are dwindling in frequency. Most days I feel pretty happy with myself. Happy that I'm not where I was and happy that I will be in a better place in the future. There's no turning back for me. I am 18 lbs lighter than I was this time last year. There will always be someone prettier, smarter (not by much though :-P) and in better shape than I am. But on the flip side, there will always be people who feel how I used to feel about myself and life. There will always be someone richer who has things that I want. And there will always be people who want what I have, what money can't always buy: a mostly happy, albeit crazy, family, a forgetful but loving and understanding husband, real friends I can count on, a roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet, my health and sanity (most days) =)
I hope you all feel what I feel right now. If not, take solace in knowing that I was once where you are and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Wishing things were different will not do you any good. Neither will hating others for having what you want. Deciding to be happy is your choice - take it from me, the more often than not pessimist.
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