Hey y'all!
Ok, so I'm SUPER NEW at this whole blogging thing (like,this is my VERY FIRST one!), but I'm about to embark on a really big journey and thought I'd write about it. So, bear with me...I'm learning as I go. :) The theme for the page?? I chose the "Star" theme because it reminds me of "reaching for the stars"...to always strive to make my dreams come true.
So...the "really big journey" is that I'm going to participate in the Spartan 5k in the spring!! Now, you're probably asking "Why is this such a big deal??" Well, allow me to explain...
Although I have never been "officially" diagnosed, I have minimal Cerebral Palsy, meaning I simply walk with a limp. I was born 4 months premature...to the date, actually. Guess I was just too impatient, a sign of things to come!! As it turns out, because I was so premature, the motor skills part of my brain didn't form correctly, so I was born with what the doctor's called "Cerebral Palsy-like symptoms" (Yes, I have brain damage! haha!). Basically, my brain tells my leg muscles not to straighten out all the way, but they CAN with lots of exercise and physical therapy to "retrain" them! My mama, Granny and Grandpa (who retired from the Marine Corps after 35 years of service) raised me to believe that I could do anything anyone else could do, I just may have to do it a little differently than most people. "Adapt and Overcome" they told me. Those who told me I COULDN'T do something...only made me work harder to SHOW them I COULD...one way or another! Haha!
So, the more I exercise, the better I walk. Once upon a time, I taught line dance lessons and when I was dancing 6 nights a week, you couldn't tell I walked differently at all! Life happens and time for exercise significantly diminishes...and, well, if we're keeping it real, becomes increasingly more difficult (and painful!) the older I get! Couple that with a severe car accident, childbirth, and emergency surgery...and well, exercise just fell by the wayside over the years. Then, it just became natural that I put me on the "back burner" to take care of my home and family and everything else.
Fast forward to today. My career (which I will talk about in my next post) is one in which I provide resources and assistance for a great bunch of people! I'm also the mom of a teenage boy and my house tends to be the "hang out spot"...and I wouldn't have it any other way! However, this doesn't make it any easier for me to learn how to make myself a priority. I am currently 40 years old and have learned that I NEED to make myself a priority in order to continue to be of service to others. So - that's step 1...realization. Step 2 is actually putting it into action. With the help of some extended family and some great friends, I am finally beginning to put it into action. Little bits at a time...
Stay tuned for the rest of the story! :-)
