A Heavy Reminder

A result of my inability to sit still is that I am often seeking out adventures for my kids and I on the weekends. To me, there is nothing worse than a weekend without plans. Well, last weekend, my mother suggested the idea of taking the kids to a local museum. This isn't an ordinary museum, it's a small community of historic houses that were lived in from the the late 17th century until the early 20th century. They have been preserved and offer a ton of historical insight on the way of life during that time. What a fantastic idea it was to walk the museum on a beautiful and sunny June day.

I had the brilliant idea to carry Nataliya, my nearly one year old, in her Bjorn backpack. Not only would it be difficult to navigate a stroller through the old and narrow New England Colonials, it'd also boost up the impact of our leisurely stroll. By the end of our 2 hour tour, I was begging to be finished because my back was aching and I desperately needed a drink of water. We got to the car and as I lifted Nataliya out of the backpack into her carseat, the relief was overwhelming. What a big girl she has gotten to be in the last 12 months!!

Then, it dawned on me. My beautiful Nataliya weighs approximately 19lbs. A light bulb went off when I realized she weighs almost exactly as much as I have lost in my journey so far. WOW! There is no better way to put my weight loss into perspective. I carried 19lbs for two hours and then was able to remove it and feel the instantaneous relief. It is now 5 days later and I'm still in utter amazement and my motivation has been taken to a whole new level.

Often times, the numbers on a scale become meaningless. Right, I weighed 220lbs before I started my journey, but that means nothing now. The only thing I know is how I feel at this moment. I feel great, but didn't I feel great before? Of course not, but it's hard to keep that feeling in perspective throughout a journey that is as long as the one I'm facing. I'm eager to experiment with this again in another 20lbs. It's not likely I'll carry my 40lb Lilyana for two hours in a backpack, but you can bet I'll come up with something quite similar. Can you imagine how good that will feel??