A Moment on the Treadmill

As most of you know I love working out because of the way it relieves my stress and calms me down. Yesterday, it hit me even more how wonderful my workout time as I had a moment on the treadmill. After I went hard on the stair climber for 30 minutes I hopped on the treadmill to do a brisk 30 minute walk.

Oprah was playing on the television above me and the topic was high school drop outs and how they're struggling as they get older. Some of them struggled greatly others not so much. This began my moment of reflection. A commercial came on and my eyes gazed out the window to a man who walks on the sidewalk with a sign for a cash advance place. The thought pops into my head 'why does he do that?' He's been out there every day for almost two weeks. Then my mind goes to my past when I lived with my dad and his second wife and how cruely she treated me. I had a vivid flashback of starving as I roamed through the park. I wasn't allowed to go home and I was fed very little. The flashback didn't last too long, but my eyes focused again on the man and I thought he does this job so that he can make his way in this difficult economy. Tears began to well in my eyes as I thanked the Lord for all that he has brought into my life. I was able to complete high school and go onto college and am not aware of those struggles I saw on television. It was refreshing to feel so grateful since I've been struggling lately with being positive and have had some unfortunate events occur lately. For those of you who really know me you know that I HATE negativity and it's been driving me crazy that I've been struggling with all of it lately. I felt that my moment of gratitude on the treadmill yesterday finally got me over the final hump. I've been writing to the Lord, praying, and perfecting my collage so that I can get myself back on the POSITIVE track and I feel better. So much better. I am so grateful for all that I have. Here are a few of the things I've been most grateful for lately.

My Faith - Time and time again it's always carried me through the hard times. I would not want to know my life without it and I'm so lucky to experience Faith!

Dan - He's the most wonderful man I've met. I'm so thankful that God has put him in my life. He's got the biggest heart and he's really been there between my torn tendon in my shoulder, my rear ending of someone in my car, and when I got pretty sick at the end of his Birthday weekend. His compassion was never ending through all of this and let me tell ya there were some moments when I was not pleasent because of how miserable I felt.

My Friends - For Rachel who put up with my random texts of venting. For Becky who let me vent it out in pieces gave me some great advice. For Jen who was patient when I wasn't able to talk or hang out and was right there when I was ready for one of our nightly walks. And for Stacy who provided some great insight and depth and also made making a collage even more fun than I thought it could be. Thanks Girls!

My Health - The shoulder is starting to feel better after a visit to the doctor. My tummy is getting better, and I'm still able to do cardio whenever I need to relieve my stress. Although I have to admit walking out of the gym and not lifting weights feels pretty weird. But I feel like I'm getting healthier and there's no longer a cloud over my body. :)

My Job - Even though I'm ready for my next challenge and I'm rather frustrated at times with my current job I must not forget how fortunate I am to have a pay check that comes every two weeks that provides me with a rather easy life. I've been through worse times and am fortunate to have the life that I do.