It's OK to Walk...

When did walking become a failure? From the time we are born, our goal is movement and walking. Walking  is the most basic movement. It's what we were made to do.

I went on a gorgeous trail ride yesterday. Everything was great until we saw some deer on the hill. They were looking down on us and I jumped off Koda as quick as I could.

Last year a deer ran out in front of us and I wasn't smart enough to get off  (or confident enough to control him) so he spooked and did a quick spin and I fell off. I wasn't going to let that happen again!

As I was walking him along the trail (my other two friends were still riding), I realized that I did the smart thing and got off Koda to walk next to him. Before I would have felt like a failure. I would have thought that I wasn't a good enough rider to stay on, but now I feel like a good enough rider to get off when I know there might be a problem. Sometimes ego and greed get in the way of doing the smart things.

Recently a friend of mine ran the Boston marathon. He has done many of them and is quite good. He had prepared well and knew what to do...but at mile 11 his body gave out and he had to walk a good portion of the rest of the race. He could have quit and walked off the course, but he didn't. He stayed and finished despite his frustration at having to walk.

It was like that for me during my weight loss too. All we hear and see in the media is QUICK weight loss. Running, sprinting to the end! Live skinny-ever-after. Except we all know it doesn't work that way.  I yo-yo dieted my way up to over 224 lbs because I wanted to skip "walking." I wanted to get to goal without doing the basic work. Walking is taking the time to learn lessons and build a foundation. It's taking time to appreciate what's in front of you and let it sink in. Walking is doing the work.

Next time you have to "walk" in any aspect of your life, maybe it could be a reminder to slow down and enjoy what's going on. Slow and steady win the race!

A few fun pics. I took my nieces on a little ride the other day, cowgirls in training! :) And then a few from my trail ride.

With my cutie pie niece while Koda scratches is face on my shoulder 

Look at these adorable cowgirls!

Lots of greenery and shade make a great trail ride

Riding Friends at the top of the mountain

The BEST seat in the "house" :) I LOVE the wide open space!

Having a great time on Mr. Takoda, isn't he handsome!?

She Loves my Teeth

My 50 something friend from Poland loves my teeth. She tells me that when she grew up in Poland people just didn't have nice white teeth. (I had braces for two years and yes, I get a free whitening gel from my dentist twice a year. My teeth are not perfect--I couldn't bother with the retainer after a while).

 But anytime she sees a photograph of me smiling she comments on my teeth. While I am eyeing my thighs or the little tummy pooch that appeared this winter (c'mon, you pick apart your pictures too, right?), she can only see my "beautiful smile and white teeth!" (her words)

As for me, I have a love affair with her LONG graceful legs. We have completely different body types but I can still dream.  I try to tell her that she can easily fix her teeth (I don't think she needs to), while lengthening my legs is not really an option!

And then there's my husband. Well, he's a butt man. I am pear shaped, which means I have a  generous booty. Although I'm much more comfortable in my own skin now after losing the weight, I do have rolls of loose skin on my hips and thighs that make me self conscious. He doesn't see it though.

My point is that while we are focusing on our not-so-favorite parts, other people are focusing on our strengths and our best parts. Maybe we can start looking at ourselves through their eyes once in a while instead of beating ourselves up. What do you think?

Let Go of Perfect

 I don't think any of us are inspired by those who SEEM to have perfect lives, the perfect family, marriage, career or body. No one can relate to that. Being human means being imperfect. It means learning, growing, failing, succeeding, trying, crying, laughing, supporting, loving, falling apart and putting it all back together again.

 That's what we do. We make mistakes, learn from them (sometimes we're stubborn and it takes a while) and move on. 

I hope I have been an inspiration to you in sharing the ups and downs of my journey. Thank you for sharing  your journey with me. :)