Things I'm Thankful For

My three prior posts have all been about my pain and anger. In this post, I want to talk about what and who I'm grateful to and for. There is so much more to my life than the pain and anger - I just needed to get that out before I could move on to the more positive aspects - plus I wanted to give my readers some context for where I am now.

First and foremost, I'm glad to be alive. There were lots of days/weeks/months when that was not the case. On two occasions, I even tried to end my own life, because I just didn't want to deal with the pain any longer. Hopefully, those times are past now. Every day that I see is another chance for happiness, satisfaction and accomplishment. I hope that I can keep focusing on that.

Next, I'm grateful for my friends and family. I have a lot of new and very dear friends that I've met just recently - most of them I've never actually been face-to-face with. They are part of my "twambly" - my twitter family. Especially close to me are @nursebevw, @Caribpop, @KimPossible40, @KimberleKelly, @mbreinholt, @a_simple_girl, @car4dave and @dashingclaire. Some of these are also now my Facebook friends. To anyone who has not experienced the power of social media, this has been an awesome way to connect and share. My Facebook family, mostly people I have met and/or see on a daily basis are also the best. They give me friendship, encouragement, and love.

I'm grateful for the SynVisc shots that have let me regain a portion of my mobility so that I can walk (short distances without pain) and work out in the pool. Without them, I'd be in a wheelchair. And I'm grateful to the orthopedic surgeon who suggested them, after dashing my hopes of an immediate knee replacement.

I'm grateful to Rob Nevins for launching the Skinny Switch Secret diet site. Rob's theory of what we need to do to keep our bodies burning fat resonated for me. Ergo another grateful: I've lost 43 pounds since mid-April and hope to keep it going using Rob's plan.

I'm thankful for that 43 pounds for many reasons, most of which you can probably guess. The most important of those is that I feel better - I have more stamina, it's easier to breathe, and my clothes are more comfortable - loose instead of skin tight.

I'm thankful that I've kept up my membership to Harbor Athletic Club for all these years, even when I didn't use it. Harbor has a warm water pool that gives people like me (fibromyalgia, arthritis, limited mobility) the opportunity to move, stretch, and strengthen. I've gone from barely being able to get in and out of the pool, to doing a full 1 1/2 hour workout 3-4 times a week, which includes running laps (currently up to 25 - from 2) in the deeper end. In many ways, this has been as instrumental to my weight loss and improved health as the diet.

I am VERY grateful that my son is still alive and also losing weight by cooking for me and following the same diet. I've been very worried about him - he has heart problems and diabetes on both sides of the family. I'm so happy that he has finally found something he can live with.

I'm grateful that it's summer. I feel so much better physically and emotionally when I can get outside and enjoy the warm weather, the pool, the flowers, etc.

I'm extremely grateful that I'm working on trying to lose weight and get fit again. There was a time when I thought I'd given up and would just have to suffer the consequences and that fate was not on my side. Thankfully, I've found out that I'm a fighter, not a quitter, and that anything just might be possible if you are willing to do that hard work.

Finally, I'm grateful to all of you who are taking the time to read my posts and take this journey with me. Bless you all for your friendship and support!!