Investing in Valerie

I never thought maintaining a healthy weight would be such a struggle for me in my adulthood. I don't remember if this is an original idea of my very own or if I read it somewhere, but I have thought for years that weight is like grade point average. It can quickly and easily stray from what we would consider to be ideal, and getting it back where it needs to be takes a lot of work and determination. And some sacrificed sleep. Tomorrow we will be kicking off a team weight loss competition at work, Spring Training. I have had several people approach me to do another challenge, but with our current patient load and the computer project we have going on right now, I was not sure I wanted to work it into my schedule. Recently, though, the tide was turned when I decided to step onto the scale and was shocked and dismayed by the reading glaring at me in big, red numbers. I mean, I want to help my coworkers, I do, but the bottom line is sometimes you have to look out for number one. I realized I needed this challenge as a final push to be successful and maintain my motivation. My baby will be two years old this weekend, and the time to focus on getting myself back into the most healthy person I can be has long passed. My primary focus has to get an attitude adjustment now. If you want to know the truth about things, I have been looking out for number one a lot so far in 2011. I think this could be my year. It was not really anything intentional, but looking back over the last few months I cannot deny that I have moved up on my own list of priorities.

It all started after Christmas when I came across my thumb ring from my teenage days. I loved that ring and wore it everywhere. It got too small...not that it actually decreased in size or anything...and I took it off. It has been in my drawer, completely forgotten, for a decade. I think sometimes that I get so wrapped up in the small, daily motherly decisions that I forget about the things that make me who I am. I feel like I try so hard to learn how to be a decent wife and mom that I forget that I was a person first. I was a person with confidence and interests and opinions and I loved rings. I took my thumb ring to the jeweler and had it re-sized, along with the ring Kevin got me when I graduated from college. I have worn them every day since then. I bought an elliptical machine. I have wanted one for years. I am taking a photography class. I went to the eye doctor and got new glasses. Don't worry, I am still in charge of menus and groceries and laundry and piano lessons and signing homework folders every night. I am not neglecting my people. I do love my people. I am just saying, do not overlook the importance of good, solid investments. And this year I am investing in Valerie.