As you may know from my previous blogs, my husband, Wade, and I have been working feverishly in our long-neglected backyard to restore it and return it to functional use. We were able to hold Ben’s High School graduation celebration last Saturday here at the house and our guests were able to see the improved, yet not fully finished, work-in-progress. Thankfully, everyone understood that last part. Work. In. Progress. Well, on Thursday, Wade and I made yet another trip to the Sterling Home Depot store to pick up the fascia for the deck project. Five pieces of “custom made” (all fascia is custom made apparently!) composite decking boards that measure 1 inch x 12 inches x 12 feet. It is lovely! We arrived at Home Depot and were directed around the side of the building to load it. We have a short bed pickup truck and figured hauling it ourselves was better than the $79 fee it would cost to have it delivered. Wade and I had already discussed the plethora of ways we could get it home using the six foot bed of his pickup. After some discussion, the guys working with us had us put it in the closed bed with the bundled ends sticking up over the cab of the truck. I don’t know if you’ve ever worked with this kind of decking board before but they are EXTREMELY flexible. Wade used his ratchet strap to secure it and off we went. For a minute. We got onto the road and crossed through the stoplight only to hear the boards hitting the cab of the pickup with EVERY move. We knew it was either going to wreck the top of the truck or bounce high enough to catch wind that would destroy it. We decided to turn around and purchase a couple of 2 inch x 6 inch boards we were going to need for another project anyway and load it how we had initially thought; with the tailgate down and the extra four feet of board sticking out the back. It took the two of us picking it up and sliding it down off the top of the truck and then hoisting it back up to slide the boards under it for stability so it didn’t bend too far off the back end . . . as I said, it is FLEXIBLE. We took the highway home instead of the interstate and went about 45 mph the whole way. Oh, the crap we’ll do just to save ourselves a buck or two. Good grief.
Coming home I started thinking about some of the things that I saw us using during this fiasco. I thought about the math and science we applied to our problem to come up with a workable solution. I thought about the patience we had exhibited as the trip would have normally been a 80-90 minute venture and it turned into three hours. I thought about how practically we applied life experience and knowledge to the problem. And I thought about teamwork and how it would have been impossible for either of us to have done this on our own. And, as in most situations in my life right now, I thought about how this applies to life in general and my current journey.
I have used a lot of math and science since starting my weight loss lifestyle. The science behind weight loss is fascinating when you really think about it. You can calculate macros and you can count carbs, but the reality of it all boils down to calorie intake and usage. Your weight won’t drop if you aren’t burning significantly more calories than you are consuming. It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to burn one pound of fat. That is a large number. If you are consuming 1,500 calories on a daily basis and burning off 2,000 per day it will take you a full week to lose one pound. It seems rather daunting, doesn’t it? Another fun fact I have learned along the way is that I have just as many fat cells in my body as someone who is at an optimal weight. My fat cells are just larger and more fatty. Imagine that. I had just always assumed that I had more fat cells because I had gained significant weight that multiplied them. Not so.
I have already talked some about the patience I have had to find and exercise during this journey of mine. I really expected to be further along by now. But, as I shared previously, a few physical challenges have happened over the last year and here I am. But that is ok. I am still on the right path. It is just taking patience for me to understand that the pounds didn’t come on overnight and they aren’t going away overnight. We have always told our kids that anything worth having is worth working and WAITING for. Although we live in a society of instant gratification, we often have to wait for some things to work themselves out and it’s really worth the wait in most cases. I think it makes us appreciate getting them all the more.
As we go through life, we are supposed to pick up a certain knowledge and understanding that only comes to those of us who are willing to toe the line with every obstacle and situation we have to face. Then, we learn to not only survive but to thrive after we reach the other side of that challenge. Just as Wade and I were able to apply our knowledge of spatial relations and the material we were hauling in the bed of his truck, I have been able to apply varied thoughts and knowledge from what I have read and experienced in my lifetime, and witnessed in the lives of others, to my health journey during the last 18 months. Practical things I have learned about exercise and staying active and portion control and carbs and sugar and . . . this wealth of health and nutrition knowledge and information I have learned and tucked away throughout the years is now ready for me to call on to help me figure out what works best for me.
And finally, teamwork. I can’t say enough about this. In life in general, in business, in marriage, in friendship, in parenting. There isn’t a single situation I can think of where a teammate isn’t highly valuable. Even when you’ve got to walk a path alone, you can count on your team to help you by encouraging you and advising you through it all. The importance of teamwork to Wade and me on Thursday was invaluable. We couldn’t have done it without each other. In my business, although I own my own business FOR myself, I am never BY myself. I have a great team of coaches and mentors who have walked where I am walking and by their good graces they are teaching me and coaching me on what to do and what not to do. They are applying their knowledge and experience and sprinkling it over my business to help me learn much faster because they have proven and disproven techniques over the years that are making my life and my job much easier. One of their mottos is one we all hear a lot. Teamwork makes the dream work. And how true it is.
Today, I am grateful for the family and friends who have served as great teammates and cheerleaders for me in the last 18 months. I really don’t know where I would be without them. I am grateful for the teammates I have in my business and for their selfless sharing of their knowledge and experience to give me every opportunity to succeed with them. But, I am particularly thankful for Wade and our partnership that has covered the last 25 years. Through it all, we complement each other very well. When I haven’t thought of something, he has. And when he hasn’t thought of something, I have. We make each other stop and think. We make each other better . . . as iron sharpens iron the Bible says. And this really does apply to 99% of the things we do. We make one heck of a team. And I guess that’s a good thing as I’ve promised I’d spend the rest of my life with the guy.
#loveyourjourney #youreworthit #bettermewithNewYouCBD #Endo30 #itsuptoyou
Losing Lacy 