Step 1

I consider my father-in-law to be a wise man, and I consider the advice he gives to be more valuable than gold. He is known for his many, as we call them, Jim Hardy-isms. "Always carry cash in case there is an earthquake and the ATM's aren't working" or "Never let your gas tank get below 1/2 a tank and you will never run out of gas". My favorite however is one that I found myself saying to his son, my husband Steven, after I heard Jim say it. He says it when times are stressful or tasks seem daunting. He says it to encourage us and keep us on the right path. He says, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." I know he wasn't the originator of that quote, but it has so much more meaning coming from family then from Lao-Tzu himself. 

I have recently begun a new journey in the past four weeks. One I have started and stopped many times in the past 5 years, but I am finding myself pushing through and making progress. You see, I haven't been a person who has struggled a lot in my life. I found things came easily because I was patient, and hard-working. "Give up" was never a part of my vocabulary. For the past few years I have made choices that have allowed me to "give up" some things. My passion for dance, my outgoing and free-spirited personality, my confidence and most importantly my health. I made the choices to stop worrying about my health 5 years ago. I thought I was a fairly healthy person and always would be. Food was never out of reach and exercise was a figment of my imagination. I was slowly headed down a path that I would have never let myself go down before. 

But then I hear that Hardy-ism that I often said to Steven and it hit me. I took myself down a 5 year path of unhealthy eating and a disregard for exercise, I can take myself back. It all begins with one step. And so I begin my blog as another step of my 1000 mile journey back to my health, my outgoingness, my free spirit, and my self-confidence. I will use my blog to keep my friends and family updated on my successes and occasional set-backs. I will succeed in this because in addition to 9 pounds, one thing I have lost so far is the ability to say, "I give up." 

Thank you~

Kate