If You Only Knew

This image inspired me today, in more ways than one. Look at the smile on that kid's face. Priceless. The weather matched my mood. As the day went on, my mood got worse and worse until I realized if I didn't get out of the house, I was gonna blow. So, I decided it was time to run it out. I scooped up the kids and headed to Village Green in Millbrook. The kids went off to play in the park and I started my first lap. I usually try to walk the first quarter mile to warm my legs up. I've battled with shin splits since I started in the gym five months ago. It's rather frustrating when your mind says one thing and your body screams another. Yet, I don't give up; I keep pushing and pushing because I know that I can do this. I got started running my second lap and made it about half way through when my legs started hurting. This happened on and off for the remaining mile and a half. By mile and a quarter, I'd decided I was going to quit and call it a day but s...

I met Kym a few years ago through a writing group I had joined. She had just moved here from Texas. The first time we met, we had lunch at Burger King. Later, we were reintroduced through a job I had taken with the Montgomery Advertiser. Since then, we've become pretty close. Whether she knows it or not, Kym is a huge inspiration and role model. She has become one of my closest friends and also my biggest encourager; next to my husband, of course. Her strength and encouragement has made me strive to be a better, healthier woman. I gained a lot of weight in my previous marriage and I've always had some excuse or another why I didn't need to lose it. I've watch Kym over the last few years and I've seen the obstacles she's overcome. She has made tremendous strides in her life and I look to that for my own strength at times. Seeing her push past everything that has tried to stand in her way only encourages me to push myself harder and harder to become the woman I wa...