Reflections of 2011

Last night at dinner with friends, we each took a moment to reflect on the year that is winding down. What a ride I have had this year...so many things to be thankful for, so many things to look forward to in 2012.

Cons: During my 10th week of marathon training while running my one and only half-marathon of the year, I turned my ankle. After many doctor appointments, physical therapy, modified workouts, an x-ray, an mri, I will be having surgery in 5 days to repair a torn peroneal brevis tendon and have a wrapping procedure performed to strengthen my ankle. My dream of running my first marathon was crushed. I had tears, heartache, etc. But there are lessons in dreams that didn't come true.
During this whole process, I am realizing what those lessons were.
-I am human, not a superwoman. With all that I have accomplished, I sometimes forget that I am not invincible.
-Life doesn't always work out the way you had planned.
-Sometimes down time is a good thing.

Pros:
-Aidan is taking all of his subjects in a regular classroom and isn't being pulled out for help anymore. AND HE IS DOING AWESOME!
-I followed my dream and became a Weight Watchers leader. I love motivating and inspiring people to believe and love themselves enough to make a change.
-I discovered the awesomeness that is hot yoga and spinning.
-I set a PR in a 5K, 10K, and a half-marathon.
-I lost more weight and am thinner than I remember. I think I may be as thin as I was in junior high.
-I won an award at work for client retention.

Sure, the injury sucked. But look at everything else wonderful that happened? That's the way life rolls. One of my favorite movie quotes sums up how I want to live my life. It comes from the movie Parenthood:
Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster.
Gil: Oh?
Grandma: Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!
Gil: What a great story.
Grandma: I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.

I had a great ride in 2011...I will buying a ticket for my next roller coaster ride in 2012. Cheers to a great year!