Inspired. Motivated. Driven.

Donna

Don't Forget to Laugh and Enjoy Life!

What inspires us?  What motivates us? What drives us? 

For me, it’s one thing…relationships.  If you step back and look at the big picture, we have an opportunity to do something great in this life.  We, ourselves, have a chance to inspire, motivate and drive others.  We have an opportunity to help people.  When I talk about helping people, it could mean something as simple as saying hello, giving a hug, holding a door.  Sometimes the need is greater.  Sometimes it requires us to be completely selfless.  Sometimes we are aware that someone needs help, but it may seem too hard so we choose not to help.  How many times have you left a situation that didn’t seem right, and wondered later if you should’ve done something…said something?  The right choice isn’t always the easy choice, but to take advantage of God’s blessings, you truly have to put other’s needs and feelings before your own.  I’m not saying I’m some kind of saint over here…I’ve missed the mark on several occasions…but I’ve learned something from each of those situations and always strive to do better.

I have been beyond blessed with three precious children that my husband and I adopted from foster care.  When I feel like quitting or throwing in the towel, I think of them.  They need me to be strong. They need me to be present.  They deserve the best version of me because they did not ask for the situation they were put in. Their early upbringing was nothing short of devastating…but I prayed and asked God to make me their mother.  He answered my prayers and then some! 

As this journey continues, some days are not as easy as others.  Although I have become quite manic with my work outs, my food hasn’t always been on point.  I noticed when I was blogging my food on FB every day, I was more accountable and made better choices. Now that I stopped posting daily, I tend to let things slip.  I went to a graduation party on Saturday and had good intentions with my food choices. I did my usual pre-dinner menu screening at home, but as soon as we got to the restaurant I was swept away by the larger than life frozen margaritas!!  The waitress of course was twisting my arm. (nah, she wasn’t) Although I only had one, one was probably too much.  I also indulged in chips and queso.  Yikes, they were so delicious! I am not trying to beat myself up over a few unhealthy choices.  I’m proud of what I’m doing and every day is a new opportunity to make better decisions.  The reason I share with you the things that drive me is because I am dedicated to reaching my goal and maintaining a healthy weight for not just myself, but for my kids.  They deserve that!!  I may experience slip ups here and there, but I recognize the error in my ways and have made a full recovery today.  Unlike times in the past, I am allowing myself some wiggle room, but not for weeks on end.  One, two days max…then it’s back to business!!

This weekend I was sitting in the yard watching my kids swim. I’ll be honest, I was tired and probably Facebooking more than a mother of 3 should.  My 4 year old kept asking me to swim with him.  How could I disappoint that face?!!  Mind you, swimming in our yard is in a kiddie pool the size of a bath tub…but I put my bathing suit on and we swam!  I then began doing step aerobics in my yard because I could hear my driven sisters telling me to just keep moving!! LOL.  This is a journey guys…every little thing helps and every food choice matters, but don’t forget to laugh and have fun!

If you take anything away from this week’s blog, please just do not give up.  At some point, we are all given unimaginable circumstances in life.  I know too many people that have to mourn the loss of what their lives should’ve been and adapt to a new set of circumstances, including myself, but we wake up….we heal….we forgive….we move on.  The relationships that I treasure the most are what keeps me going.  Old relationships, new relationships….we keep on going and the hard times that seemed impossible to overcome, become less painful and easier to deal with.  They become part of our past and we no longer allow them to hinder our present and future.  Reach out to the people who are reaching for you and you will begin to see what a huge blessing your life is!!!  This is not a sprint, it is truly a marathon!  And on that note, I followed Libby’s lead and registered this week for San Antonio’s Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Dec. 2016!!  I will be PRing this race, for sure!!!  (Personal Record, yea baby)