Cause for Celebration

As Passover and life without chametz is nearing its end and as my Christian friends celebrated Easter yesterday, the end of Lent, I am struck by the way in which we celebrate the end but often not the middle or the beginning of things. Of course, we do rejoice at the birth of a new baby, but we celebrate that event at the end of yet another year of life. Sure, we celebrate the New Year, but we are also celebrating the end of the previous year. In any case, you get my point, I hope. In the past day or so, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the way in which weight-loss has changed me, and I think a fair amount of it has to do with my mindset. As a general principle, I aim to focus on the beginning and the middle, recognizing that, for most of the things I am doing, there really is no exact end. While my weight loss will eventually come to an end, this journey is continuous. Since this is not a diet but, rather, a new "way of life," I am actually somewhat afraid of reaching my goal. I have enjoyed some incredible support from family, friends, and quasi-strangers (referring to those of you who are my friends on LoseIt), and I am worried about having a definitive end. It's probably premature for me to be thinking about this problem already, but I've found that a decent amount of my success can be attributed to planning ahead and mentally rehearsing for the things to come. When I step on the scale each time, I close my eyes and say a little prayer. Before I open my eyes, I remind myself to see the good that I have accomplished and to not be deterred by minor setbacks. It is for that reason that I haven't given up yet and will not quit until I am where I want to be. In preparation for the end of this particular portion of my journey, I have set my sights on several different running goals. I won't bore y'all to death by listing all of them, but I'm interested in:

1. Running a (half-)marathon
2. Running a mile in less than 9 minutes
3. Running an 8K in less than an hour
(among others).

Of course, such events will require me to purchase more workout clothing--which is the activity that has replaced my unconditional love for shopping for everyday items. Oh shucks!!! It's a difficult life, but someone has to do it. :)

In any case, I better get back to writing my paper. This week is a rather busy one with lots of burdensome tasks and exciting rewards. I am EXTREMELY excited to see my law school mentor/role model for life on Tuesday--she knows who she is. <3

Until then, un beso.
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