Me!

Yesterday my friend told me that I "get to do a lot."  She meant that I "get to do" a lot for myself even though I work full-time and have a hubby and two kids at home.  The latter is my main focus in life.  My kids and my husband ARE my life and my heart.  They are the reason I get up every morning and say "Thank you."  My job is, well, my job.  It is how I pay the bills.  I work for a good company and I work with some good people.  I don't love what I do right now, but I don't mind coming to work each day. So, those are my responsibilities in life.  Wait, there is another one... ME!

I was given life 37 years ago and given the task of making the most of it.  I surely did that through my 20s.  Then at 30, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy and the world as I knew it changed forever.  This tiny human relied on me for everything it needed to survive. I embraced that, and to this day, I'll give every moment and every breathe for my children and my husband.

Living life (before marriage and the baby carriage)

Happiest day of my life (don't let my expression fool you, it was a ROUGH day)

This is what it's all about!

Now here I am 7 years later and life has shifted again.  I have two kids and I am teaching them not only how to survive, but how to be good people and make this world a better place.  I teach my 2 year old to say please and thank you and I teach my 7 year old about telling the truth and "making good choices" (my favorite daycare phrase).  They will be my footprint on this planet, so I need for them to be the best that they can be.  However, it is also my job to SHOW them that Mommy also says please and thank you and makes good choices.  I want them to be proud of me.  So, I am trying to be the best that I can be, which for me, means being healthy and fit and helping others do the same. I want to be here on this planet as long as possible and I want my friends and family to be with me as well.  I want to help them be happy and enjoy life along with me.

I am currently training to become a certified personal trainer through ACE and  I have this blog.  I also workout and/or run most days of the week.  I even occasionally get a pedicure (who wants to see my feet looking messy? No one!).  Do I get more hours in a day?  Nope!  I just try to use each minute wisely.  That sometimes means that between helping my son with homework and dinner, I do burpees.  It also means waking up at 5 a.m. every morning to workout.  Some might think me crazy, and to each his own, but I know that this is how I can find happiness and balance in my life.  I don't do it alone.  My husband is helpful and does what he can to make me happy, even when that means getting up with the kids after working all night so I can do a race in the city.  My kids play in the park while I work out.
There is a community of people who live a similar life to mine and yet a world of people who do not.  Hopefully in the next generation, the ratio will change.  I am doing my best to get the word out and teach two future leaders (my babies of course) a good path.  What's next for me?  Hmmm, we'll see.  As long as I have another day, I will try to make it better than the day before.

I guess what I am trying to say is help the world, but start with yourself!

**What do you do for yourself and how do you use that to help others?


Btw, my good friend and running partner that I often mention in my blog finally revamped her own blog. She is again sharing her satire on life with the world. It's definitely a different perspective than mine, but nonetheless worth checking out here--->  Random Musings of a Runner in NYC