Entering the Home Stretch

Oh. My. Gosh.

Really?

Already?

When did that happen??

I had to date something today, so I looked at the calendar.

January 16th.

One month until my birthday. Or 4 weeks and 3 days, if you want to think of it that way.

But Oh. My. Gosh.

When I started this journey...this weight loss...this fitness...this blog, it was the middle of July. I had 7 long months stretching ahead of me. It seemed like it was soooo far away.

And now it's just One. More. Month.

Eh, I still have 6 pounds to lose before reaching goal. Or 5. Some days it's 4. Then it'll pop back up to 6 again. :)  And beyond my birthday, I still have to get in shape to do a mini-marathon at the beginning of May. So the journey is far from over.

But really, I've already accomplished the Big Thing. I wanted to be a different, better version of me by the time I turned 50, and I've already managed that. I didn't want to reach 50 still being the same out-of-shape, out-of-breath me that hated the way she looked in the mirror, hated trying to find clothes that looked decent, hated feeling tired all the time. I wanted 50 to not feel like the end of being young. 

(There are those who will argue that age is an attitude more than a number. But the way I was feeling, I was feeling old.)

I don't know what post-50 will hold. Jim is 56 - his hair is grayer, his vision is slowly deteriorating again, he's already had surgery for a torn rotator cuff just because of general wear and tear. My mom was 51 when her cancer was diagnosed and 56 when she died. So the next 10 years may change me quite a bit.

But when I hit 50, I'll be in the best shape I've been in in Y E A R S. I'm still not on any long-term medications. I can still see (with reading glasses) and hear (unless you mumble). My arthritis is better in my knees (that's been one of THE best effects of the weight loss) and my fingers are still agile enough to type and play the piano. 

I used to dread 50. It had a big black shroud hanging over it. It was the beginning of the end.

Now I can't wait to get there. 50 is going to be AWESOME!