This Is Why I Walk

This year I'm marking a huge item off of my bucket list.  November 1-3, 2013, I will be walking in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk, which consists of walking 60 miles to support the movement to end Breast Cancer.  For many years I've wanted to participate in this amazing event and I've finally talked a couple of amazing women into joining me.  

Like many of you reading this, my life has been touched by cancer, specifically Breast Cancer, more than I care to remember.  Several of my loved ones have battled this disease and I've learned that it does not discriminate against age, race, religion, or even gender.   As an adult, I've been very compassionate about Breast Cancer awareness and I pray that some day we will find a cure.  Within the last few years, two of my aunts were diagnosed with Breast Cancer and I cannot begin to express what kind of emotional blow this was to me.  It hit very close to home, considering how young they both were and it frightened me.  It frightened me for their futures, for their husbands, children, and it frightened me for the other women in my family. 

Shortly after my aunts were diagnosed and undergoing treatment, I submitted paperwork to complete a BRAC analysis.  My doctor suggested that we do this after learning about the number of people who've had Breast Cancer on the maternal side of my family.  She explained that my insurance company might deny the request to complete the test, however, the amount of coverage provided would depend on my potential risk to develop Breast Cancer based on my family history.  The cost of the analysis could be as much as several thousand dollars, but they determined my risk to be so high that the insurance company paid 100% of the cost and suggested I take care of it immediately, so I did.  My test results indicated that I am not a carrier of the gene, however, I was advised against other potential risks that could lead to Breast Cancer.  

I maintain my passion for causes such as the Susan G. Komen Foundation because I've been touched by so many people that have fought this terrible disease and have touched my life in some way.  Whether a member of my family, an aquaintance, a celebrity, or a co-worker, each and every one of these women have impacted my life and taught me a lesson or two.  So, when November rolls around, I will walk these miles because I can and I will walk these miles in honor of the lessons they've taught me.  I will walk these miles in honors of the lives that have been lost and for those who have survived.  Everyday I thank God for the good health that I've been blessed with and for the physical abilities to pursue such endeavors as the 3 Day Walk.  

If you'd like to help this cause, consider joining my team and walk with me in Dallas in November.  If you're unable to participate as a walker, you can also make a donation to support me and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  Click here and remember, no donation is too small - every dollar counts!

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2012/General?px=6866407&pg=personal&fr_id=1831&s_subsrc=bfgetwordout&s_src=boundlessfundraising

Liberation

Tonight I did something that liberated me from my pre-mommy existence.  I grabbed every pair of thong panties from my panty drawer and took them to the garbage.  Damn, it felt good.  Scratch that, it felt great.  You see, every single day for the past 4 ½ years, those thongs served as a grim reminder of the shape I was in prior to pregnancy.  Before motherhood, I had the time and the firm behind to match my bra with my thong every day.  I wouldn’t have been caught dead in anything less.  Oh, how time and life can change a person.   These days I consider it a victory to simply find the time to put on a bra and panties.

After my son was born in May 2008, I lost 20 of the 40 pounds that I gained during pregnancy almost immediately, with zero effort on my part.  Since I’d never in my life had to worry about my weight, I had no reason to believe that this would be any different.  Here I sit, with my 4 ½ year old “baby” waiting for those remaining 20 pounds to disappear.  I’ve come to the conclusion that they aren’t going anywhere without a little help from me.  I don’t believe in dieting, but I believe in making healthy lifestyle changes that can easily be incorporated into my current routine. 

Getting rid of those thongs allowed me to get rid of the daily reminder that I am no longer 123 pounds and no longer fit into a size 2.  I’m okay with this.  I don’t need to wear a size 2 to feel pretty or to feel healthy, but I don’t need those teeny weenie thongs staring at my every time I open my panty drawer.  I wear big girl panties now.  They aren’t always pretty, but they serve a purpose.  One day at work when wearing a particular pair of pants, one of my male friends (who happens to be gay) said to me “Kelli Lynn, you need to wear a thong with those pants”.  I replied “Yes, I realize that would be best, however, I prefer that you see my panty line versus my butt dimples.”  This is the reality that I live in as the mother to a 4 ½ year old boy.  My priorities have shifted heavily to putting everyone, including my 3 Schnauzers, before myself.  I’m the last one to get new clothes, shoes, and a haircut.  I’m usually the last one to eat dinner and I rarely find myself sitting down to relax at the end of an evening.  I’m the one that takes care of everyone else first and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but I’m trying to find the time to make myself a priority because I deserve it.  And my family deserves the best me that I can give them, so I’m giving it a shot. 

Once I rid myself of these last 20 pounds, I’m going to buy myself new thongs.  Who says a 35 year old mother can’t wear thongs?  Not me.  If my butt isn’t jiggling, I’m going to rock those babies just like I did in my 20’s.  I don’t intend to let this aging thing get the best of me.  I’m going to get the best of aging.  This might be too much information for some of you, but I’m okay with that.  I’m a mature adult (for the most part) and I assume that you are too.