Day 45 Making progress

 Hello to all. For a week I've been making changes in my life. I have taken a vacation from blogging. Part of that is because I've been getting less sleep due to joining a carpool.  The good news is that it's saving me money and making times fly over the many miles to work and home.

After attending Weight Watchers last week I was very disappointed to stay exactly the same weight. I had hiked, biked so many hours I thought I'd lose at least five pounds.  On top of that I'd eated bags of carrots, apples, grapes and not eaten sweets. I was determined not to give up and later that day I went to the ocean.

Earlier this year, I had visited Fort Stevens with a gandson and gone to the Peter Iredale beach. There we decided to take a walk down the beach. We went aboug a mile and I had to rest, I was too out of shaped to keep going. That bugges me, a lot. For so many years I could go, go, go and having to slow down and face the fact I'm was not only over 60 but also way out of shape.  Much of that feeling contributed to me deciding to blog my journey to fit.

So last Saturday, still disappointed with the lack of weight loss, I kicked it up a notch and decided to not give up!!! So I grabbed tuna sandwiches, carrots, carrots, water, a grandchild and jumped in my Ford truck. Away we went, another perfect day. At Iredale we parked the truck and got out. My goal to reach the jetty about 4 miles away. We walked on the beach, admirding the surf, sand, birds, driftwood. After the first cluster of people by Iredale we were pretty much alone, us and the surf. Blue sky, calm ocean, fresh sea breezes it was a day from paradise. We continued to walk for about 2.25 hours. I didn't hurt, I didn't have to stop to rest. I felt great!!! This is progress!! A lot of progress.
At the jetty, we found a comfortable place to spread out our picnic and enjoyed our lunch watching dogs chase kites, people chase dogs and waves caress the beach with their gentle splashing.

Back again, another 2.25 hours and we reached our truck. Yeah!  It made me celebrate to realize that instead of the tired worn out person I was six weeks before I was gaining strength and endurance. My vow to not give up continued throughout the week. I joined a carpool to cut commuting costs and began walking during lunch. The first day I joined other ladies, younger and more fit. They walked a path which went up through the hills. Winded 3/4 of the way up they showed me a flatter road to take to meet them as they climbed. The second day, they went to lunch and I walked the route myself. I pushed and tried and made it up the entire way! Another personal triumph! I continued to walk lunches all week, enjoying the woods, ripe succulent blackberried and abandoned apples trees with dozens of sweet, ripe apples.

This morning, away to Weight Watchers, got on the scale and I lost 3.6 pounds this week for a total of over 10.  I feel great, knowing that if I keep trying, keep working I will continue to improve my overall fittness.

Spiritually, I continue to ready my Bible daily. My prayer continued to be that God will plant His Word in my heart and life so I will become more like Him. My work continues to be challenging as clients test my boundaries and theirs but God is good and prayer changes things.

To those of you struggling with your own challenges, take heart!  Pray and ask God to surround you with His love and care. Find a church home and force yourself to go weekly, (even when you don't feel like it). You'll grow and find people who can reach out and encourage you in your journey. Remember, weeping only endures for a night, and joy comes in the morning!