This is the final day before I turn 50. Seems like a good day to reflect on how I have spent my 40s and my youth in general. In the short-term, I weighed myself this morning, and I am at 198. So while I did not hit my 50 by 50 Challenge, I did make it under 200 pounds by my 50th birthday. Considering my dad's two stays in the hospitals and the multiple times we came so very close to losing him these past few weeks, I'll count this as a major triumph in my weight loss journey. I began last September at 259, so I've done pretty well. My next goal is to bring my total weight loss to 100 pounds by this coming September. I think that's very doable.
As for the longer-term view and how I spent my 40s, I look back and see some wasted time and some mistakes that distress me greatly. I missed some opportunities and trusted some people I shouldn't have. I didn't trust myself when I should have. I let myself down physically, too, and got huge. On the other hand, I've had some major accomplishments. In my 40s I worked with Senators Kennedy and Grassley, at their request, on the Family Opportunity Act, speaking at press conferences with them, appearing on CNN and CSPAN, doing TV and newspaper interviews, and in 2006, the bill was signed into law. I made a major career shift in my 40s, finding the courage to finally pursue my dreams. Because of that I am now a published author with many dozens of articles, two books, miscellaneous other pieces, and a couple of awards to my credit. It's not just what I want to be, it's what I do for a living. And most importantly, it has inspired my kids to pursue their dreams -- without waiting until their 40s to do so. And in my 40s I launched my kids into adulthood, gracefully became a loving mother-in-law, and enthusiastically became a grandma, letting it make me feel youthful again instead of feeling old. And I have ended my 40s by losing 61 pounds. With my great friends and family at my side, I think I'm ready to be 50.
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