The Thing We Often Forget

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am what you would call a "high-stress" individual, for those of you who know me, this must come as a shock. Yes, I am rolling my eyes... I have a tendency to get a bit stressed out  and that is exactly what I was yesterday (except maybe without the "a bit" part...). Typically when I have a stressful day, I do one of two things: run or shop. Recently however, these two activities haven't been possible for me. First, being a newlywed...the shopping aspect is somewhat limited as we are on a bit of a budget.

Second, the running...Oh, the running...

Now, I know you're asking what could possibly be wrong with the running, as we all know it's perfectly free to step outside for a jog. Well, my body has had to pay for my running recently. I currently have two stress fractures, one in my right foot, and one in my right ankle. In order to heal, I've been given specific instructions to "STOP RUNNING!"(at least for now). In other words, both of my stress release activities are currently not available to me, which means that stressed is really an understatement for what I am...or was (yesterday).

Yesterday I thought that if I let myself get out of control just a little bit more...I could have totally SCREAMED. Instead, I went on a nice 3 mile walk with a good friend. We talked about life, our marriages (she's a newlywed too), the need for a meat, a starch, and a vegetable at every meal, and not-gonna-lie we gossiped...yes, I realize these are odd topics, but that's the beauty of walking with a good friend.

When I got home, I felt more relaxed, but still tense. My orthopedist and physical therapist have told me that I need to start swimming. This is stressful to me. I've never been a "lap swimmer". But I decided last night that I would give it a try this morning. Hence, the still-present stress after my glorious walk last night.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKK!! The idea of stepping out into the gym in my bathing suit and hopping into the pool to swim laps with strangers...it's a bit frightening. Not to mention, I knew ahead of time that I wasn't going to be good at swimming laps. I mean come on, it's NOT easy! So, with all of those feelings building up inside me, I was a mess last night. I put it aside, cooked dinner, and spent some quality time with the hubby. He's fabulous. I know I've said that before, but he is, TRULY Fabulous. We'll get to that in a minute, though.

This morning, 5:00 comes and my alarm begins yelling at me. So, I roll out of bed, throw on my swim attire, grab my gym bag and drive myself (yawning all the way) to the gym. "Buck up" is what I kept telling myself. Just walk in there and get in the pool. And I did. I swam for 20 minutes, doing laps for 15 minutes and treading water for the other 5 minutes. Now, I know that at this point, you're thinking...ok...where is this going...Don't worry, I'm getting there.

It worked. And by it, I mean everything. Something clicked in my mind while I was swimming those laps this morning. I've been so stressed out, so focused on myself that I forgot how incredibly blessed I am. Say what? Where did that come from...I know that's what you're thinking... But, this morning in that quiet greenhouse-like room at the gym I realized that my problem is that I need to refocus. These were my thoughts this morning in the pool...

1. I have a fabulous best friend (one of many fabulous best friends...also a blessing) who walks with me several times a week. She listens to me, I listen to her, we laugh together.
2. I have an unbelievably supportive family who loves me. My parents listen to my bitching (come on people...let's call it what it is...) and they always offer advice or remind me of how lucky I am, remind me my "problems" are trivial compared to the real problems some others face. And best of all, they love me no matter what.
3. I have a wonderful job. I work with awesome people and for a great company.
4. Though I have an injury, it's not life threatening. I am healing and I can afford to see a doctor and a physical therapist.
5. To top it all off, I have a wonderful husband. He is helpful around the house. He loves me no matter what. He gives amazing hugs and makes me laugh non-stop when we're together. He makes me feel safe and special.

So, that brings me to the title of the blog. The thing we often forget, or I often forget, is that I am so blessed. I forget how wonderful my life is. The stress that I feel is not serious stress, not stress over something life threatening or life changing. It's just silly stress. So when life starts feeling crazy, take a deep breath...and dive in...