Snapshots

I operate under the assumption that the people who read my blog know me. Know my story. My past. How I got to this point in my life and the hard-fought battles that brought me here.

I assume that my readers know I once tipped the scales at 286 pounds (this was just last year!) and that today I weigh somewhere around 160 pounds. I assume you know about how I have changed my relationship with food as well. I eat to live (actually eat to thrive would be a better way to describe it) instead of live to eat. I assume you also know I am a vegan and damn proud of it.

I feel like you must also know that I am new to running. New to cycling. Heck, I’m new to pretty much any activity that doesn’t involve DVR and a remote control. You know that I am no expert. You know that I can’t tell you what it feels like to finish a marathon or log 100 miles in a month or what it feels like when you bonk or hit the wall or what it feels like to ride for 100 miles or even 100K. You know that I am a novice at best. I am no expert and I am far from being a seasoned vet.

You know that I have lost weight but that this is not a weight loss blog. You know health and fitness are my main focuses right now and that I eat a plant-strong whole foods diet and don’t focus on counting calories or points or any of that stuff.  You know I would rather be moving than sitting still and that this has brought me such happiness.

You know all of this. Right?

Right?

Maybe you do, maybe you don’t.

Maybe you know some of it but not the whole story.

Or maybe you know nothing about me at all.

I saw this picture this morning on Facebook (where else, right?) and it made me think about something.  Reading a post on a blog is like looking at a photo. A snapshot frozen in time of a specific place or event. I tell you a story and you are able to experience it with me. It’s really very cool.

However, someone new to my story or this blog may not understand what it took to get me where I am today especially since this is a brand new blog and my stories about my journey and struggles are documented elsewhere. Which is kind of strange.

So what I wanted to say to you (yes, I am finally getting to my point) is that as I share with you these snapshots of my life I hope you will recognize that I am able to be here because I took that first step. Somewhere, in the depths of my soul, I was able to muster up enough courage to set off on my journey. The journey that has changed my life.

You and I, more than likely, are at different points along our paths. We may be working every day towards a similar goal but our days are different. But what I realized this morning, looking at that photo, is that even if our paths are different they both started from the same point- that first step. And that is what connects us together- our common thread.

So, maybe you don’t need to know my entire life story, or each and every one of my weird idiosyncrasies, to understand me. You know who I am because, like you, I am someone who was courageous enough to go after what I wanted all by taking that first step.

Maybe this snapshot is enough for you to understand the bigger picture.