Worth It

Things you can't put a price on...


Today is our last day of vacation.  Tomorrow we will be back on the road home. The last day of a vacation always makes me a little sad.  As I write this, I am sitting in Palm Coast Coffee, one of my favorite places on the planet, having just enjoyed half of a scone with The Hubs.  Only half of a scone because that was enough to fill me up!  Life is very different in many ways since surgery.

Yesterday we got out and did a little shopping and sightseeing.  One of the things I wanted to do on this trip was to climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, and we did that yesterday.  It's probably not that big a deal to most people, but accomplishing the climb meant a lot to me.  The lighthouse has 129 steps to the top, a narrow spiral staircase with landings about every 20 steps and a window at each landing for viewing the island and taking pictures.  The top viewing deck is 360 degrees of beautiful views of both the island and the ocean.  The afternoon was sunny and warm, and the climb didn't take long at all.  Going down the steps was actually a little more challenging because of how narrow the staircase is, and how twisty.  The Hubs uses a FitBit, and it told him that the lighthouse was equivalent to 7 flights of stairs!

St. Simons Island is a cool little community.  There are always people outside walking their dogs, walking their kids in strollers, riding bikes and being friendly to everyone else.  It's a very dog-friendly place, and Palm Coast is as well.  As I write this there are 2 families outside on the porch/patio with their dogs in tow.  Lots of places down here offer dog-friendly dining options with decks, patios and porches where humans can bring their four-legged children.  The lifestyle here just seems more relaxed.  Of course, I am on vacation, so the relaxed side of life here is what I see.  When we win that Powerball jackpot, we'll have a cottage down here, and some other houses in some other places!  It's nice to dream.

The last time we visited here, my dreams were about being smaller and healthier, feeling better and hurting less.  Those dreams have begun to come true since weight loss surgery.  While there has been plenty of laziness on this trip, even the laziness has felt different somehow.  Simple things like walking the dog have been more enjoyable.  While I may have possibly been able to climb the lighthouse before, it would have been exhausting and painful, and much slower to do.

I have a couple of friends who are planning their own weight loss procedures for this summer.  These women inspire me with their choice to reclaim health, strength and vitality for themselves.  I pray for their process as they prepare for surgery, undergo their procedures and recoveries, and begin the journey into The New Normal.  I don't lie to anyone and say that it's an easy process, because it is anything but easy.  There are costs, substantial ones, financial and otherwise.

It is not easy.  It is not cheap, either.  It is sometimes a struggle, and I'm still in that first-year honeymoon period.  Big changes have to happen.  A friend at work asked me about the mental/psychological part of the equation, and I said that before I could change my body, I had to change my mind.  And that is going to be a lifelong process.

It's not easy.

But it's worth it.