I spent the last 10 weeks of the school year volunteering with a program called 'Girls on the Run' that promotes self-esteem, self-confidence, health, fitness, and fun. I was lucky enough to work with ten 3rd-5th grade girls two times a week. We played silly games, learned a lot about about running and how to make healthy choices in the foods we eat and in the way we choose to exercise. We also practiced running each day. It was amazing to watch the girls grow and develop. I loved watching their confidence levels increase and new friendships develop. As fun as it was to watch them improve with their running, it was even more rewarding to watch them become more empowered as individuals; to see their value and worth and uniqueness for who they are as something to be proud of! That was what meant the most for me. The program ended with a 5K run to celebrate all of the girls' hard work. I was so proud of all of them for all that they had accomplished.
It was during the 5K run that I was ale to allow myself to think back to where I was a year ago...and then 2 years ago. Two years ago I was just beginning to get started on my fitness journey and I didn't even know it at the time, and a year ago I was trying to talk myself into running my 1st 5K. It's crazy to think about all the things that can be accomplished in a year. There have been times within the last year that I have gotten frustrated and other times that I have felt that I was completely 'stuck', but when I allowed myself to take a step back a really look at my life...I was able to realize that I really wasn't stuck as much as I have turned and headed in a slightly different direction. It was still leading me to where I wanted to go, just in a different way...and along that way I have found that I enjoy running and a few other things I never would have known I liked.
I'm so thankful that the path my life seems to follow is never the straight, flat, paved one, but instead the one filled with all the twists and turns and hills. It makes it so much more exciting!
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