OK, so I have now gone from 403 down to 270.5 and I am feeling great. I am sad because I am passing some of the people closest to me in my life. I had an amazing weekend with my kids while Trudy was at a convention in Dallas.
I took the kids down to Sweet Home (Oregon, not Alabama!) for the weekend to visit family, and for the Sportsman's Festival. We hit the parade, went hiking, went shooting, watched a great fireworks display and went swimming at Foster Lake a couple times. We hit Enchanted Forest on the way home.
Something occurred to me on my way home while the kids were sleeping in the back seat. I went fishing a couple times on the Santiam river while I was there. I have gone fishing several times this year, but something was different.
Normally in years past when I would go fishing, I would come home and pass out in my Lazy Boy recliner, so doing anything with the wife and kids was out for the day. Now I have options and my day isn't over. I can go fishing, come home, clean up and take Trudy out on a date, or take the kids to a baseball game.
No longer do I have to choose whether it is going to be a Jason day or a family day. It can be both. Because of the state of health that my body is in, I don't have to come home and pass out. I still have options and energy left over to carry out additional activities.
I used to come home from work and take a nap every evening, and it took a very major event or planned activity to pry me from my Lazy Boy. Now I come home, cook dinner, and go for a bike ride, or a walk around the neighborhood.
I want to share this with you, because I am no longer wasting my life away in front of my TV. I am now capitalizing on experiences that I would have otherwise missed out on. How sad is it that two thirds of America is overweight. We all have the option of living our lives the way it was intended. I am just finally realizing it.
My relationship with my children is like a brand new friendship. My marriage is new and fresh again because we have all of these new friends and experiences that we have added to our lives. I can't put into words the way that I feel. I can't wait to see whats next. I still have a ways to go, but I am sooooooooooooo happy that I made this decision. I am thankful that now instead of sacrificing one or the other and choosing between my hobbies and my family, I have options!
