I admit that "living" life has always been a bit scary to me.  I have been comfortable with just going with the flow.  I even convinced myself that I am not settling, but instead I'm being content with my life.  I believed that since I was happy and my life was going well, that I was doing okay.

It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized that I wasn't doing myself any favors with this plan of action.
Because in reality, I wasn't TAKING action.  I was just letting life happen.  I would rejoice in the good, and work through the bad, but I wasn't embracing life! I wasn't learning, progressing, experiencing!

I made a deliberate choice to take a plan of action this year!  To try new things, to challenge myself.  I was not going to talk myself out of living just because I am already content with my life.  I need my kids to see that they can do and be whatever they want.  I have not been a good example of that.  True, I want them to be content and not have to always have something new and exciting going on in life to make them happy.  But I don't want that complacency to keep them from experiencing all that life has to offer, like I have done.

So one day I was talking with my sister, discussing my upcoming birthday, and I expressed to her how I really wanted to do something different for my day this year.  She told me about a  Women's only 5k race she heard of, The Skirt in the Dirt race put on by the GOAL Foundation.  It was perfect!!!  I have never done a race, and it was on my Birthday weekend.  And beyond that, GOAL stands for "GET OUT AND LIVE!"  If this race wasn't designed for me, then no other race would be!!  It was meant to be.

 I was so super excited about it the day we planned it.  I knew this was just what I needed.  It was over the river and through the woods, and mud, and sand, and climbing trees, and it sounded AWESOME!  I told my family about it and they all agreed I HAD to do it.  Even when I started to talk myself out of it, they were there to remind me of how excited I first was about it!


Hollie and I ran the race.  Well, I ran as much as I could, but it didn't even matter.  We did it.  The course was so fun, the women were amazing, and they had cupcakes at the end!  It wasn't a "win the race" sort of thing, it was just a bunch of women, motivating each other, helping each other, and out living and loving life!


I can honestly say I loved every second of it.  I feel proud of myself!  How often do we really feel a deep sense of pride in something that we did?   My family was there at the end to see Hollie and I finish and it was just what I needed.  I needed to see them support me, so that I wouldn't be afraid to keep trying new things, and they needed to see me living!  I know to some, running a 5K may be no big deal, but to me, this race was pivotal for my progression in proving to myself that I can and will LIVE my life!


We decided it's a new Birthday tradition.  Who's with me next year?