Accepting the Bitter with the Sweet

Today I was scheduled to go to a Relay for Life Zumbathon, but instead I attended a memorial service for a friend, colleague, and mentor. This wonderful woman taught for almost 40 years and was scheduled to retire at the end of the school year. She was full of three things: life, laughter, and love. She left an impression everywhere she went, and even now I find it hard to believe that she has left us too soon. I’m sharing this because prior to hearing the news of her passing, I was working on my May calendar that went into my June calendar, and I realized that my summer calendar is already filling up quickly. I am grateful for the invitations, but there is something that touches my heart even more—and that is remembering where I started. For eighteen months as a result of being overworked and stressed out, I sat on my couch eating and watching TV completely disengaged from life. As I outgrew my clothes I would turn down invitations to go anywhere because I didn’t have anything to wear nor did I feel comfortable in my own skin. That was my life (or shall I say existence?) for 18 months. But let me tell you how fast God turned things around. I started exercising and feeling better within a couple of months, and by the third month I was writing about how much I loved dancing and my dance fitness family. And then came the friendships and the invitations to things outside of Zumba. And then came the fitness page and having the opportunity to connect with other fitness-minded and fun people. All because I made the decision to get off the couch and to take a chance to share life with other people. I’m wiping my tears now and I am headed to share life with an awesome young lady who just graduated from college. I’m praying that even with life coming at you fast and possibly hard that you will still choose to really live life and share it with the people you love.