Thoughts on "Getting My Bling Back"

I just turned forty-six.

I feel better than I have in over ten years.

Is this strange?

I feel like I'm finally able to be ME again.

Why?

I dunno. I feel healthier than ever before (I've lost nearly 50 pounds from last fall). I'm making better choices in my diet, and it has profoundly impacted my mood and energy levels. I'm on a treadmill as often as I can be right now, and I actually enjoy it and look forward to it!

My daughter turned nine in August. And when she did, it was as if something shifted. She reached the age where Mommy wasn't needed at every moment. I'd spent nine years, literally at her beck and call. Just as it should be. But when she turned nine, it was clear that she didn't NEED me like she had before. At first, I was a bit traumatized. "What do you mean, she doesn't need me?!?" But it didn't take long for me to realize that we were entering a different season. She was no longer totally dependent on me. And this was a blessing.

I realized I could make time to work out, and diet, and focus on my hair and health and reclaiming all of the things that I had "let go" to put her first. And--most importantly--I didn't have to feel guilty about it.

This past weekend, Stephen and I went together so I could replace a piercing I'd had before I met him, before I got married, before I got pregnant.

The technician who assisted us was kind and considerate and encouraging.

"So...it's been ten years since you had this piercing?"

"Yes," I'd said. "Ten years."

"Well...it sounds like you're getting your bling back to me!"

And I laughed. "YES!" I said, looking at Stephen knowingly. "Yes, that's it, precisely!"

Getting my bling back.

And I feel that. In every way--physically, spiritually, emotionally...becoming the best version of me.

I'm so grateful to God for it. For all of it. And for changing seasons.

#ToGodBeTheGlory