The scale hasn't really moved, but everything else seems to! The other day, it was chilly outside, and I only had clean skirts and dresses. I only keep clothes in the closet that currently fit me, and I keep smaller sizes in my dresser to restock my closet as I shrink. I reached in to find some pants that might work and found some pants one size smaller that fit perfectly! They were linen, not warm, showed every wrinkle, and of course it was the day we had a VP from corporate visiting, but hey, they were a size smaller!
As many of you also know, March 23 was Catalyst Sports' first event, an adaptive climbing clinic. I was so excited and so blessed to be a part of the amazing team that helped 70 climbers take that indoor climbing wall and OWN it. In preparation for the event, I faced my fears and scheduled a climb, my first climb. What fears could I possibly have? Well...I was afraid the harness every climber wears would only highlight my most insecure areas of loose skin and "melted fat" effect (and it did), I was afraid I would look silly trying to figure out this climbing thing (I did), I was afraid I wouldn't make it past the first holds (but I did!), and I was afraid I'd break my belay in half (I didn't, but I probably could have, ha). What I didn't expect was the exhaustion it would cause my brain, and the euphoria of accomplishment and a silent mind afterwards. I will definitely climb again!
Even more inspiring was watching our climbers take the wall just over a week later. I had three gentlemen that stole my heart. David has one prosthetic leg, but he didn't let it get in his way! He was the first participant to show up, and I am pretty sure he was the last one to leave. He had such an awesome attitude and didn't give up. He drove several hours and picked up his mom on the way to attend the event. Then there was Jonathan. Jonathan has lost most of his vision, but he can still see shadows. I was able to watch him climb, and after he conquered the smaller walls upstairs, he was determined to climb the 60 ft wall downstairs. I think the one that stole my heart the most, though, is Caleb. Caleb has autism and a seizure disorder. He was standing with his mom at the front door when I met him. I have met several children with autism, and I could tell from first approach that he most likely was somewhere on the spectrum. I spoke with his mom, who shared they were waiting for his dad to park the car. Her son was excited and couldn't wait to climb. I got down on his level and asked what his name was, knowing he wouldn't look me in the eye, but wanting to show him I was interested in speaking to him. He struggled with it, but finally I heard him say Caleb, and when I asked him if he said his name is Caleb, his mom's face lit up. She was so excited that someone else understood Caleb. I told Caleb after he climbed, he could write his name on our sign. He got really excited; apparently he LOVES writing his name on everything they will let him. I didn't get to watch him climb as I got pulled into something else, but after it all, when the exhaustion started to catch up with me, I saw our canvas that all the climbers signed and tracked the number of climbs they made, and in big scratchy letters, I saw "CALEB". It was all worth it for that!
Check out Catalyst Sports online for more information! Here are a few pics my friend shared from the event:
Next month maybe I will have pics of me on my next climb...
Oh, on other firsts...Vegas was what I anticipated and nothing magical. Meeting Crystal while in Phoenix, however, rocked! We worked together for 3 years while I worked on the Honeywell Staffing team, but we never had the opportunity to meet in person. We've kept in touch, and I even got to dance with her daughter in the parking lot after dinner one night. Yes, you can be jealous, we were awesome!
I have been working hard at accepting compliments and not focusing on the negative, but I feel like I have always been honest on this blog, and am just going to take a moment to focus on a few struggles I am working through. I debated on retaking the 19 month picture after seeing it closer on my computer, but I decided I haven't really hidden anything yet. My eyes go straight to my flaws, especially the bat wings making an appearance on the underside of my arm. Loose skin showed up rather quickly after surgery, but with spring and summer around the corner, I am not sure I can hide it all. Instead, I am embracing it while I continue to lose. At least, that's my attitude right now. Georgia summer is too hot to keep my arms and legs covered all the time!
As always, thank you to my entire support system who loves me, embraces me, puts up with my crazy, doesn't stare at every bite of food I take, and kicks me/shames me/encourages me to push past my limits to see what I really am capable of doing!
