Destination ME...inspiration from a friend

It is so hard as a caregiver to find time for yourself. Add in the fact I'm a caregiver to three kids with chronic illnesses and the ME becomes THEM. About 6+years ago I was a regular at the gym. I went 3-4 times a week. It was great. Both my girls were in school full days. I only had one Type 1 diabetic and had a great school nurse. My phone was connected to me should I need to be contacted but I had at least an hour to myself at the gym. I took all kinds of classes plus worked the free weights. I even worked out and adjusted my routine while I was pregnant with my son, Jackson. I worked out up to the day I gave birth. I felt great. Re-covered fast and had lots of energy. 

But then we got the diagnosis of hemophilia just days after his birth. It was unknown to me (even though I was a carrier). My plans for putting him in daycare at the gym so I could continue to work out were gone. I couldn't expect the gym childcare staff to understand bleeding disorders and make sure he didn't get whacked on the head etc. I didn't think it was fair to them. I tried to work out in the evening when my hubby came home but with dinner and school work it wasn't worth the hassle. Plus I was totally sleep deprived. A newborn and a daughter with Type 1 leaves little sleep. 

A few years later, my hubby was turning 40 and decided to create a fitness bucket list. I'm competitive and took his list to heart. We had a handle on hemophilia and prophy dosing. We had found a new normal. We started training for the Warrior Dash. It's an intense 5K mud/obstacle run. So we started training. My hubby lives under the philosophy of "Go Big Or Go Home" and decided we would also train to run a marathon. A what!?!?! I'm no 26.2 mile runner. The only time I would run would be if a masked murderer was running after me. But my competitive nature got the best of me and we started running. I found, unbelievably, that I enjoyed running. It cleared my mind. It made me feel good. 

Long story short...it was a brutal winter the year we trained. My hubby got the flu bad and laid him up all the while I kept training. He never regained all the progress he made. So I entered the HALF marathon myself. We did complete the Warrior Dash and I kept running for months after that. I completed another half marathon a year later, with a better time!! A few 5K and 10K races and then I stopped. Kids were out of school. It was summer. It was super hot and I hate hot. I got lazy and wrapped up in what my kids were doing. 

And I miss running. I miss the ME time. I miss the energy. I miss feeling good about myself. I miss ME! 

My friend, Hallie, has a blog, you can follow her here, that she dedicates to sharing her life as a caregiver to her daughter with Type 1. She has also made a proclamation of Destination ME. Each week she is going to give herself a goal. It may be small. It may be big. And she will try to adhere to that goal all in the quest for Me time. 

I'm joining her! Won't you join us?! I've decided I'm going to start running again...TOMORROW. It won't be fast...heck, it may even be a mall walkers pace but I'm going out there. 

You don't have to pick up running. Maybe it's picking up a good book. Finishing that scrapbook you started 5 years ago. Knitting a scarf. Creating a new dinner dish. Whatever it is...why not start now? Why not start some ME time? Even if it's only for 10 minutes imagine how much better you will feel mentally, emotionally, physically! 

I encourage you to try. It won't hurt...it can only help!