DssButton2FB2-150x150Today has started with so many projects half-open on my desk being worked on. But as a bariatric fitness enthusiast I have to stop and take a moment to share an exciting revelation with you as it pertains to my WLS fitness and wellness path.

So as many of you know I am still looking to and attempting to gather the sponsorship to secure my way to the Tinker Bell Half Marathon in January. My amazing “How do YOU Celebrate Success” Contest Sponsors were able to make sure I was able to empower someone to go and our winner Dawn Brell is currently getting ready to start her #20Week2Tink Training Program with me as part of a team participating in the event in January of 2014.

As I have talked to a few prospective sponsors in the last couple of weeks about not only helping me finance my way to the event, but additionally to perhaps get behind another bariatric exercise oriented contest in November that would allow someone to go to the Disney Wine and Dine with me as well, I was asked an interesting question, “Pandora why did you choose the Disney race instead of something in your neck of the woods?”

It took me a moment to absorb the shock of the question, because it had never occurred to me that there was some deep seeded emotional reason that I had made this selection, I honestly until that moment attributed it with my overall love for Disney, the lessons my father taught me based on the beliefs of a visionary like Walt Disney, and my little obsession with Tinkerbell.

But the truth is, there was a reason I chose this half marathon as my first, official, bibbed and timed event; because I need to face my fears and realize that my obesity and my weight and the skin on my body no longer define me anymore (Thank you Chris Powell) and because I need realize that pain has an expiration date. (Thank you Merrill Littleberry) because in those lessons you have taught me to recognize those amazing moments where I have broken through and see the huge steps that I have taken forward and the progression I have made in this chapter of my life.

Back in December I wrote about what I called a “Forever Moment” [Moments We Will Remember Forever in Our Weight Loss Journey]– A moment that changed you forever and sort of defined who you are. This was a particular moment that haunted me.  A look on some man’s face who likely doesn’t even remember me today and if he did, and he saw me now I’d earn the same shocked look for what I achieved as I had for what I had let my food addiction come too at the time he saw me. This moment happened for me at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.

I need to change this moment. I need to re-write the story my mind plays when I think of Disneyland. It needs to not be associated with the time I spent there with a family that I can’t allow in my life, or with this negative look I have allowed to haunt me. I needed to let the expiration date expire on this pain that I’ve been holding on to by allowing this moment to be something I have focused on that doesn’t bring positivity to my life. I need to learn to let go of the past, and I chose the Tinkerbell because, what better way to start a new year than with a new resolution to start re-writing chapters of your life that don’t fuel your inspiration and motivation than in the very place you have let a memory from haunt you.

I let the happiest place on earth get turned into my own personal emotional tower of terror and hadn’t even realized it.  So that is why I chose the Tinkerbell, to put me back in Disneyland and let me re-write the chapter of my story that happened there with something positive, and something that reminds me what my goals are, and what better way to do that than to take someone else walking the same path there with me and remind myself that the big goal is to get to a place where I can significantly impact other people’s lives by helping empower and motivate their weight loss journey.

This is a great revelation to have just a few days before Dawn and I begin our 20 Week Training Schedule on my birthday next Wednesday as my personal testament to how I celebrate in non-food oriented manners.  Now I am even more motivated than ever to make sure that I supply her and I the motivation needed to get us there to make this happen.

I’m feeling exceptionally grateful to the “How do I Celebrate Success” Sponsors this afternoon for their support in making part of this dream a reality for me and I’m super excited to get this party started this week as my birthday present to myself.

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