Dixie, her husband Cole, and her mother Ana ran the Race for the Cure 5k yesterday. That is two 5ks in two weeks! Way to go guys! And this was for a good cause too! PLUS- she improved her time by 5 minutes!!!!!
She wrote me this story that I wish to post. I promise I had no doing. She did this of her own free will and choice.
If you have similar stories, inspirations, and pictures you would like to share to motivate others, I welcome them. In fact, I plead you to do so!
Finding inspiration once again
I have to admit that after having Sadee and Aidan I had forgotten how important my mental, spiritual and physical well-being has been to me. In my experience (as I’m sure it happens to many moms), as soon as I became a mom it wasn’t about me any more. It was about loving another person more than myself. All my time and energy was given to my new baby and as she got older it did not get any easier. Very soon after I had to not only be a mom and wife but a provider too. With all this it is inevitable to have stress in your life that at times can become overwhelming. Stress can have many effects on you physically and emotionally. I remember not being happy with myself and even my appearance. But I never did anything about my feelings. Most of my friends know that I don’t open up very easily. I usually don’t speak my mind unless I feel it’s necessary and even then I sometime don’t.
Doorly and I have been very lucky to become great friends at a time where the both of us needed guidance in our lives. Back home in New York, we were very blessed to be part of a very special Mormon community. Doorly and I went to the same Catholic school and even this was a blessing. We were able to be there for each other and when tempted, we were able to encourage each other to be better. We would really have been lost without each other. I always felt so blessed to have her as a friend because she was the most confident person I knew. She would always help me with my confidence. And when there were times that I struggled with my self-esteem she would say, “ Dixie, you are so beautiful. You must be if you are hanging out with me!” That always made me laugh and feel better.
When I visited Doorly in Florida and had the privilege of supporting her on the marathon, I was able to learn a very valuable lesson from her. As she approached the finish line and I saw the tears in her eyes, I wanted to feel that too. I was so proud of her. I remembered all those times when we had the motivation to jog the GW Bridge. How I missed being proud of myself! How I missed having motivation and loving myself enough to take the time to take care of myself. Why shouldn’t I? I realized that all this time I just had excuses that held me from being healthier and wanting to do something that makes me happy. As moms, we sometimes feel guilty when we spend time doing something that makes us happy because that time could have been spent with the hubby or children. But the truth is, a home is what it is because of the mom in the home. She is what holds it together. If mom is not happy… no one is happy. This was so important for me to realize because I learned that my family is the most important thing in the world to me. I also realized that I am worth so much to them. I want for them to look at me and be proud to be their mom.
As soon I got home from that trip to Florida, I had a good talk with my husband, Cole. I wanted for the both of us to live a healthier life in every way. No more fast food,. No more sitting on our butts and watching shows for hours as our excuse of spending time together. Now we go on walks as a family. We take the kids to the park more often. Cole tries his best to run every other day. We are looking forward to taking advantage of what Utah has to offer and go hiking quite a bit this summer. I do Yoga and Zumba regularly and love it! This, along with massage therapy, has improved my scoliosis (The spine curves away from the middle or sideways). This is exciting to me because I was in so much pain everyday. We have become closer as a family. My husband and I look forward to running together. My mom and I have become best friends. We hope to also influence the rest of our family to do the same.
To make a long story short, it only took one person’s example to make me realize the happiness and sense of accomplishment that can come from running and exercising. Remember, I am by no means a great runner as of right now but I hope that one day I can be. I LOVE my life!
I have to admit that after having Sadee and Aidan I had forgotten how important my mental, spiritual and physical well-being has been to me. In my experience (as I’m sure it happens to many moms), as soon as I became a mom it wasn’t about me any more. It was about loving another person more than myself. All my time and energy was given to my new baby and as she got older it did not get any easier. Very soon after I had to not only be a mom and wife but a provider too. With all this it is inevitable to have stress in your life that at times can become overwhelming. Stress can have many effects on you physically and emotionally. I remember not being happy with myself and even my appearance. But I never did anything about my feelings. Most of my friends know that I don’t open up very easily. I usually don’t speak my mind unless I feel it’s necessary and even then I sometime don’t.
Doorly and I have been very lucky to become great friends at a time where the both of us needed guidance in our lives. Back home in New York, we were very blessed to be part of a very special Mormon community. Doorly and I went to the same Catholic school and even this was a blessing. We were able to be there for each other and when tempted, we were able to encourage each other to be better. We would really have been lost without each other. I always felt so blessed to have her as a friend because she was the most confident person I knew. She would always help me with my confidence. And when there were times that I struggled with my self-esteem she would say, “ Dixie, you are so beautiful. You must be if you are hanging out with me!” That always made me laugh and feel better.
When I visited Doorly in Florida and had the privilege of supporting her on the marathon, I was able to learn a very valuable lesson from her. As she approached the finish line and I saw the tears in her eyes, I wanted to feel that too. I was so proud of her. I remembered all those times when we had the motivation to jog the GW Bridge. How I missed being proud of myself! How I missed having motivation and loving myself enough to take the time to take care of myself. Why shouldn’t I? I realized that all this time I just had excuses that held me from being healthier and wanting to do something that makes me happy. As moms, we sometimes feel guilty when we spend time doing something that makes us happy because that time could have been spent with the hubby or children. But the truth is, a home is what it is because of the mom in the home. She is what holds it together. If mom is not happy… no one is happy. This was so important for me to realize because I learned that my family is the most important thing in the world to me. I also realized that I am worth so much to them. I want for them to look at me and be proud to be their mom.
As soon I got home from that trip to Florida, I had a good talk with my husband, Cole. I wanted for the both of us to live a healthier life in every way. No more fast food,. No more sitting on our butts and watching shows for hours as our excuse of spending time together. Now we go on walks as a family. We take the kids to the park more often. Cole tries his best to run every other day. We are looking forward to taking advantage of what Utah has to offer and go hiking quite a bit this summer. I do Yoga and Zumba regularly and love it! This, along with massage therapy, has improved my scoliosis (The spine curves away from the middle or sideways). This is exciting to me because I was in so much pain everyday. We have become closer as a family. My husband and I look forward to running together. My mom and I have become best friends. We hope to also influence the rest of our family to do the same.
To make a long story short, it only took one person’s example to make me realize the happiness and sense of accomplishment that can come from running and exercising. Remember, I am by no means a great runner as of right now but I hope that one day I can be. I LOVE my life!
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