Thursday, February 3, 2011

for the record

Part of the reason I blog is because it is a kind of journal for me.  So the rest of this blog post is not for anyone else but me.  I'm not trying to brag, just record.

Last week marked the 2 year anniversary of getting my training G*armin.  It is a wristwatch type thing that records my heart rate, distance, and elevation gain of my bike rides.  In the last two years, I have ridden over 9,500 miles!  To me that is amazing. I mean, if you had told me that at 55 I would start riding a bike that much, I would have thought you were crazy.  But the fact is, I couldn't have done it when I was younger.  There simply wasn't time.  Now, instead of endless vacuuming, endless laundry, and endless kid activities, I have time to explore my interests. I put in 34 years of being a full-time mom and this is my reward!

That got me to thinking about doing things you don't think you can do and starting new challenges.  At the age of 40 I started teaching music in the schools as a volunteer which I did for 10 years.  It was the most rewarding experience I have had in teaching.  But that was not something I would have even thought about or imagined when I was in my 30s. The thing is, there are a lot of things out there to do, talents to develop, weaknesses to overcome.  And there is a season for everything.

Life is not over when you are in your late 50s.  Save something to try at every stage.  I'm looking forward to my next challenge.

4 comments:

laura said...

Well I think you deserve to brag! I am proud to have a mom who inspires me to try new things.

Lisa said...

I agree--you totally deserve to "brag." And I love that you posted this. It's kind of a mantra I try to remind myself. Sometimes I feel like if I don't teach now or perform now or whatever it'll never happen, but that's ridiculous! Right now my main focus is raising my children, and it's not like life will be over when they're gone! I'll have plenty of time!

Afton said...

I think that's awesome Aunt Wanda! Congratulations! And it is very inspiring! Thanks for sharing.

Allison said...

I've been meaning to post that I think it's awesome. I have friends that seem to think that life ends at 50--I've got stellar examples in you and Dad proving that not only is that not the case, but life can be pretty sweet after 50.

This isn't really a brag, just an inspiring "look what I'm doing" post. If you wanted to brag, you'd post a picture of yourself in your cycling gear and say "check me out, I'm totally badass." I wouldn't blame you for that, though.