#TBT to the first time I went to Hawaii, just over 5 years ago now!! I went for a wedding which was gorgeous!! The day after, my friends who got married took us all on a hike to a waterfall. It was beautiful, tropical, special, and I pretty much missed the entire thing.
You see me hiking in the picture so I am sure you are wondering how exactly I "missed the whole thing". I went on the hike of course, but I did not ENJOY the hike. In fact, I spent a good majority of the time looking down at the trail trying not to trip and cursing my friends for suggesting this in the first place! Instead of taking in the lush scenery, I was focused on taking in air, huffing and puffing. Instead of conversing with the group, I was constantly bringing up the rear and causing them delay. Instead of a sense of accomplishment for reaching the waterfall, I was filled with dread at having to make the return trip.
I missed the sky and the flowers and the trees. I missed connecting with people. I missed the excitement of reaching our destination. I missed enjoying such a cool, different experience. I missed all this not because my body had failed me, but because I had failed my body. I fed it garbage, used and abused it, and took it for granted. I ran my immune system into the ground until my body physically forced me to stop (about 6 weeks after this I was diagnosed with Mono and bedridden for weeks).
This hike essentially marked the end of my inactive lifestyle, the end of missed adventures, and a conscious shift in how I treated my body. Now, I feed my body right, I condition it, I compliment it, and I treat it with the respect it deserves for faithfully serving me. My body has never failed me, and now I am not failing it either.
You see me hiking in the picture so I am sure you are wondering how exactly I "missed the whole thing". I went on the hike of course, but I did not ENJOY the hike. In fact, I spent a good majority of the time looking down at the trail trying not to trip and cursing my friends for suggesting this in the first place! Instead of taking in the lush scenery, I was focused on taking in air, huffing and puffing. Instead of conversing with the group, I was constantly bringing up the rear and causing them delay. Instead of a sense of accomplishment for reaching the waterfall, I was filled with dread at having to make the return trip.
I missed the sky and the flowers and the trees. I missed connecting with people. I missed the excitement of reaching our destination. I missed enjoying such a cool, different experience. I missed all this not because my body had failed me, but because I had failed my body. I fed it garbage, used and abused it, and took it for granted. I ran my immune system into the ground until my body physically forced me to stop (about 6 weeks after this I was diagnosed with Mono and bedridden for weeks).
This hike essentially marked the end of my inactive lifestyle, the end of missed adventures, and a conscious shift in how I treated my body. Now, I feed my body right, I condition it, I compliment it, and I treat it with the respect it deserves for faithfully serving me. My body has never failed me, and now I am not failing it either.
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