So, yesterday I got the message slammed home to me as only the brutal honesty of a large group of young children could manage! I’ve been sailing along for the last few weeks, not gaining weight, but not losing it either. It’s called a plateau, ya know? Well, I didn’t give it a whole lot of worry – I guess after 19 (almost) weeks I’ve gotten a bit complacent.
Not so my nearly 6-year old daughter! Yesterday she taught me two incredible lessons. How? By doing the Terry Fox Run with her school. BTW, she’s the one in the middle of the photo at left, wearing green (her fave colour), and givin’ ‘er 200% – I say 200% because they were supposed to do three laps and she pumped out six!
But that’s not the best part. Yesterday morning as we left for school she asked, "do we have money for Terry Fox?" "Sure", I said, going for my purse. Her reply? "No, wait Mommy…I want to give some of my own money".
ME: "Are you sure? Then you won’t be able to get that Webkin you’ve been saving for this weekend." [she’s been saving her $2 allowance for 5 weeks to get a new Webkin]
HER: "Yup. Actually, I want to give ALL my money!" as she empties her piggy-bank.
ME: "Well, that is very generous, but then you’ll have to save again for another six weeks to get a Webkin. Are you sure?"
HER: "Yes, I think Terry Fox is more important than Webkinz."
WOW. How do you put in words how proud you are of your child when she does something like that? You just can’t. But I tell you what…I made it to that Terry Fox Run (I had previously told her I couldn’t make it). I had to take pictures (scrapbooking compulsion) so that I could record this memory forever! And you know what else? I ran around that field with her, too.
And so what did my daughter and her schoolmates teach me?
1. There is no price on health. Give all your money to the Terry Fox Foundation, then run your heart out. You never know: one day you might not be able to anymore.
2. Never settle for the status quo. When the teachers were rounding the students up after their mandatory 3 laps, some of the kids didn’t want to stop. They wanted to keep going: "there’s seven minutes left…" they heard, and so some of them (my daughter included, thank you) asked for permission to keep going, and doubled their laps.
So now the onus is on me (BIG TIME!) to live up to my amazing nearly six-year old. WOW. Humbling, eh? So…I have nearly one day left before my weekly WW weigh-in at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, and I’m going to use it to get my butt in gear…I’m going to work out and I’m going to feed my body mindful of the precious gift a healthy body really is.
And let’s hope I never forget the lessons I learned yesterday from a child.
bearsmom says
How come children are so wise? My two year old daughter keeps me real all the time and amazes me with her wisdom and observation.
I just discovered your blog and wanted to say, you go girl. I did the WW journey a couple of years ago and was successful with 60 pounds lost. Now after baby #1 most of it has returned but I’m only the journey again armed with the knowledge I gained at WW and a husband to exercise with. It is a weird and wonderful ride, take it day by day. Congrats!
Kim says
My children participated with their school as well and are very commmitted & excited to making a differrence. Their intent is so genuine. We all are so lucky to have these great spirits running around our homes causing such chaos one moment and then peace & comfort the next.
Jen says
What an amazing little person! I love the way she is so focused on her task of running in the picture. Her generosity is admirable and her selflessness inspirational. You should be very proud of her. Thank you for sharing this with us and reminding me of how many lessons my own children have taught me.
haley-o says
Oh, I needed this. Your daughter is beautiful! And, what a great teacher and example she is for us — who tend to take our bodies for granted. The problem I’m having with WeightWatchers is that I’m using all my points for “bad” food….So, I’m TIRED. Very tired. And, malnourished….Yom Kippur’s on monday. It’s a day of fasting. I’m going to use it to cleanse both body and mind, and get on track being good to myself. Being good to yourself leads to being good to others. 🙂
Anonymous says
Oh, I needed this. Your daughter is beautiful! And, what a great teacher and example she is for us — who tend to take our bodies for granted. The problem I’m having with WeightWatchers is that I’m using all my points for “bad” food….So, I’m TIRED. Very tired. And, malnourished….Yom Kippur’s on monday. It’s a day of fasting. I’m going to use it to cleanse both body and mind, and get on track being good to myself. Being good to yourself leads to being good to others. 🙂