Celebrating progress not perfection

It’s been awhile and it’s time to write. This morning as I gaze out my window at a vanishing site line of Lake Superior, I am able to let in the power and strength of the water and stop for a moment to focus on my progress on this journey to better health and better living.

I don’t know about you, but way too often I strive for perfection and lose sight of the progress along the way. Perfection becomes the goal, overshadowing  the opportunity to celebrate successes and take stock of how far we’ve come. I think as women, we put extra pressure on ourselves. For me, it is incredibly important to stop and celebrate all of the progress along the journey to the finish line. And when I do, WOW, it is amazing! I feel so fortunate to be where I am today.

This weekend I was reminded by people all around me, and my beloved Lake Superior, how lucky I am to be here…right where I am today in my journey. People who haven’t seen me in weeks or months at Bluefin Bay are taking note with great enthusiasm at the reduction in physical size, my incredibly different mental attitude, and they’re jumping in to support me in little and big ways. What an incredible gift! Comments like, “Oh my God, you are half your size;” “You look incredible, so skinny and sexy!” and “You look sooooooo good!” – how can you do anything but feel good? It’s time to stop and take in what that really feels like. And how many people care. Wow.

Of course, we know that I have miles to go. But to focus on that and not stop to celebrate the significant progress and the successes that have come so quickly and so powerfully, would be to focus on perfection and not progress. So today I thank my friends and colleagues who are part of my Bluefin Bay Family – starting of course with Dennis, Jolita, Peter, Andrew, the front desk staff, and Nadya, Mima, Ed and the Food and Beverage staff at the restaurants who now actively coach me on how the food is prepared and prepare especially for me whatever I request on my food plan that week.

Some examples:

• This weekend was Owners Weekend at the resort and we kick off the weekend with a special buffet for owners and a chance to sample the best of the restaurant and catering menus. The food is amazing and tempting. One of the assistant chef’s (whom I barely know) helped me out at the buffet by telling me this green veggie dish was sauteed in butter and was full of fat – he also said, ‘Wow, Lori, you look great!” I can’t tell you how incredibly lucky I feel to have this family and circle of support away from home.
• Barb, a host who has worked at Bluefin Bay for years, lost 100 lbs on her own a few years back. She waits on me and actively supports me in my journey and coaches me on what to order or eat at the restaurant.
• Andy, who fitted me for snowshoes during my Fitness North camp experience, gave me tips last night on which hikes will challenge me this spring and be tougher than Oberg Mountain but not out of range for me as I continue my journey.

It gets even better, when celebrating my progress to date:

This past week I spent Easter break on the Oregon Coast with my Mom and niece. We visited all of the places I went last October with my friend Jean — walked miles of my favorite beaches, went to Yaquina Head Lighthouse, and  of course traveled to get there on a plane. The difference and ease of this trip compared to the last, INCREDIBLE!

First of all, the plane seat is more comfortable and seat belts fit with ease, something thin/regular sized people take for granted but overweight people struggle with each time they travel. Secondly, I walked miles farther on beaches than I did before and never needed to rest, stop or sit down. At Yaquina Lighthouse, this time I climbed to the top of the lighthouse with my niece to see the incredible view and take in all I have accomplished. It was so cool. And, I literally ran 2x up and down the steep steps to the lower shoreline at low tide to see the amazing critters. By comparison, in October, I considered not making the trek down and when I did I had to stop at each flight of stairs to rest on the bench or catch my breath.

We played in the water and I jumped, yes I said jumped, off the ground into the air – something I would not even have considered before the jumping jacks at Fitness North that I thought were going to kill me! (Thank you Leif and Jay. I hated those damn jumping jacks but they obviously helped.)

We went shopping in the high end stores in Nye’s Beach and I walked into the store with my mom and niece and bought “regular” size clothes that are pretty darn out of character (not big and baggy) for me and was shocked at the difference in how the sales clerks treated me now that I am regular sizes. I was able to buy clothes in these stores, whereas for years, I could only admire the clothes and buy accessories like scarves, jewelry and handbags. My Mom and niece were so supportive and we had fun shopping togehter. I walked out in style and a few hundred dollars lite! 🙂

So, as my mind wanders these days to being overwhelmed by the second half of the journey, or the fact that these past few weeks the weight has not come off as easily or as quickly, I must take stock and celebrate the progress to date. All this while taking in the incredible support that continues to surround me and keep me moving forward one day, one step at a time.

Today, a new Fitness North camp starts at Surfside on Lake Superior. I will see my FN family, as well as my Bluefin Bay family. And I can once again thank the FN team for their help in changing my life. So today is about celebrating the progress of this journey and how incredibly fortunate I am to be right where I am today as opposed to where I was only six short months ago.

I invite anyone reading this who wants to reach out, to please do so. And I send all of you in my life who have supported me beyond my wildest dreams to take stock and celebrate with me. I love you. You, of course, know who you are. The wind beneath my wings, the lions in my den. I will need you in these coming months, perhaps more than ever before. Until we meet again…think progress, not perfection. And I will do the same.

Lori