How do you eat an elephant?

This is a question that a respiratory therapist asked me, when I was working at a hospital in Cali. He asked me this right in the midst of the worst shift ever. 

I looked at him, extremely annoyed and said, "uh I don't know". 

He said very simply, "one bite at a time". I walked away from him like I didn't have time for the clever BS. 

But this really stuck with me. 

This year is 2020. I can't believe we're already here, but somehow that how time works it catches you by surprise and you don't even know it. 

Years past I made the same resolutions most people do... Lose weight, go to the gym, blah blah blah. 

This year i'm focusing on different aspects of my life, because my worth is so much more than the numbers on a scale. 

Quality of life is something that can't be measured. This is something that you see a lot in healthcare. People want to count the days they have left, but don't focus on the day itself. 

I've made a crazy commitment this year that scares me a little. I've joined Run the Year with a six friends, on two teams of three. We will run 2020 miles in the year 2020. 

My portion is 675 miles. What have I signed myself up for? Well Ive got a few things checked... 

I've put myself outside my comfort zone. Check. 

Made a commitment that I'm not even sure I'll be able to reach. Check. 

Could I possibly be letting my teammates down? Maybe. So I'll just check this. 

But when I think about eating an elephant. How do you do it? One bite at a time. 

One mile at a time. One foot in front of the other. 

Then I think to myself why i'm doing this??

The answer is... because I have the time. Because I can. Because i'm capable. Because one day I won't be able to accomplish this. I can't put this off. My health is not an expense. This is my journey and I have to make it count. 

This year I will put myself first, so I can pour good things from my personal cup for my family. I will put my mental health above everything. 

I will raise really, great little humans. I will continue to pour good thoughts into their heads and help them understand how wonderful they are. 

I will be my best self for my husband. I will be understanding and continue to navigate all the winds and rough waves the military creates for us, but the best part is I don't have to do it alone. 

I will love myself a little more because I deserve that. I will continue to work on things that matter, ignoring the things that don't and being more gentle with myself. I will rest when I need to, push myself when I can and ask for help when I need help. <<< Thats a big one. I will need a constant reminder that a 6 minute mile is just as far as a 12 minute mile. 

First 3.3 miler of the year. Wizarding Run complete!

I will continue to be a great friend and run with people that share this love. 

I will be a great nurse/mentor for my patients and new nurses. There's something about putting on some red lipstick and knowing that you can handle whatever comes at you! 

Here's to you. Here's to me. Here's to all the miles and memories that 2020 will bring. Like any of my journeys I'll be blogging and griping about all the little things along the way. 

Here's to the next 675 miles!!