Resilience

My road to #IronGirlLynnell has been detoured.  The Orthopedic surgeon suspects I have some small tears or possible vein issues, the details will be forthcoming after the MRI scan and venous doppler ultrasound. The first word that comes to mind when I reflect on this opportunity to heal is resilience.
According to dictionary.com resilience has two definitions:

Resilience:

1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed or stretched; elasticity.
2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity or the like; buoyancy.

In fact, my resilience has been tested in multiple facets of my life in the last few weeks.  

I have been working to reach my second goal as a triathlete:  complete Iron Girl Columbia on August 20, 2017, while raising money for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.  I set out with 12-week training schedule and a fund raising page with a $3000 goal https://ulman.z2systems.com/IronGirlLynnell, only to find myself sidelined 5 weeks before the race.  I tried to negotiate with the doctor to see I could be back to 100% in time, he simple responded, "our first priority is your health".  So I asked for a note for the race coordinator and started on my road to recovery.  Family, friends and co-workers I have shared this news with, have responded with kind words of encouragement.

I honestly feel my ability to recover from adversity, i.e., resilience, has been challenged at a higher rate than usual lately. These test of my resilience extend beyond the #IronGirlLynnell detour,  but this like the other examples, where I've faced challenges, bumps in the road, a blip on the radar, I command the strength from within to maintain a resolve to recover.  It may take some mental time, in this case some physical time too, but I will recover and move forward to accomplish the goals I set.

In the meantime and in between time, though I'm tempted to eat ice cream and Bon Bons, I've committed to continue to eat healthier and work on getting "Angela Basset arms" via pushups, while I follow doctor's orders to get back to 100%

Sidelined

Down but not out,

Lynnell

"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew." - Cicely Tyson

Resurgence

"There is Power in my silence but not because I have something to hide but because I have something to say."

A couple years back I started writing this blog post, but I didn't realize it would be years before I'd return to it.  I've often remained silent in very difficult situations, not allowing my feelings to be expressed.  It was and is a coping mechanism to maintain my composure in adversity against people who demonstrate that they don't respect or value my opinion.  Fortunately, I've been blessed to be surrounded by a circle of true friends that I can always rely on to share my most intimate thoughts without fear they would be dismissed or trampled upon. I've learned to work hard to chose my words carefully and as I've aged, I have been more selective about who and what I share with others, not because I want to keep things from people but because I've learned to be as selective with my circle as I am with the words I use.

Writing this post today is about being my authentic self, telling my story from my perspective and in a way that I value.  So why now, why today after nearly two years since my last entry?  It's simple, I was inspired by a friend.  I called him today, in my usual fashion when he answered I immediately said hello and "This is Lynnell".  We ended up reviewing this again, because as consistent as he has been at telling me he knows it's me, I've been equally consistent at explaining that this is a habit I've maintained even in the age of caller i.d. and saved cell phone contacts.  I even went as far as to identify it as my "personal brand tag line," and that it is in fact the name of my blog and my personal twitter handle.  I informed him that I started blogging as a means to share my weight loss journey and hadn't shared in some years.  Well that was enough to get the thoughts moving and well here I am posting this entry.

Driving home, I thought more about this blog and what do I really mean when I say, "This is Lynnell."  Of course I have joked with many about how if I call and you don't hear that as a part of my salutation, then be suspicious that it may not really be me on the other line.  But those who know me well and definitely those who know me best, know there is usually a much deeper meaning to my methods.  A true analogy to the idea, "a method to my madness."  I've had some set backs and some accomplishments on my weight loss journey.  Why start this post with sharing something from the past to move forward today? It's because I value authenticity. So I'm picking up where I left off to move on to this next stage of my journey.

So what about the weight loss journey?  My journey continues, and as we move into the second half of 2017, I can say the first half of 2017 was full of kudos and proud moments.  From learning how to swim to completing my first triathlon.  The rough patches from 2016 have been muted by the strong start to 2017.  How much and how often I will post remains to be seen.  But tonight a joking conversation with a friend about my "personal brand tag line" reminded me of why I started this blog several years ago and I continue to say "This is Lynnell."  It's important for me to share my journey for me and to be a positive presence for people that may be on a similar journey.  The best gifts are the ones you share, so I've been given this gift of words to share with you.

Authentically,
This is Lynnell
@ThisIsLynnell

"Don't be the same, be better." - Life Advice