For thirty-five years I could not keep up a workout routine. I would start and stop, start and stop. That all shifted when I made a pledge to walk Monday through Friday. Rain or shine, five days a week, I shoved two toddlers into a double stroller while the other two were at school. We walked every single school day in 2010-2011. And yes, that was the winter when some parts of New England saw over 30” of snow. We couldn’t even access the sidewalks some days, but that didn’t stop us. There was no negotiation in my head when the alarm went off, maybe I’ll do Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday this week instead of Monday/Wednesday/Friday. I scheduled it and got it done first thing in the morning—case closed.

I’m a dependable presence in the lives of a lot of people. It finally clicked that I deserve the benefit of that dependability just as much as everyone else. That non-negotiable serves my overall health, but it also does wonders for all that anger that builds up when I put everyone else’s needs before my own. No one was ever going to suggest that I take more time to care for myself. Taking care of myself is completely my responsibility. And it turns out, if someone has a problem with it, that’s very much their problem and not at all mine. It works out beautifully.

Happy New Year TeamConfessions!