There’s A First Time For Everything
The first time I smoked a cigarette was in 6th grade. A friend and I got our hands on some smokes (She lifted them from her mom’s purse….Newports) and went behind a church on my block after school one day. We got caught by the church janitor who called my principal (perhaps my school uniform gave me away??) who called my mom. That was pretty much the end of my smoking career. For my birthday this year, my son and daughter-in-love gave me a StoryWorth subscription.
Every week I get sent a question about my life. As I answer it in story form, all of my stories are gathered and will be made into a book for my granddaughter. Yes, the smoking story was included!
The first time I drove in the snow was in the aftermath of the Chicago Blizzard of ’79.
I still love to drive in the snow.
The first time (ok, the only time) I fell in love was in December 1982 when I met my husband.
Geeesh! I was 19!
The first time I ate Chinese food in a restaurant was in the summer of ’83. As a nursing student, I had spent the summer taking care of a young mother in her 30’s with metastatic breast cancer. She died by August. Before I left for college again that Fall, my patient’s husband and little daughter took me out to lunch at a local Chinese restaurant.
Goodness, that little girl is 43 today.
The first time I stepped onto a hospital floor as a nurse was in 1985.
The first time I sat in a chair as a Health Coach was 2016.
The first time I became a mother was in 1987…then 1993 and 1997.
The first time, the only time, I miscarried was in 1998.
The first time (ok, the only time) I parasailed was in 2015 in Hawaii. Terrifyingly beautiful.
The first time I became a grandparent was in 2022.
The first time our granddaughter stayed with us overnight was last week (absolutely delightful and yes….I’m wiped out). Our little Selena is a “Grandpa’s Girl.” It was so sweet to watch her hold her arms out for him. Admittedly, he wasn’t around for many of the days/nights when the kids were little. He always had great responsibility with the Illinois State Police. At one point Grandpa said to me, “How did you do all of this when the kids were younger?” Oh it was easy, I said…I was 30 years younger!
Our lives are made up of many “first times.”
Some of them we mark annually and cherish. Others, we just want to get through the day.
But the truth is, most of our days are very ordinary. Nothing special. No big surprises. Just one foot in front of the other.
How are you doing with the ordinary? How are you doing with the surprises?
You don’t need to be a middle-aged woman to experience some health/life surprises.
Maybe you have received a diagnosis that you weren’t expecting.
Or perhaps a relationship ended.
Or retirement came a little sooner than you thought it would.
Maybe your body isn’t holding up so well…you let your good habits go.
Ok, what is just one thing you can do today?
Talk to someone about how you’re feeling.
Start thinking about another job you can pursue.
Clean up the way you eat.
Drink more fresh, clean water.
Journal your feelings.
Start a new exercise routine (Hello, WALKING!)
Start Intermittent Fasting….this is where a good coach comes in. I’ll walk you through it!
Can you use some outside help?
Friend, let’s talk. I don’t like the thought of you going it alone. That’s why I’m here for you.
That’s why I do what I do.
Let’s chat for 20 minutes.
That’s all I need (and all you need) to figure out if you could use a coach in your “corner of the ring” during this time.
Take good care!
Renee