Appreciating accomplishments...

It's funny how I see my accomplishments differently then other people.  There are so many things that I'm like so impressed with myself and other people are like - yeah, so?  And then there's other things that I don't think are a big deal at all that other people are impressed with.

Today I ran 12 miles.  I set off to do 10, hoping my Achilles would hold out.  And I'm delighted to tell you that I felt GREAT.  I even smoked a great time - including under an 8 minute mile on the last mile when I felt like I was flying.  Usually I am fatigued by the end of a long run like that and my mile time sucks, but not today!

So you're thinking - yes, that is an accomplishment, right?

But that's not the biggest deal for me this weekend!  And when you hear what it is you are going to laugh.

Marc and I took the dogs to our local park yesterday.  And as we were walking them we detoured a little through a path they have where there are all these fitness stations.  One of the fitness stations had monkey bars.

You know what monkey bars are, right?  

And I said to Marc - "Do you think I can do those?"  And he said "Try it!"

You see, when I was a kid, the place to hang out was the playground.  And they had monkey bars there.  And I used to watch all the other kids swing from bar to bar and I was so jealous.  Because all I could do was HANG there - arms pressed against the side of my head - I wasn't going anywhere.  I was fat with no upper body strength, so swinging along the monkey bars - no way.

So yesterday I climbed those bottom rungs and grasped the bar.  And I took a deep breath and let myself hang from the first bar.  I hung there for a minute and looked over at Marc who was watching me expectantly, and the dogs that were also watching with a "What the fuck is she doing?" expression.

And I hung there, almost afraid to move - afraid I would fail.  And then I reached out and grasped the next bar.  And the next and the next.  I swung all the way across that mother-fucker and it was GLORIOUS!  

Not much of an accomplishment to some, but to me it was so more then a few monkey bars....