Never too late...

I talked to someone today who I haven't seen in a few years.  She has been through a ton.  As a drug addict she stole, lied, prostituted herself, betrayed her family, and spent time in prison.  She was given another chance, seemed to get it together, and went right out and did it again.

And then another chance.  I heard rumors that she was doing well, but I a tually saw her and talked to her today.  She looks incredible.  She has been clean and sober for a while now.  She has reconciled with her family, and has really built a solid wonderful life for herself.  I am thrilled for her!

For every one of these success stories, as I have unfoetunately seen, there is the tragic story of someone who doesn't get another chance.  It is too late.  

And in between, of course, is a whole array of those who succeed and fail, stride forward, fall back, do great for weeks and then relapse - for days, weeks or months and start over again.

Sound familiar?  The great thing about the weight struggle is we almost always get another day, another chance.  Rarely does our choice to binge or eat badly result in an instant death.

But that's the curse, too, isn't it?  The thought that you can always quit tomorrow.  I promised myself that I would start exercising and eating right "tomorrow" for YEARS.  And tomorrow would come and here I would be - stuffing my face with Oreos while sitting my ass on the couch and getting fatter and fatter.

So that's where the balance comes in, right?  If we want to win this, we have to hold ourselves accountable.  To eat right and exercise as if our lives depend on it.  Because while the heroin addict might make a bad choice and instantly die, many of us are slowly killing ourselves - I was dangerously close, I have no doubt, of being yet another statistic of a woman having a heart attack - maybe it would have even killed me.

But in that accountability, we also should recognize that there IS almost always a tomorrow.  So a day's failure does not give us an excuse to give up.  We live, we learn, and we fight another day!  

If we are lucky enough to get yet another chance, we should not waste it!!