I honestly can’t remember if I have told this story here or not, but it’s that time of year when I get more contemplative, so please indulge me if I have. If so, hopefully there will at least be something new here to make it a bit more interesting!

Last year, just before my 40th birthday (in June), I went to my son’s school for the Mother’s Day tea. I had been feeling a little wonky, with some pretty bad back pain and a few sporadic stomach issues. Nothing big, and (I thought) nothing to really worry about. Anyway, fast forward to my sweet boy’s Mother’s Day party in his kindergarten class. All the moms were there, our kids had made placemats and they all got up to get our plates. I felt exceptionally strange and thought that while he was getting my food, I’d duck out to the bathroom and just take a minute. Feeling stranger and stranger, I couldn’t pull myself together, and a friend came and got me- before she could have me sit down, I fainted dead away, in front of all the poor kindergartners, moms, and everyone.

No one knew what was going on, least of all me, but I couldn’t get up, was dizzy and nauseous and apparently had gone from normal to seriously jaundiced in a matter of moments. Fortunately, my friend, another mom, is also a doctor, and while someone ran to get the school nurse, she had someone call 911. After I got to the hospital and had a CT scan, they determined that not only was my gall bladder completely full of stones, but I also had a 6mm stone completely blocking my liver. If I had gone much longer, or had that “episode” happended at home, I most likely wouldn’t have made it. My organs were starting to shut down. After 6 days in the hospital, I was able to come home, short a gall bladder, but feeling much better. I had ended up with severe pancreatitis, and they weren’t even able to take my gall bladder until that had subsided. Talk about something “scaring you straight.”

That’s not to say that I was, at the time (or ever really) living a terribly unhealthy lifestyle. However, I was definitely heavier than I wanted to be, didn’t eat as well as I should, didn’t get any exercise to speak of, and just was generally living a stress filled existence that had me with my head down powering through more often than looking up to see where I was going. Right on the heels of this, I turned 40, and it really did make me take a closer look at my life- where I had been, where I was going. I know, I know- deep stuff.

Anyway, that was when I really started trying to pay more attention, put my focus where it needed to be, and make sure that I at least had more control over my health. I certainly understand that you can’t totally prevent things from happening, but it seems at this point in my life that I am absolutely sure I need to do everything I can to make sure I’m living the healthiest life I can.  And that I’m helping my family do the same.

What does that mean, as I sit here, just over a year from my “episode”, and just a couple of weeks shy of 41? I have committed, and remain committed, to working out on a regular basis- at least five times a week. I’ve managed to stick with this pretty well for the last 6 months or so. I plan to do even better this year. I drink less (almost not at all- to the dismay of friends), though I don’t feel any need at all to do it, and feel so much better when I don’t. I eat better, and in fact totally stopped eating red meat and pork, most fried foods, and try to limit my refined sugars. Again, I feel SO much better by doing this. (I’m not saying I don’t eat sweets anymore at all, I mean, that would be crazy talk. I do control myself better though.) My plan is to continue to be better at this as well.

In a nutshell, this year of 40 has been a totally crazy one, but one that I think for all the trials and struggles, was well done, overall. My plan- as much as I can control it- is to live this year better (and to do that with every coming year, whatever that may mean).

Of course, (and this is for you, Whit) I would love to have Michelle Obama’s arms, Gwen Stefani’s abs, etc. But at 40, now almost 41, I’m okay with not having either. Having my family, and living my life to the best of my ability, is the most important thing.

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