2022 - RUN TOWARD THE ROAR

It's raining.  Not startling news for a Pacific Northwest January.  But it's welcomed by me today as the temperatures rise above freezing and nearly foot of snow covering our neighborhood finally begins to melt away.  The snow fell on Christmas night and all day the 26th, about 7 inches, then a couple days later another 3-4 inches and the temperatures stayed in the teens and 20's for the duration -- actually the longest stretch of below freezing temps in 23 years.  Not typical.  But it was beautiful, even if I decided to stay in where it was warm (not a fan of being cold) and did not brave driving on hills.

But today I'm glad for the rain because I had to go get a Covid test, pre-colonoscopy.  Yes; I really know how to start the New Year in a sparkly manner!  Colonoscopy on Tuesday morning means I am forbidden to eat anything but a clear liquid diet starting Monday morning.  Hello chicken broth, jello, and laxative-laced Gatorade!  This. Is. Not. Fun.  But since this torture only happens every 10 years, my doc tells me this will likely be my last colonoscopy procedure unless they find something startling.  So, that's good, I guess. After 80 years old they must just figure, well, why bother?  Which I do take exception with, so we will see.  Anyway...

There was a long line for the drive-through Covid test.  I'm not surprised.  Here's some jolly New Year news:  We are in the midst of a dramatic upturn in Covid 19 cases due to the super contagious "Omicron" variant's spread.  Hub and I and our family are vaccinated, even the kids, and boosted.  We thought we'd all be fine.  But this one can also attack those who are immunized, as it did one family member after a Christmas gathering.  The vaccinated who contract it likely won't get super sick, or end up in the ICU, or die as is happening at an alarming rate among the unvaccinated.  But we could still contract the virus, test positive, and develop symptoms that do not go away -- loss of taste and smell, debilitating fatigue, brain fog -- the "long-haul Covid" we are learning about as the virus settles into infected bodies and hangs around.

So Hub and I are hunkered down again doing a semi- self-quarantine for what we hope is relatively short duration until this spike goes back down to the "new normal" of acceptable risk. (Ask me how enraged I am at those millions in the U.S. who are anti-vaxxers and continue to allow this virus to spread, even at their own peril, with new more resistant variants popping up routinely!  Grrrr.)   I am not seeing anyone in person; Hub is doing at home rapid response tests before and after his snowboarding trips with close friends.  We are taking a break from family gatherings.  I love you friends.  I love you family.  But I don't want your Covid.  Back to Zoom.

On a happier health note.  I'VE LOST 15 POUNDS!  I was going to wait to announce this until I dropped 5 more to reach my new goal weight (after 15, I adjusted downward another 5.)   I truly don't think it should have taken me so long to lose a measly 15 pounds.  Some people can do that in very short order, but maybe because I didn't have a lot to lose, relatively speaking, to be at a healthier, height-appropriate weight it came off slowly?  I don't know.  I should be a weight loss biochemistry wizard by now with all I've read, practiced, and learned.  But mostly I'm just following Noom (Google it if you are unfamiliar) and credit that program for being PERFECT for psychology-obsessed, introspection-compulsive me.  I love my Noom program, my Noom support group, my Noom group leader, but mostly the motivation I found there to get to a body weight that I have not seen in decades and which has allowed me to take the black shrouds off all my full-length mirrors.  Huzzah!  

So, the New Year has begun with lots of "new" on the horizon for me.  I'll dive into specifics as time goes on.  For now, I'm grateful to be feeling hopeful, curious, determined, and relatively at ease.  Mid-late December was a rough period when I mostly felt none of that, so January is starting out downright giddy.

I hope you too are grabbing January in a big bear hug.  We all have to embrace the joy when it comes.  God knows, challenges lie ahead.  Scary world, scary decisions, risk, and reward. But we got this.  Let's join hands, conjure up some courage, and run toward the roar!

At least, that's the view from here...©