When I look at this picture I see so many things…I see the yard my children’s birthday parties occurred in when they were growing up – Evan’s 4-year-old Winnie the Pooh Blustery Day Picnic;  Tamara’s 8-year-old western sleepover.  I remember when we first moved in over 20 years ago and the ash tree was a starter tree.  We have watched it grow year after year drop seeds in the summer that catch the wind and look like little whirly gigs spinning to the earth as we floated in the pool.  Then the season changes to fall and the leaves of the tree seem to endlessly drop in large batches until the lawn is covered in a quilt of yellow, orange and brown.  We would often wonder as we raked those leaves if they would ever stop dropping  but then one day you notice the branches are as bare as a newborn’s behind and you await new growth  that comes in the spring to bring shade back to the summer days ahead. We have celebrated anniversaries, bridal showers, holidays  and a few weeks ago we watched our son (yes, that same child who had his 4-year-old birthday party) and his sweetheart exchange their wedding vows.   

It was in February of this year that both our yard and I began to be refurbished a bit.  We were both a bit worn out.  For several years every time I saw the wall outside, it reminded me of how I felt on certain days.  It wasn’t that effort was being put into keeping us up and running but what was being tried wasn’t effective.   In the next few weeks I’ll be sharing lessons I’ve learned through this experience, share progress as we worked on getting the yard ready for the special day and a little of my continuing progress in regards to my health  journey.

Lesson 1 – Bring in the experts or at least someone who knows more than you do and knows what tools to use.

 As I said we had tried to take care of that wall by ourselves with a brush, a sprayer,  etc but nothing lasted, nothing blended well and we couldn’t patch the holes that were beginning to appear.  Looking back I wonder how many hours and dollars we spent trying to do it on our own.   What a difference when we paid someone who had a skill set we didn’t.  It felt like a miracle that in only a few days time we went from the picture above to this.  Old plants had been removed, tree roots had been shaved and oh the wall was smooth – no holes and ready for a coat of paint that would stick.

We did paint the wall ourselves – so much blue painter tape before the sprayer could be used but worth it.

Lesson 2 – Invest in what you want to accomplish.  My dad has a saying about having a choice to either “Work hard or Work SMART.”   When we find the right tools for the right job, it stops being so hard.  That doesn’t mean there isn’t effort but we have a plan to meet the goals on hand.  I know this proved especially true for me when it came to implementing consistent nutrition and exercise.  Purchasing a $60.00 at-home program became the catalyst of change with an on-line coach and group support.  I found the right tools for the right season.  I didn’t have to design a program; my job was to follow it to the best of my ability.  The picture on the left was taken in September and the picture on the right was when I got started on February 16th.

I am happy to say that both the wall and I are in a much better place.