UP week 18

No scale this week my friends. I am visiting family, eating delicious homemade meals and not saying no to the tempting desserts. I committed to only 3 workouts this week, 1.5 days of drinking a full GALLON of water and then I fell back into my old habit of giving into temptation. I have every intention of resuming the workouts, water intake and food tracking when I get back home.

The point of this very short visit (3 days) back home to Canada, was to have our family together, possibly for the last time. I say this because our father is sick. He is living with stage 4 terminal cancer, no treatment options, just making the most of whatever time he has left. Tomorrow will be the hardest day because its another goodbye. My dad is hyper aware of his health and to hear him say the word 'goodbye' as he wells up with tears, is absolutely heart wrenching. I've said it before and I will say it again, thank God for technology because we can video chat as often as we want. It lessens the sting of having to physically walk away (literally, my dad will walk to the elevator doors and the doors close as he stands there with his walker, crying).

I am learning at the ripe old age of 36, that relationships are fragile. Intentions can be well-meaning but execution can fall short. I count my blessings to have friends and family who never second guess my actions or who feel secure enough that there is no need for constant communication. Life is a balancing act and we all need people to help in times of need and to celebrate/share in times of good fortune. I'm feeling really sentimental today because I have been surrounded by some of my favorite human beings lately. Simple pleasures like sharing a coffee, eating homemade pasta, catching up on the Y&R, laughing at a kitchen table, our petting a bunch of adorable puppies; it's all seared in my memory. My dad's reality forces me to appreciate the things that would normally be easily forgotten or overlooked. This whole weekend, as fast as it has gone by, feels like I'm living in slow motion. Tomorrow is the only thing I feel apprehensive about, tomorrow closes the chapter on Family Day Weekend 2023, a weekend I will look back on as a privilege, not a chore.