Skip to main content

When it's time it's time

 When I was a child and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, the response varied greatly through the years. Having once wanting to be a nun (I can hear the guffaws and peels of laughter now!) to an attorney (I married one and birthed two instead) to being secretary of state (diplomacy was gift) to being an actress (still love a stage!) and to being a journalist (did the latter off and on). 

Not once would I have responded to being a mother or bookstore clerk or Weight Watcher coach - but those last three turned out to be my jam. Those last three are where I have found the greatest joy, had an impact and felt most comfortable. And yesterday, I had my last Weight Watcher's workshop saying goodbye to members and to coworkers that hold a special place in my heart. As a coach, I was honored to walk alongside members as they struggled with emotional issues and self doubts but also when they gained strength and control over life-long mindsets that were holding them back. A Weight Watcher workshop is not all about recipes!



I got to stand (or sit) in front of as many as 60 members at a time (amazingly I knew their names) and lead discussions about health related topics. I loved using humor to create a safe and engaging place, hugs and high fives to support individuals and occasionally some tough love to help someone see what they couldn't see. For thirty (if I was on schedule) to forty five minutes (most often the case!) I felt in my element and where I was meant to be.

As a coach, we often hear about the impact we have on the members we serve- helping them reach goals and overcome obstacles. But here's the kicker - as a coach the members have a huge impact on us as well, an indelible mark on my heart where they will be forever. I loved my time as a WW coach - I just wish it was a role I'd found sooner in my life so I could have had more time to be a WW coach.



But when it's time, it's time.

I have a beautiful grandson who I cannot wait to be with as often as the parents allow. And I have a wonderful  husband who retired two years ago that I will now have more freedom to join in last minute or planned excursions and adventures. My life will be full, I have no doubt.

Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 28, 2023 at 8:09 PM

    Love that you were a coach! Grandkids are the best, most of the time! 😂We currently babysit our 13 month old granddaughter on Mondays. Thankfully, for the most part, she is a good baby. The older 3 - almost 8, just 6, and almost 2 1/2 every other Tuesday. Those days are 10 hour days! The 2 older are homeschooled. I usually spend about 1 1/2 hours, on those days, doing some of that which mom sends! After being a Children’s Leader for BSF for about 8 years, I ended up not doing it this year. Time to focus on the grands! ENJOY that little guy! We are thankful ours live nearby!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Parenting

I just read a post on Facebook regarding the dearth of parenting. The poster was describing a scene where two young girls were pelting rocks at some ducks in our little town and how he observed no parents around telling these girls that it was wrong to torture little innocent animals. Within hours, there were 15 responses - all alluding to a lack of parenting that is evident nearly everywhere today. Stick with me here - because that conversation reminded me of one I'd had recently that might not seem related to parenting at all. It was with my oldest son about his concern about the selfishness of our culture - most recently evident in the Wall Street meltdown. He believes that we are too focused on "Me" and not enough on "We" and if we had a little more focus on the total and just not our part, we would be in a much better place. Still there? Okay, here's the cement that will hold this together - those girls pelting little ducks with rocks weren't likely...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tough time to be a Pollyanna

Remember when 9/11 was just a date or a number you called in an emergency? Our lives changed dramatically post 9/11. For weeks after that September day, we seemed to walk around in a fog, like the haze that loomed over the now-fallen twin towers. I remember trying to minimize my obsession with the news, trying to keep the three little Piggins away from the enormity of the disaster. Remember when corona was simply a beer best served with a lime wedge? It now and forever will be instead associated with this virus that has upended our world in ways we could never have imagined. This tiny little, microscopic virus has brought the mighty to their knees. It has us quarantined and distancing socially (though I believe we've been doing this emotionally for years) and working from home. As anxiety peaks, our economy tanks. As toilet paper and hand sanitizer flies off the shelves, we are looking for new ways to stock our pantries. A good friend observed, "I never thought I'd...
Post a Comment
Read more

Emily Post of wheelchair etiquette

I've been in my wheelchair now for over a year - sometimes it seems like 20 and others times seems like days. Depends on a lot of things including my mood for the day (whether my 'get-up-and-go' got up and went), the weather (let's face it even the heartiest of Michiganders don't always want to venture out in blustery, snowy or icy days) and what's on the agenda (if I have a date with my hubby or going to see the not-so-little Piggins). Another variable, about my attitude towards the wheelchair, however is what I believe I will receive from some people when they see me in the wheelchair. What I mean is, some people see ME in a wheelchair and others see me in a WHEELCHAIR. Many times someone will see me coming and give me a look of sorrow or pity - it's a look that gets under my skin and makes me want to scream "You don't see me -I'm not pitiful I'm in a wheelchair!" (actually, what I want to scream sometimes includes a few four-letter...
Post a Comment
Read more