Just another lousy day in paradise.  Last week, while my grandkids were on their spring break from school, I took them to Paradise Cove, a beautiful stretch of beach on the Malibu, CA coastline.  The water is shallow for a bit so it is safe for the 8 year old, and a short walk down the beach there are fun tide pools for everyone to explore.

What you cannot see is a little hermit crab crawling on my hands.

I started my day, like most others, by going to the gym at 6:30 for my morning workout.  Then I went into work for 2 hours, then picked up the kids and drove down the coast.  It was a perfect 80 degree day at the beach.  Clear blue skies overhead, not too hot, a slight onshore breeze.  We unpacked the car and trekked through the sand and parked our towels and shoes and water and clothes and headed for the tide pools.  After playing with starfish, hermit crabs and anemone for about an hour I was volunteered to walk back up to the restaurant to reserve an outdoor table for lunch.  Off I went with a smile on my face.  I was having a great time running around at the shore, playing with the kids, enjoying the day and my wonderful family.  I went up to the restaurant, checked in, was given a pager and headed back down to retrieve the others.  All of this still with a smile on my face and in my heart.

We were seated for lunch and I ordered Gazpacho with shrimp because I knew cold tomato soup with bay shrimp would be a good safe choice.  The great thing was, I could not finish it.  When I was sitting there, still in the sunshine and fresh air, feeling happy and satisfied, I started thinking about how far I had come.  Just 6 years ago I would have either gone to work or gone with the kids somewhere- not enough energy for both.  Four years ago I would have gone to the gym in the morning and probably just taken the kids to the beach.  Two years ago I would have gone to the gym, come into work for a bit and taken the kids to the beach.  I would have never made it up and down the beach twice.  I would have been exhausted by the time we had returned once from the tide pools.  This time, approaching my 6^th year with a lap band and at 61 years old, I went to the gym, then worked for 2 hours, then  took the kids to the beach and walked back and forth on the beach, in out of the surf and the tide pools, up to the restaurant and back, and still had energy to spare.

Life is a miracle, my grandkids are blessings, and every day I am grateful for my lap band.

If you ‘re early in your journey, take a moment to think about where you would like to be a year from now.

Those who have been on this journey for a while, take a moment and reflect on what something you are doing today would have been like before you were banded.