My Journey With Health And Fitness – Nearing The Finish Line

Yesterday I went to my final Grief Through Creativity session and I must say these have been far more helpful than I had anticipated. I really like that they have focused more on the impact of the memories and how to carry them forward in a healthy manner. This session involved writing out messages to your loved one, reading them out loud (if comfortable doing so) then lighting them on fire and placing them in the bucket. The point of this was helping those constant messages get out of your head and out in the open. By time we were done all of us were in tears but it was so cathartic. Afterwards I made a memory jar for my brother that anyone can just drop in a memory of him.

I am down to the last few days of my challenge of walking 300 km by December 12th. I admit yesterday one of the messages I wrote was that I was doing this fundraising challenge for my brother because that is why I am pushing myself like this. I want to think he is looking down on me and being proud. I explained yesterday that I would like it so that no person as young as 42 ever has a heart attack because that is what happened to him. As I state on my fundraising page, he had his first heart attack at 42 and his 3rd and final one at 57. One day I truly hope heart attacks don’t exist.

So, technically 3 days left and even if the horrible rainy weather impacts tomorrow I still know I am going to make my goal. As a matter of fact, I am at day 9 and I have already walked 250 km. There were 3 days last week that I kicked it up to 30 km a day and the past 2 days I have done the same. The goal is 30 km tomorrow then 20 km on Thursday then the crazy daily walking will be done. Then, I am on to serious pressure nagging all my friends who knew my brother to do their bit and get me to my fundraising goal. As I’ve got until December 31st I’m pretty sure I can do it. Oh, and the walking won’t stop, it will just be scaled back to about 15 km/day.

As I near the finish line for the walking goal I realize it has really been a good thing to do because I was doing it for my brother. Because of that I don’t even think about how much I have walked but rather how if he was here he would have on his lopsided grin telling me that I am f%*king insane all the while being proud of me for doing it.