Do you have a moment or experience that you’ve been through that you constantly go back to in your mind? A moment you replay or strive to live up to again or just relish in the memory of the enjoyment or satisfaction?
I do. A few actual. Clearly the birth of my son was a pretty awesome experience in my life, but if I look beyond that, my highlight reel always pauses at the finish line of my first triathlon.
Honestly, completing any triathlon for the first time probably would have stuck with me for awhile, but this one was different because of what I’d been going through at the time and everything that lead up to that monumental finish.
If you’ve been reading for awhile {awhiiiiile} you already know my story. It’s the reason this blog exists, so I’d have an outlet to vent and whine and virtually cry without annoying my family anymore than I already had.
Years ago, out of nowhere, a large bruise appeared on the top of my foot. Instead of fading, it grew and grew, and became more and more painful. The pain spread across my foot, getting worse and worse. As I hunted for an answer, it spread to my other foot. I continued to knock down the doors of a thousand different doctors as it spread to both my hands. I’d reached a point where it consumed my life; everything hurt and simple tasks became nearly impossible. It hurt to walk, to write, to button my pants. But mostly, it crushed my mental resilience. I was depressed and just short of hopeless.
For whatever reason, months and months into the journey, I reached into the deepest depths of my last little bit of mental strength left and decided if I couldn’t physically make myself better I was going to do everything I could to conquer this obstacle in a different way.
I’d been a runner all my life, in some shape or form. I was always active and enjoyed exercising and physical activity. This had brought it all to a halt and that was just one of the many reasons I had a hard time dealing with it – I had no mental outlet left. I couldn’t just take off and run and let the endorphins sort things out for me.
I had to find a way to replace those endorphins, so I got the ridiculous idea to sign up for a triathlon – it would force me to try new things like biking and swimming. I’d figure out the running part later.
Low and behold, months later, I crossed that finish line. It may not have been the most graceful or the most glorious of race moments, but it was pivotal to me. I learned I conquer anything if I put my mind and will to it, even if my body didn’t want to make it easy for me.
Now when things get tough, I look back on that moment and the journey that led up to it, and it’s easier to put things in perspective.
That’s my Truly Radiant Finish. What’s yours?
P.S. As you can see, this post is sponsored by Arm & Hammer™ Truly Radiant™. Through the end of 2015, they’re commemorating #TrulyRadiantFinish moments and allowing women to give back at the same time. They’ve partnered with City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center to launch a social media initiative encouraging women to share their radiant moments using #TrulyRadiantFinish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and will donate $1 to City of Hope for each use of the hashtag. So get sharing your truly radiant moments so they can get donating!
They also have a line of TrulyRadiant products, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a rinse, to help give a “truly radiant finish” in your every day life. I didn’t think teeth cleansers would interest me but I actually really like the toothbrush and toothpaste. The brush has a spinny head that feels cool when you brush and the toothpaste is kind of baking-soda—y in a good way {not too strong a taste, but refreshing}. So there’s that.
Again, this is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arm & Hammer™.
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