Stop and savor today...

This morning as I was getting ready to leave the house to get my workout in for the day I was watching the Today show. They were featuring a piece on the snowboarder Kevin Pearce who had a tragic fall in December and it still trying to recover. He went from being a hopeful for a gold medal to now trying to learn how to walk and talk again.

This morning in the interview they were speaking to his father who said he will never forget the first time his son was able to squeeze his hand and what a special moment that was. After all Kevin has achieved, just the act of squeezing his fathers hand became a victory.

I was watching this and felt so touched for many reasons. First of all I am so thankful that this young man is alive and working hard to recover. But I also started thinking about my own life. We make so many excuses in our lives at times as to why we cannot reach our goals. There are moments were we all take for granted the simple act of walking, talking and even breathing. It makes me feel bad for the days that I sit and complain about aches and pains when you think about what others are having to fight through.

Sometimes the days can pass so quickly that we fail to stop and remember how precious each day is. Think about those whose days are limited. They must count each one as such a blessing knowing that their time on this earth may soon be coming to an end. I know for me I tend to think long term at times. I have goals that I want to reach in 3 months, 6 months and next year. But what about today? What about living in the here and now? This is my desire. Living in the moment as if this day was my last. What would I do differently? How would I treat others? I am realizing more and more the true value of this amazing life we have. Will I become successful if I reach my goals? Does that define success? Maybe, just maybe, success it making the most of THIS DAY that we have been blessed with.

For just a moment forget the weight loss challenges you are in, the goals you want to reach, the numbers on the scale or the races you have coming up. Just stop and think about the simple act of breathing, taking a walk, talking to those we love, helping someone who is hurting. Maybe it is time we redefine our daily goals. Maybe it is time we start thinking about how we want to be victorious in this life. To me I want to be victorious knowing I truly lived each and every day.

Long after the Olympics are gone I will forget who won what event but I will never forget Kevin Pearce's story. Gold medals come and go and there will always be another person who is faster or stronger. But this young man who is fighting for his life is a true champion in my eyes.