It is easy to say you are inspired by someone. I say I am inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, L. Ron Hubbard, Tolkien, Asimov and a number of other writers, and that would be the truth. But those sources of inspiration are of the sort that I look at and say, “I want to write like them. I want to be known like them.” They are passive inspirations, long gone and safe to emulate from afar.

It is a rare thing for me to find someone that inspires me to do something solid. They make me want to change something about myself and be more like them. Well I can say with all honesty that I have been inspired, and I think it only right to share who inspired me.

She has failed more than succeeded when it comes to losing weight, eating healthy, and getting in shape, but she never stops trying. She looks at it as a series of failures, but I see her dogged determination. When she decided she wanted to try her hand at Weight Watchers again and then to try doing a triathlon, I was all for it. Doing a triathlon falls so far outside of my comfort zone that even contemplating it makes my body hurt, but I was all for it with her. Even if she failed, she tried something that intimidated me.

Watching her work on her triathlon training is amazing. In the past she might have given up when faced with a setback, but not this time. She has pushed and sacrificed and I am so very proud of her. This summer she did her first 5k, and watching her cross that finish line was one of the coolest things I have seen this year.

As the date of her triathlon draws near, I have seen her confidence grow and her body firm up, and I am so excited for her. I can’t wait to see her cross that finish line next month.

Now this is where the inspiration comes in.

Seeing her grow and succeed makes me want to do the same. It is unlikely that I will ever run a triathlon, but I know I need to start working on something to better my health. I thought about working out after work with my coworkers, but I don’t know that I am ready to hang with the younger, protein shake drinking crowd, so what was I to do?

Yoga. I’m doing yoga.

Okay, I am doing it at home with a pair of DVD for beginners, but it is a start. I even bought a yoga mat at Walmart this weekend and gave it a go. Finding the time to do the morning routine has proven difficult with school starting back up, but I am at least doing the evening routine, and I feel better for trying.

So there you have it. I have been inspired to better myself. More importantly, I have been inspired enough to put it into action.

Thank you, Tracy. I am proud of you and I love you more than words can express.

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