The 18th Day

April 18, 2013

I don't know what it is about the 18th day of the month but, for some reason it has mostly been good to me and it happens to be the day I have made some of the most significant decisions of my life.  For example, the 18th of May 2009 was the day I decided to change my life, leave the chaos I had gotten myself into in Salt Lake City and head to North Idaho for some intense soul searching and a new beginning.  The 18th of December is my mother's birthday, she is my true north, my rock, my world and I miss her every day.  The 18th of May, 2012 was the day my husband asked me if I would marry him and live a long, happy life together.  The 18th of January, 2013 was the day of my major spinal fusion surgery and the start of my healing process, I now have 6 screws, 2 rods and 2 disc "cages" in my lower spine. I am proof that humpty dumpty can be put back together again!  And now, the 18th of April, 2013 is the day I decided to try to run/walk a marathon every other month for the next year and finish this journey at the Boston Marathon in honor of the victims of the horrible tragedy that happened there this last week and in honor of those who helped, sacrificed, served, volunteered and rose to heroic levels that shone so brightly in the aftermath. 
 
Part of this journey will be my recovery from surgery and re-training my physical body to be able to run again, to bike again and to be mentally prepared for the pain, discouragements, joys and thrills along the way.  Another part will be my weight loss because sadly, due to my broken back since August of 2011, I gained a bunch of poundage, a shocking 166 lbs was the number the day of my surgery.  I was silently horrified and disgusted at the same time.  It has been 18 weeks (there's that number again!) and I have been through the humiliation of using a walker and a having a seat in my shower, painful physical therapy, and many attempts at exercising that sent my sciatic nerves into a frenzy.  I have also endured withdrawls from many months of pain medicine and the accompanying depression.   Now I am ready to have a new journey, to embrace my health and fitness and show all the disbelievers and encouragers that:  I can do this!   I want to begin my marathons near my home at the Coeur d'Alene Marathon on May 26, 2013, that is my first goal.  I have never done a marathon before and have always wanted to.  I have participated in a olympic distance duathlon in 2009 with my two brothers Eric and Chad, it took me just over 4 hours after only training for 8-9 weeks.  I would like to do it again in August of this year, under 4 hours this time and much more training!

Another part of this journey is going to be a year of grattitude and thanks simply for being alive and for having survived the first 45 years of my journey with some dignity, some sadness, some joy, some love, some pain, some abuse, some partying, some heartbreak, some beauty, some success, some dissapointments, some of many things and a whole lot of humor.  Today I want to start by giving thanks to my mother, Joycely Blackner Day Maynes!  She was and still is amazing to me.  She gave me, 8 siblings, 8 brothers & sisters in law, 30 nieces & nephews a wonderful life full of love and happiness.  She was married to my dad, Richard, 54 years and had so many friends there was standing room only at her funeral.  My mother taught me to be the woman I am today.  She taught me to be tough and to "endure to the end".  She would say things like: "there's no blood, you're ok", "get up & dust yourself off",  "tomorrow's a new day",  "boys are like streetcars, there'll be another one just around the corner", "you can do it", and every day she said "I love you".  In my eyes, there is no greater mom and if you knew her, you would nod your head in agreement.  She was a brilliant light that was taken too early in my opinion, just so happens it was on the18th day of February, 2006.  She taught me to cook, to clean, to sew, to work hard, to enjoy the little things in life, to be happy and to know sacrifice, to garden and preserve the fruits of my labors, and all the forgotten things that no longer get passed down from mother to daughter.  I can only hope that I can be half the woman, lady and wife that she was.   I will be forever & always be grateful and thankful that you were my mother, my rock, my world, I love you to the end of eternity...

I am writing these things simply for me and for anyone who would like to follow my journey, to encourage me, to doubt me, to push me, to help me, and even join me...everyone is invited!