Recently, I started on a journey to learn more about Gina, I
had turned 50 and I wanted to improve my health, I wanted to learn how to
adjust to my role as a mother now that my children are grown. I started blogging
in 2011 to help me document my experiences and maybe help someone out there
that might be feeling the same things. Now, I have come a long way on this
journey, I lost 30 pounds, changed careers, and gained a new perspective on having
adult children, and now I have a new insight to myself. 2012 was quite a challenge, I went through a
mild depression, was on and off medication,
gained back some of my weight and faced some of my fears such as, jumping
into a new career with no guaranteed income, traveling alone and the major one
was facing the mortality of my father.
Well I overcame all of those fears with some new lessons in
reality.
1. Peruse your passion and income will follow, maybe not
right away and not without economic problems, but after one year, my business
is now starting to show an income and I see a promising future.
2. Menopause and depression sucks, but with help it is controllable.
I have lived through hot flashes, mood swings,
weight gain and sadness. I am not over
this as, God played a little trick on us women, pregnancy last only 9 months, and
menopause has no end date. But I am happy to say I am now medication free and
handling things well.
3. Being on medication that makes you gain weight is not
something I would wish on my worst enemy, no matter what you do the weight just
doesn’t come off. Now that I am
medication free, my son Nick has become my personal trainer. He has created a
workout program that makes me think he is trying to kill me, (payback for all
those “timeouts” when he was a child) and now he has asked me to follow an
eating regiment for 28 days to “shock my system”. No dairy, no sugar, no bread/grains and
nothing that has anything in it you cannot pronounce. 4 days into it and I am still alive. Although
Coffee is horrible without sugar, but if I can lose this weight before my big
trip, it will be worth it. I will keep you informed.
4. I have three
wonderful young men to call my sons. I raised them to be independent, and I
have learned that it doesn’t mean they don’t need me, but the way they need me
has changed. I am now trying to be a friend and confidant. I don’t get upset if
I don’t talk to them every day, (Although once a week is nice.) I understand that they have their own dreams
and passions to follow and if the roads they have to follow lead them away from
home, they will be okay and worrying about them is something that will go on
forever. They make me very proud and
actually they have given me a new found strength.
5. Marriage is not easy. It is put to the test on a daily
basis. I am very grateful to have a man in my life that has allowed me to grow
and change like this. I think the change
he has seen in me over the past 30 years has also opened his eyes to who Gina
really is and I hope he love me more for it and he sticks with me another 30.
Lastly: the past year has taught me that strength comes from
somewhere inside you that you never knew existed. I have realized that I can deal with
anything, I learned that if I can deal with my father being ill while I am
worlds away, I can deal with anything, I know that I am strong and can weather all
the mighty storms that will without
a doubt come my way.
I am now preparing to journey around the world on a trip of
a lifetime. Follow me in the future to see
where this journey leads.
God Bless
Happy and Safe Travels.
