UPDATE on Gina's Journey through, transition, training, travel and tranquilty

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.