Let me tell you about Joan ...

I can't believe how time has flown in this journey. It was only back in May that I stepped through the doors at Lite Weights for Women, scared to enter such an unfamiliar environment yet excited to know that this was just the beginning of a lifetime commitment to health and wellness.
I've learned so much from Joan at Lite Weights. She has been a source of great inspiration to me. If this starts to sound a little bit like an ad for her gym, please forgive me. That is not my intention. But what she has going on there is just too good to share.
First off, it is only for women which for a woman of not only my size, but my shyness level, this works wonderfully well. I feel 100 percent comfortable there, sweating in my less-than-flattering workout attire.
And then ... there is the boutique. I have found so many wonderful things. The other day, I had to let Joan know exactly the presence of Lite Weights has meant to me. I have never felt "feminine" really. I have always been a jeans and T-shirts kind of girl (first), then woman. I think I can count on both hands the times I have worn a dress in my life and that includes bridesmaid dresses and my own wedding gown.
At the gym, I have found jewelry ... blingy, with rhinestones, which I have fallen in love with totally. When Joan brought in bellydancing wraps that jingle with coins, I was drawn to them and got one. Bellydancing has been one of my goals for a while, but not only was I too heavy to fit into any of the attire, I simply could not move well enough to be able to consider it. I am getting closer and one of these days, plan to take a class through Parks & Rec to learn the moves from a "real" instructor rather than the DVD I bought off of Amazon.
Then I got a jangly ankle bracelet to wear with my bellydancing gear. And the other day, Joan was talking about doing something at the gym with this form of dancing perhaps (I say perhaps because ... I don't want to commit her to something that may not work out).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that, for the first time in my life, I feel ... womanly. I have to think that this is entirely appropriate, since I am of the feminine sex.
I like being a woman. I am starting to feel comfortable in my own skin, and I am reveling in this newfound feeling of ... girlishness? Yes, I'm 44 years old and finally feel like a girl. I'm not sad over it. I'm glad that I finally got to this point. I wish I had done this so long ago, but I guess that everything happens in its own time. There is no rushing destiny.

On a related note ... one that I am so very pleased to share: It looks like a bariatric surgery support group is going to make its way off the ground in the very near future. Joan has volunteered use of the gym as meeting space, and she is working with some other friends (I shall not name names, as these people have undergone the surgery and have told me, but I'm not sure if they have shared it with "the world" so to speak as yet). When the time comes, all will be revealed, I am sure.
There is so much we can all learn from each other. Great information to share and just general support. Every person has their journey and their cross to bear. This is ours.
As the time and date become clearer, I hope to provide information to The Daily News for a Community Event item. I will also put information here and out on Facebook. The organizers also hope to bring in speakers, perhaps from OHSU.

Have a wonderful day and blessings!