3 words: It Takes....

Time...

In 2013, when I was still in the Air Force, the military was going through sequestration. As part of an initiative to help the government save money, they requested ideas to improve the system while saving money.

I submitted an idea that, according to my calculations, would save the government $8.2M per year. I got emails every few weeks to inform me that my idea was making its way up. A few months down the road I get an email from an office at the White House saying that, tho they consider my idea great, it would need legislation and they just did NOT had the time for that.

No time to save $8.2M per year? That makes no sense. But, though recently, I realized that everyone is the same, with just about everything. We say we want something, but that we don't have the time for it.

Reality is that what we don't have is the intentions and desire to make time. But... everything in life takes time.

I am the most impatient person I have ever met, and I've met thousands of people. In a pop-tart society, I've caved into the idea of instantaneous results. So, God have put me in situations where the only thing I can do is wait. Yes, wait -not pray.

For the first two decades of my life I was as skinny as a skeleton. Then, at 21, I joined the Gym to get myself ready for the Air Force. To my surprise, instead of getting a 'rocking' body, I started to gain weight. Yes, the diet and exercise they gave me was not working for me. Then I joined the military, went to Basic Training, got injured and things got worse. Between the Doctors not allowing me to even walk and medication, that is meant to kill you faster than it kills your pain, I was gaining weight once again, but faster.

I tried several diets but none worked for me. The stress of not losing weight, being pressured by Doctors to lose weight, the pain in my knees in back (which Doctors erroneously attributed to the weight), and the threat of being kicked out of the military, was very depressing.

To top it all out I had pelvic surgery, three times. The first time was to remove a tumor. That surgery left me with a 9" scar, a lot of inflammation, pain, a bleeding problem, and more depression. The second one was to check why I was bleeding and in so much pain. That one only worsen the pain and left more inflammation. After a 9 doctors and 6 different treatments, I had my last surgery.

The last surgery was to remove my entire reproductive system. That stopped the bleeding and the pain, but it left me with a lot more inflammation, more scars and, obviously, without the ability of ever having my own children... but -that wasn't depressing, just sad. I was actually happy to no longer be in pain. I was ready to re-start my life.

This morning I was checking my Facebook memories and realized something, kind of sad. For the last 10 years I seem to be in a perpetual state of "hoping and waiting". Ten years!! Diez años!!, good Lord, can I catch a break? Then I saw my memory post from a year ago (the picture to the left). Eighteen months ago I moved to Virginia to go to school. When I arrived I weighed 166.2 lbs, even I can't believe it. This morning, after seeing the picture I weighed myself and I am 146.2 lbs.

Yes, I am pretty happy to know that in the last 18 months I've lost 20 lbs. No diets and no extreme workout. Just TIME.

I would be a liar if I say that I eat anything and never exercise. But I have found something that works for me with my health problems and my schedule.

Come to find out that, because of arthritis, gluten and processed foods cause inflammation and pain. Leaving those out of my habitual eating have make a big difference. I still eat anything I want: cake, cookies, chocolate, sushi, burgers, etc. etc. etc. There are so many gluten free ingredients these days that I am able to have all I want, if prepared properly.

Remember when Doctors wouldn't let me even walk? Well, I'm a rebel and I hate being told that I can't do something.. I love running and not being able to contributed a lot to frustration. It has taken me 4 years to get a grip on how osteoarthritis works, and how to pace myself to run. I don't run fast, I don't run far, but I run!! I have done several 5K and a 10K. Sometimes I have to walk the finish like, but the key is not to stop and.... TIME.

I want to lose, at least, 6 more pounds. I want to run a Half-K, I want.... other things. Today, I got reminded that delay is not failure. Progress, sometimes, can be so small, and happen so slowly, that it doesn't even feel like it, but success takes time... It takes TIME.