WordPress deemed it time to remind me this morning that I had set myself a goal and need to stick to it.  Yes!  I know this, I am well aware that I have not written anything on my blog yet, however, I’m not sure if WordPress understands how busy I am, or that I have a gaggle of beautiful daughters (more about them later) who seem to consume every one of my waking hours that are not filled with work.

However, reaching goals and being told I’m not, is enough to send me into some kind of demonic spiral of frustration and despair.  Therefore, before I reach the moment where (albeit one day) I will be found rocking and asking them to take me away to some Plathesque institution; where I can write dramatic poetry, which will ultimately be my making, but born out of madness I will not be able to bask in the joy.  So to stop things from happening I am now rambling on to the world about my incredibly normal and blessed existence.

I digress, back to setting and reaching goals.  My current goal is learning to run really far! In September I am to compete in The Great North Run.  The prospect of which I am finding both exciting and terrifying.  Every morning I wake up thinking how much my muscles ache from the previous days training.  Every day I feel like I’m not going to be able to run any further, but somehow I do.  I find it exhilarating to know I have run one, two, three miles and sprint finish home.  Today’s goal is to get as far as to five miles as I can.  A target which I set myself this morning because ‘I was feeling good’  As the time of my run approaches I become sceptical and begin to wonder if I have bit off more than I can chew.  Then I have to start reminding myself why I am actually doing this.  Who is it benefitting?  How?

Firstly, I am very much in awe of people who give up their time selflessly to help others.  Historically our family has been helped through terrible times by peoples help and kindness.  Furthermore, I look at what I have and know for certain I am blessed.  Many others haven’t got what I have and for that I am truly grateful.  Part of me thinks that my prayers (n the dark days) were answered and for that I am now repaying the kindness to those around me.  Therefore, I am doing the run for charity.  Although I profess to be rubbish at setting myself goals, I am quite good at doing something I say I’m going to do.  Each goal has to have solid reasoning behind it, so with this in mind I’m running for charity.  This will hopefully repay others support when I needed it the most.

Secondly, for purely selfish reasons I’m running for me.  I have discovered in recent years exercise is a great healer and stress buster.  I am becoming more toned than I have done in a long time, which is great.  Although there are some pitfalls: the smaller toned wait is counter balanced by the calves and thighs of steel which struggle to get into the skinny jeans, but stop the jeans from falling down!!

Finally I am doing it for my family.  My beautiful gaggle of girls are my proudest achievement.  I don’t always get it right and I doubt any parent truly has, but I try.  I want them to see a good role model, I want them to be grateful, show compassion, take strength from me and become great at whatever choices they make in life.  I want them to know that to succeed it takes blood sweat and tears, nothing else will give sweeter pleasure.

At this point I also need to mention my very understanding and patient husband who has to live with me and my increasingly busy life.  He knows, he gets me and probably has more belief in me than myself.

Someone once said ‘you will never know your limits until you push yourself to them’.  I haven’t got there yet and hope I never do.

Word press has now challenged me.  Bring it on!

My personal challenge for my next blog is it to be far more humorous and littered with hilarious anecdotes about life.