Since my children graduated high school and left for college, it had been difficult to get the clan together for family pictures. This would be the reason I sent traditional Snoopy Christmas Cards every year. But with both children graduated, I had pics from their commencements ( occurring on the exact same day ) AND that rare occasion where all family members were under one roof- Thanksgiving. With that said, I had to re-boot my Shutterfly account and create holiday cards (not Christmas cards since I knew the order would not arrive until late December.)

Meanwhile, three years after Tony’s dad passed, we are still finding archives and collectibles in his home. One of them was a box of greeting cards and letters from friends, family and acquaintances. From there, Tony updated our address book and decided this year that we are sending holiday cards. Since we sent the cards out early last week, we know most of the people are receiving the cards about now.

So yesterday, I received an e-letter from my long time college friend Michele. We met in 1988 on the registration line at NY Tech, found out we were both communication majors and decided to register for many of the same classes. Two years later, we walked the stage to receive our diplomas, and kept in close contact for the next 10-15 years or so. These days, I have regular contact with many high school and college friends thanks to Facebook, but Michele is not an FB person. The only address I had was an apartment in my hometown. Lo and behold, she is still living there. Michele never married and lives a very happy, independent life. She has had many careers in the non-profit world and decided to take up running about 10 years ago. She was excited about the New Year’s marathon coming up on Long Island. She tells me running is her secret to keeping young. I should mention, we’re the same age.

I too took up running about 10 years ago. I loved it; especially trail runs. I remember how clear my mind would be, the less stress I felt and of course, it kept my weight down. Many things in life prevented me from continuing. First off, I learned the hard way I cannot run in the rain. I spent four months battling pneumonia. It took awhile to get back into “5K, Peachtree Road Race” mode and by the time I did, Tony and I went into elder care mode. This was about the time his dad began falling ill and needed round the clock care.

Since 2019, Tony and I noticed the toll this took on us. Now passed 50, bouncing back from weight gain is not as easy as it used to be. A pandemic does not make it any better. But, as mentioned in my last post, it is a new beginning.

As cliche as it sounds, we will begin the new year with changing our lifestyle to include diet and exercise. I’ve had a gym membership for quite some time. I would stop if my schedule was too heavy and I couldn’t fit it in. So, I managed to fit it in at 5:00 am. That’s right, AM. I go before I head out to work. It gives me the energy I need to tackle the day. We are also going to concentrate on the Mediterranean Diet. I did it religiously over the summer and I lost 20 pounds. It also helped I power walked every day with my two dear friends. Once school began, things got busy and we couldn’t walk as often ( both friends work in schools too ).

So look out for many posts about my fitness experiences, fitness goals and recipe sharing. Also, if I receive any other letters from long time friends, I’ll let you now.

Happy New Year!!!