Just Add a Few Drops of Palmolive

Enough of the deep, philosophical and spiritual ruminations of the last few days. I just want to lose weight already! I want to look good. It's pretty simple, really. I just want to quit eating junk and quit eating when I'm not hungry. Oh for it to be that simple...

Yesterday I found myself with a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter cup miniatures in the shape of hearts. I picked them up on the way home from my Weight Watcher meeting! How crazy is that? After a lunch of high-calorie trail-mix which I scarfed down while feverishly working to finish a project for my boss, I ate a few of the candies. Then a few more. At this point, I was aware of what I was doing, and a voice inside my head was telling me to stop. "You are not hungry; you don't want this crap. Stop Eating." I ate a couple more. The voice grew louder. "STOP EATING! YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY!" I walked to the kitchen, considered the trash can, but then grabbed a bowl, poured the chocolates in and covered them with water. For good measure, I added a few drops of Palmolive to the mix. Just to make sure they were inedible.

That's not a pretty picture, and you may even be thinking, "she's never going to get a handle on this. She's hopeless." I've certainly thought it in the past; less so lately. The odds are in my favor. Every time I try, my odds of success improve. I don't know anyone who has demonstrated more persistence than me. Or who has been more honest and open about her shortcomings....who has shined the light of truth on her ugly parts and invited all her friends to have a look. And I have a track record of success. I'm 60 pounds lighter than my all time high. Yeah, so I'm up a few pounds over the last few months; the general trend over the years has been in the right direction. So what if I'm not your typical CrossFitter who followed a straight-line trajectory to ideal weight and perfect pullups. So what if the Zone and Paleo have not been a magic bullet for this wacky girl? I'm real. I'm alright. When I make it (and I will), there will be many who can relate and take inspiration from my story. Yes, many others just like me who find taming a CrossFit workout is nothing compared to beating the bitch of emotional eating.

On Waiting

"A Richer Better Life Awaits You"

One in a series of 45 prints based on this advertisement slogan from the 1920’s.

From The Power of Now
by Eckhart Tolle

"One day I'll make it." Is your goal taking up so much of your attention that you reduce the present moment to a means to an end? Is it taking the joy out of your doing? Are you waiting to start living? If you develop such a mind pattern, no matter what you achieve or get, the present will never be good enough; the future will always seem better. A perfect recipe for permanent dissatisfaction and nonfulfillment, don't you agree?

Waiting is a state of mind. Basically, it means that you want the future; you don't want the present. You don't want what you've got, and you want what you haven't got. With every kind of waiting, you unconsciously create inner conflict between your here and now, where you don't want to be, and the projected future, where you want to be. This greatly reduces the quality of your life by making you lose the present.

There is nothing wrong with setting goals and striving to achieve things. The mistake lies in using it as a substitute for the feeling of life, for Being. The only point of access for that is the Now. You are then like an architect who pays no attention to the foundation of a building but spends a lot of time working on the superstructure.

For example, many people are waiting for prosperity [to lose weight, a relationship, etc]. It cannot come in the future. When you honor, acknowledge, and fully accept your present reality--where you are, who you are, what you are doing right now--when you fully accept what you have, you are grateful for what you have, grateful for what is, grateful for Being. Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is true prosperity. It cannot come in the future. Then, in time, that prosperity manifest for you in various ways.

So give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting...snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be, and enjoy being. If you are present, there is never any need for you to wait for anything.

On the Past

"Twilight Traveler"
~ by Duy Huynh ~

From The Power of Now
by Eckhart Tolle

Deal with the past on the level of the present. The more attention you give to the past, the more you energize it, and the more likely you are to make a "self" out of it. Don't misunderstand: Attention is essential, but not to the past as past. Give attention to the present; give attention to your behavior, to your reactions, moods, thoughts, emotions, fears, and desires as they occur in the present. There is the past in you. If you can be present enough to watch all those things, not critically or analytically but non judgmentally, then you are dealing with the past and dissolving it through the power of your presence. You cannot find yourself by going into the past. You find yourself by coming into the present.

As you become more conscious of your present reality, you may suddenly get certain insights as to why your conditioning functions in those particular ways -- for example, why your relationships follow certain patterns -- and you may remember things that happened in the past or see them more clearly. That is fine and can be helpful, but it is not essential. What is essential is your conscious presence. That dissolves the past. That is the transformative agent. So don't seek to understand the past, but be as present as you can. The past cannot survive in your presence. It can only survive in your absence.

On Stress

from The Power of Now

by Eckhart Tolle

Are you stressed? Are you so busy getting to the future that the present is reduced to a means of getting there? Stress is caused by being "here" but wanting to be "there," or being in the present but wanting to be in the future. It's a split that tears you apart inside. To create and live with such an inner split is insane. The fact that everyone else is doing it doesn't make it any less insane. If you have to, you can move fast, work fast, or even run, without projecting yourself into the future and without resisting the present. As you move, work, run--do it totally. Enjoy the flow of energy, the high energy of that moment. Now you are no longer stressed, no longer splitting yourself in two. Just moving, running, working--and enjoying it. Or you can drop the whole thing and sit on a park bench. But when you do, watch your mind. It may say: "You should be working. You are wasting time." Observe the mind. Smile at it.

Here and Now

Full Circle
~ by Duy Huynh ~

I just finished reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I know many of you have already read it and found it very helpful. I'm grateful for your recommendation. I realize now, more than ever, that I use food (sometimes) to avoid being present. It is one way of checking out for a while and an effective way of slowing down my racing mind. But I don't like the side-effects. Reading this book doesn't fix the problem, but it sheds more light on it and makes me more aware so that I can move in a positive direction.

This week I will be sharing some favorite passages from The Power of Now.

____________________________________________________________________________

from The Power of Now
by Eckhart Tolle

See if you can catch yourself complaining, in either speech or thought, about a situation you find yourself in, what other people do or say, your surroundings, your life situation, even the weather. To complain is always nonacceptance of what is. It invariably carries an unconscious negative charge. When you complain, you make yourself into a victim. When you speak out, you are in your power. So change the situation by taking action or by speaking out if necessary or possible. Leave the situation or accept it. All else is madness.

Ordinary unconsciousness is always linked in some way with the denial of the Now. The Now, of course, also implies the here. Are you resisting your here and now? Some people would always rather be somewhere else. Their "here" is never good enough. Through self-observation, find out if that is the case in your life. Wherever you are, be there totally. If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally. If you want to take responsibility for your life, you must choose one of those three options, and you must choose now. Then accept the consequences. No excuses. No negativity. No psychic pollution. Keep your inner space clear.

...If there is truly nothing you can do to change your here and now, and you can't remove yourself from the situation, then accept your here and now by dropping all inner resistance. The false, unhappy self that loves feeling miserable, resentful, or sorry for itself can then no longer survive. This is called surrender. Surrender is not weakness. There is a great strength in it. Only a surrendered person has spiritual power. Through surrender, you will be free internally of the situation. You may then find that the situation changes without any effort on your part. In any case, you are free.

Back to Basics - Keep on Tracking

My Food Journal

I have recommitted to keeping a food journal. I bought a new one and started fresh on January 11. I have done reasonably well with it. My intention is to write down every bite I put in my mouth as well as track my activity. In the past I have found this to be a very effective tool in weight loss. But, I have tended to take a perfectionist attitude with it. As soon as I would start to struggle or lose motivation, I would let the journal fall by the wayside--as if my behavior wasn't "journal-worthy." Well, that's just crazy because the whole point of keeping a journal is to learn about your behavior and make changes--not just document the ideal days and then "go-dark" the rest of the time.

So I am committed to writing down what I eat, regardless. And if/when I miss a day and fail to write it all down, I'm not going to beat myself up about that either. I'll just pick back up the next day and keep on tracking.

Back to Basics - Grocery Shopping

"Grocery Shopping"

~by Norman Rockwell ~

Yesterday I tossed out the few remaining items in my refrigerator. There was nothing edible in it, really. Except for soy creamer and some broccoli I bought as a result of last week's discussion about the joys of roasted broccoli, I had nothing to eat. There was a carton of cottage cheese past the expiration date and a container of mushy mixed greens. Several bottles of salad dressing. And mustard; don't forget the mustard. It was sad. I raked it all in a big trash bag. Then I wiped the fridge clean--a gesture both necessary and symbolic of my fresh start. It's hard to eat right if you don't have food in the house.

Next I made a shopping list for healthy, nutritious food. After my workout last night, I went grocery shopping and bought everything on the list. It really wasn't such a terrible chore. I don't know why I make such a big deal about it. And now I have what I need to honor my commitment to healthy eating. It feels good.

Back to Basics - Cut the Sugar

Do You Have a Sugar Addiction?

Courtesy of AskMen.com

We joke about it, we rationalize weight gain because of it and it always gives us an excuse to have a second piece of cake for dessert: It’s a sugar addiction. Most people wouldn’t consider a sugar addiction as serious as a cigarette or an alcohol addiction. After all, how dangerous can a chocolate chip cookie really be? But for those individuals with an inclination for sweets, there is bad news. According to numerous researchers and scientific studies, a sugar addiction can be just as strong as a drug or alcohol dependency. If this information alone does not make you put down your Snickers bar, then keep reading.

We’ve all experienced it -- the quiet voice in our head that convinces us to hit the local 7-11 at midnight for a chocolate bar or another helping of pie after dinner. Let’s face it: Sugar makes us happy and most people who claim to be addicted to sweets will tell you this. Sounds funny, right? Actually, it’s truer than you think.

Recent studies prove that humans are programmed from an early age to crave sugar. And once the body has experienced sugar’s sweet rewards, it does not take much time for it to be officially addicted. The sugar addiction begins at birth. Human breast milk is very sweet, so even infants begin to recognize the pleasurable feeling they get from sweet foods.

But what causes the craving? After eating a sugary treat, the brain releases natural chemicals called opioids, which give the body a feeling of intense pleasure. The brain then recognizes this feeling and begins to crave more of it. Researchers have identified that there are certain areas in the brain (specifically, the hippocampus, the insula and the caudate) that are activated when one craves sugar. There is also scientific evidence that shows that these same areas of the brain are activated when drug addicts crave drugs; which proves how “real” a sugar addiction can be.

So, what exactly happens in your body when you consume sugar? After sugar enters the bloodstream, blood sugar levels rise, causing the pancreas to release insulin (insulin is needed to convert sugar into energy). When a large amount of sugar is consumed, more insulin is released. The insulin converts the sugar into an instant energy source -- which explains the jolt or “high” you get from a donut or a piece of cake. After high levels of insulin are released, blood sugar levels begin to decrease rapidly, resulting in the “crash” you feel shortly after eating a sugary treat. In addition to converting sugar into energy, insulin also stimulates the storage of fat. Therefore, the more sugar you eat, the more insulin you produce, and consequently, the more likely it is that you will gain weight. Along with obesity and tooth decay, sugar has also been linked to more serious health conditions, including increased mood swings, a depressed immune system and diabetes.

Sugar activates the brain’s pleasure center, which releases opioids that fuel a craving for more sugar. Recent studies on cravings and addiction show that heroin and morphine produce the same chemicals in the brain.

Still think a sugar addiction is not serious? The same studies show that sugar also activates areas in the brain that reinforce behaviors. This means that -- similarly to a heroin addiction -- your body learns to want and need more of the substance that makes it feel good. To prove this point, scientists provided humans with a compound to block opioid receptors in the brain. Shortly after receiving these compounds, people were less interested in sugary or sweet foods.

Studies from Princeton and the University of Minnesota involving rats reinforce how addictive sugar can be. When sugar was given to the rats, they exhibited addiction-like qualities, including intense cravings, withdrawal and bingeing symptoms. When the rats were weaned off sugar and then presented with the option to consume it again, nearly all of them exhibited typical relapse symptoms. In addition to animal research, brain scans performed on human subjects showed that the sight of ice cream in normal patients generated the same feelings of pleasure in the brain as images of crack pipes did for crack addicts.

The average American consumes around 160 pounds of sugar each year. This is no surprise when you consider that sugar is in everything from ketchup to salad dressing and canned soup to deli meat. Food marketers are great at incorporating sugar into many products under a variety of aliases. Common names for sugar can include sucrose, fructose, dextrose, and high-fructose corn syrup -- none of which actually sound like the word “sugar,” but essentially mean the same thing. Throughout your lifetime, it is probable that you have been eating more sugar than you were aware of; so ultimately, your body is probably already addicted. Many of the foods that you probably consume every day are packed with sugar, including fruit juice, iced coffee and tea drinks, yogurt, wheat bread, and most breakfast cereals (even Bran Flakes and Special K have sugar in them). Even if you have one can of regular (non-diet) soda, you are consuming nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar, which is, approximately, the maximum recommended daily allowance. Sugar does not give your body anything but a quick boost of energy -- it is completely devoid of the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants that you find in natural foods. Oh, and it makes you fat.

Although I realize that it is probably impossible to eliminate sugar from your diet entirely, I can help you limit your intake. Here are some tips:

• Banish packaged products -- including those made with white flour -- and stick to food in its original form. Instead of canned fruit or juice, eat a piece of whole fruit.


• Drink plenty of water throughout the day; you may be mistaking dehydration for hunger.


• Eat protein at every meal; it is digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates and will leave you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. You will therefore be more likely to resist the urge to eat dessert every night after dinner.


• Give up your favorite sweet food for three weeks. It is likely that after three weeks, your tastes will have changed and your craving for sweets will not be as strong.


• Resist impulse snacking. If you crave a donut, take 15 minutes to think about it or go for a walk instead. Chances are, that after this delay period, your craving will have subsided.

Back to Basics - First Things First

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."
~ Stephen Covey ~

Getting back to basics [for me] absolutely means a return to taking care of myself. And by taking care of myself, I mean putting some basic priorities back in place. Getting enough sleep is critical. I need to get in bed at a reasonable time. That may (will) mean that some things go undone sometimes. It will mean that I have to step away from the computer. Everything doesn't have to be finished today. It doesn't have to be perfect, and it doesn't always have to be done by me right this second. I need to limit the time I spend at the computer each day. My job as an analyst requires that I sit at a computer most days and crunch numbers. I keep the books for CFED which requires the same. I love this blog, but it also ties me to my computer. I must put some limits around this and honor those limits.

Keeping healthy, nutritious food in the house is a must. This means I need to grocery shop once a week or so and give some thought to meal planning. Stopping to eat before I'm starving is important.

I need to take care of Melvin and play with him everyday. Taking care of Melvin is the same as taking care of me. He needs me to walk him and make sure he gets exercise everyday. When I take care of him, I benefit from this as well because it gets me outside, away from the computer. And his joy and love of life is contagious.

I need to quiet my mind for a little while each day, breathe deeply, and just be. Ideally, I will dedicate a few minutes to this each morning and each evening.

That's what I need to do to put first things first. What about you?

Back to Basics - Remembering What and Why

New Leaves

by Duy Huynh

It's time to get back to basics. The holidays are over. My birthday has come and gone. The new business isn't quite so overwhelming now. It's the third week of January already. Yes, it is definitely time to get back to basics.

So this entire week will be devoted to the fundamentals. For me, fundamentally, it starts with remembering what I want and why I want it.

And what I want is a healthy relationship with food. I want to use food to nourish my body, not my heart and soul, and not as a means to punish myself. I want to reach and maintain a healthy weight. I want to look and feel great. I want the lightness of being that comes from taking care of myself, regardless of the number on the scale. I want to load up the back of the truck with all my fat clothes and dump them in front of GoodWill. (What I really want is to set them on fire in the front yard, but I'll be a good citizen and donate them to GoodWill.) I want to shop for an entire new wardrobe. I want to walk into the 2009 holiday season at my goal weight. I want to ring in 2010 in the best shape of my life. I want to be one good-looking, life-loving, crossfitting, inspirational, victorious woman. I want to defy all the odds, surprise myself, blow my mind, turn my world upside down and complete my transformation--the transformation which has already happened on the inside--my physical form is just slow to catch up to what I have already become. But it will. Soon. Very soon.

Taking a Break

I'm taking a break from the blog. I'll be back in a few days. Hope you will too.

The Precious Present

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

Time isn't precious at all; it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time -- past and future -- the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.

Why is it the most precious thing? Firstly, because it is the only thing. It's all there is. The eternal present is the space within which your whole life unfolds, the one factor that remains consant. Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be. Secondly, the Now is the only point that can take you beyond the limited confines of the mind. It is your only point of access into the timeless and formless realm of Being.

-from The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Motivating Factors

“People often say that motivation doesn't last.
Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.”

~ Zig Ziglar ~

I am trying to get back to basics now that the holidays and my birthday are behind me. One thing that always seems to help me get re-focused is to think about why I want to lose weight. Here are some of my reasons:

1. I am now a gym owner, and I really don't want to be an overweight gym owner!
2. A very special friend is getting married in March, and I would like to buy a new dress and look really good for her wedding.
3. My 30th High School Reunion is coming up in June. Need I say more?
4. All my CrossFitting will improve when I lose weight.
5. I want new clothes.

I am sure there must be lots of other good, motivating factors. It's late, and I am having trouble remembering what they are. Maybe you all can help me out by sharing your list.

48 Reasons

Yep, that's me!

Today is my birthday. I thought about not posting anything. I thought about posting something completely un-related to my birthday—I mean how full of yourself do you have to be to wish yourself a Happy Birthday? And then I thought, no, this blog is about keeping it real and taking care of yourself. Ignoring my birthday is not taking care of myself. It’s appropriate that I pause and acknowledge my 48th birthday. And what better way to celebrate than with 48 reasons for gratitude.

1. I have to thank my sweet Mama for everything I have been able to accomplish in life. She grew up poor, dropped out of high school, and got married because that was the family script. By the time she was 20 years old, she had three small children, and all her dreams had given way to despair. In the midst of her own depression and loneliness, with no money to pave the way or ease the pain, and with no idea how to make it happen, she told me that I could be or do anything I wanted. It is a rare person who can imagine something completely different, radically different from what they have always known. She did not have a coach or a teacher or even a friend to help her cultivate this vision. Just a voice from within, a faint voice saying it could be different; the negative family script could stop with her. She listened to the voice and gave it life through what she taught her children. And so, for my sweet Mama, I am grateful.

2. My Daddy died back in 1998. I’ve mentioned him on the blog before. His birthday is January 2. He would be 78 years old now. While he didn’t have the vision for change that my mother did, once he figured out that she was right, he was supportive and proud of his children. A loving father is a great blessing in life, and I am grateful for mine and for his memory.

I am also grateful…

3. … for my entire family and for the love we all share.
4. … for my job with McCorkle Nurseries and for the good-hearted McCorkle family.
5. …for my boss, Tony…the best boss anyone could ever have.
6. …that I no longer work in typical corporate America—for the freedom and flexibility I now enjoy.
7. …for my home in Decatur and the blessing of living in such a great little city.
8. …for the cabin and for my brother Jack. Without his dream and persistence, the cabin would not exist.
9. …for my truck which faithfully takes me to the cabin whenever I want to go there.
10. …for animals, especially dogs. And most especially, Melvin.
11. …for CrossFit and CrossFit East Decatur.
12. …for my coach, Shana, and all she has taught me.
13. …for the opportunity to be an owner in CrossFit East Decatur.
14. …for three great business partners: Shana, Tommy, and Sheryl.
15. …for good health.
16. …for all my great friends, especially Byron who has been with me as long as I can remember.
17. …for my education and my degree from UGA.
18. …for my career in MIS and all that I learned during those years managing software projects.
19. …for my horticulture degree and the ability to return to school at 40 years old and do something completely different.
20. …for the knowledge that it is “never too late to be what you might have been,” and for the energy and desire to keep reinventing myself.
21. …for coffee which I love and which has no calories.
22. …for Dancing Goats and Java Monkey.
23. …for technology and all that it makes possible.
24. …for Leela, who loves Jack.
25. …for being able to get a haircut last night on short notice.
26. …for the rain.
27. …for the howling wind.
28. …for my chiropractor and for chiropractic.
29. …for this blog.
30. …for writing.
31. …for the art of Duy Huynh
32. …for Sue, my Weight Watcher leader who believes in me, along with Shana, and waits patiently for me to spread my wings and fly.
33. …for a night off.
34. …for America.
35. …for the hope of peace.
36. …for better days ahead.
37. …for our new president about to take office.
38. …for finding an accountant.
39. …for the new running shoes I will buy for my birthday.
40. …for my snowman pajamas.
41. …that I found the postage stamps!
42. …for my brain which serves me well when I let it have a little rest.
43. …for the victories to be realized in 2009.
44. …for the love I will find.
45. …for letting go of the need for perfection.
46. …for self-acceptance.
47. ....for the wisdom and experience I’ve gained in life.
48. …for 48 years and many more to come.

Invitation to Optimism

"The Optimistic Gardener"
by Duy Huynh

“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise”
~ Oscar Wilde ~

I am inviting you to spend today in optimism. Let go of worry and fear. Just wallow in optimism today. No matter what is going on in your life. No matter if you just lost the best paying job you ever had or gained ten pounds. No matter that everyone keeps talking about how bad the economy is and how it's basically impossible to do whatever it is that you are wanting to do. No matter how many bills (mistakes, failures, action items) are stacked up and screaming at you. Don't listen to the naysayers and dooms-dayers. Everything is going to be alright. And not just alright; things are going to be the best they have ever been. Allow yourself this day of optimism, this day of certainty that all is well.

And then do it again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next...

I Believe I Can Fly

I Believe I Can Fly
by R. Kelly

I believe I can fly,

I believe I can touch the sky,

I think about it every night and day,

Spread my wings and fly away,

I believe I can soar,

I see me running through that open door,

I believe I can fly.

There are miracles in life I must achieve,

But first I know it starts inside of me,

If I can see it, then I can do it,

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it.

Hey, cuz I believe in me,

If I can see it, then I can be it,

If I just believe it, there's nothing to it,

Hey, if I just spread my wings,

I can fly.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I love this song by R. Kelly. If you have time and could use a little extra inspiration to start your day (week, year), click here for the link to the "I Believe I Can Fly" video.

This song touches on many of the themes we have talked about on this blog over the past months. It's all about seeing what you want. It's about changing from the inside out. It's about believing in yourself. Believing in miracles. It's about spreading your wings so you can fly!

At my Weight Watcher meeting on the evening of December 30, Sue led us in a great visualization exercise. Her instructions were to close your eyes and imagine that it's one year from this moment. You are sitting in the same exact chair. How do you feel? What have you accomplished in the last year? What's different in your life? Even in the short time we had to devote to this exercise during the meeting, it made an impact on me. I thought it would be a good exercise for the blog. So here goes for me.

Fast forward one year to January 5, 2010, and here is what I can report. In 2009, I finally got a handle on food and the role it plays in my life. I now use food to nourish my body, not my heart and soul. I feed my soul through writing, reading, meditation, yoga, the cabin, animals, nature, family, and friends. As a result, I am now at a healthy weight. I look and feel great. My CrossFit performance has improved dramatically as a result of the changes in my diet and dropping the extra pounds. I'm faster and stronger. I can do kipping pull ups, unbroken double-unders, and a hand-stand. The 24" box doesn't scare me anymore. I even got my Level I CrossFit certification. (Sheryl did too!) CFED is thriving and helping people change their lives. Being an owner in CFED is a tremendous blessing in my life, and I'm pleased that I was able to maintain balance in my life despite the added responsibilities of being an owner. I found "Mark Darcy" who likes me just as I am. Melvin continues to do well; he is happy and healthy. The cabin now has water and in-door plumbing. I also installed a set of pull-up bars at the cabin and added some basic equipment so that I can workout when I'm there. I still love to go there regularly to get away and to spend time with my family. My life is good.

Now it's your turn! Fast-forward one year from this exact moment. What is going on in your life? How do you feel? What happened in 2009?

The Fifth Wish Fulfilled

Sheryl & Pat

Business Partners!

Last spring, Sheryl and I shared a ride to CrossFit North Atlanta for a Saturday workout. This was during the park days before CFED opened. On the ride home, we had an opportunity to get to know each other a little better. We discovered that we both shared a dream of owning a CrossFit Gym. I told Sheryl about how I had approached Shana in late 2007 about the possibility of opening a gym--only to learn that she was already in the early planning stages for CFED with investors in place. Sheryl shared how she also had pursued opportunities to invest in a gym. But the right opportunity had not presented itself for either of us. Over the next few months, Sheryl and I discussed various scenarios for pursuing our dream, and we determined that we would make good business partners. We decided to keep our eyes and hearts open for the right opportunity.

About mid-November, the right opportunity came knocking. The original investors in CFED wanted to sell, and they were looking for the right buyers. Sheryl and I immediately jumped on this opportunity. We didn't need to think about if for long because we had already been dreaming about owning a gym for months. From the day it opened, even before it opened, I felt invested in CFED. I had always loved it. And now I had the opportunity to be an owner in the best little gym in the universe! With two awesome women, Shana and Sheryl!

The weeks since we first learned of the opportunity have been challenging. Lots of ups and downs. Lots of details to work through. Dealing with Chuck's bittersweet decision to move on and focus on his CFHQ role. Finding the perfect fourth partner in Tommy to join our trio. Trying to do things thoughtfully and carefully. It wasn't easy.

But now the deal is done! Sheryl and I are owners in CFED along with Shana and Tommy.

The fifth wish is not only revealed; it is now fulfilled.