The Promise of a Brighter Coming Day

Though the morning seems to linger
O’er the hill-tops far away,
Yet the shadows bear the promise
Of a brighter coming day.
--Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, 1825 – 1911

So I've been getting a kick out of my eldest son, Kyle lately.   Like both of his parents, Kyle learned the unfortunate habit of emotional eating.  He pushed his emotions down and when they bubbled up, he ate. 

Well, Kyle's been doing some incredible work this past year on working on his emotions.  So maybe he doesn't need that habit anymore.  So just this past week, he decided that he really wanted to work on himself physically too. 

He's been working out everyday.  And when I say working out, he's working HARD--up to 2 hours in the gym a day!  And writing down everything he's eating.  And drinking tons of fluid.  And he's already lost 6 pounds, which he feels great about. 

I'm thrilled about this and I'm being the doting mom, helping him determine serving sizes, making him protein shakes and telling him how proud I am of him. 

But I'm most excited by how excited HE is by it.  I love seeing the change it is having on his attitude and his energy level.  I love seeing him feel in control of his life and his body.  I love seeing him so proud of himself. 

I know that the obsessions of my children can vary--some last a really long time (Eric's pirate phase) and some can fly by pretty quickly (Halo 3).  So I'll enjoy this as long as it lasts (and will hope and encourage it so we can extend it as much as possible). 

In the meantime, he is motivating me to get off my ass.  Afterall, I supposedly have a triathlon in 4 weeks.