Decisions

de·ci·sion [dih-sizh-uhn] - noun
1. the act or process of deciding; determination, as of a question or doubt, by making a judgment:
2. the act of or need for making up one's mind

A decision is something that most of us struggle with -- deciding what we eat, what type of red we would like to drink, what clothes we want to wear, and even what path we would like to take. As a child, the only decisions you have to make in life are based on play -- what toy, what cartoon, what imaginary friend -- it all seems quite simple. However, while growing up no one really tells us the importance of how your decisions greatly impact your future. The decisions you make regarding friends and family, education and career, dreams and reality always bring us to the present.

Over the past ten years I've struggled to make decisions. I've struggled to be selfish. I've struggled to bring complete happiness into my life. On Thursday, September 11th, 2008, I took on an adventure that has been beyond anything I ever imagined. The decision for the adventure was one of the most difficult. Battling with the thought of being away from family and close friends and giving up the ever so familiar for the complete unknown by myself was extremely challenging. I left the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, Canada (population: 10,000) for London, England (population: approximately 8,000,000). I resigned from an excellent school on the Burin Peninsula to teach math in inner city London. When I look back on the struggles, stress and nervousness at that time, I laugh to myself wondering why I didn't do this earlier. Europe is magical - no photo does it justice. The cultures, languages, cuisine, and modes of transportation make you laugh at times and stand in shock at others. I know this was the right decision for me!

Over the past year I've been struggling with the motivation to keep fit and stay fit. While watching TV coverage of the Virgin 2010 London Marathon I was inspired. I was inspired by the people, both young and old alike, who have defeated the odds against diseases such as cancer and cystic fibrosis. Inspired by people who ran with amputations and severe vision impairment. So, sitting on the couch with a bag of pretzels in one hand and a breezer in the other, I thought to myself 'if they can do it, why can't I?'. So the decision was made and a few hours later I had entered myself in the second ever 2011 Brighton Marathon. I've never been a big runner, but I have completed a few cross country races during my school days and have completed the Tely 10 in St. John's, Newfoundland (10 miles).

My boyfriend, Mark, and my brother, Perry, convinced me to create a blog so that friends and family could track my training progress and send me messages of support. I've never done anything like this before, but so far I'm excited! I hope you enjoy reading about my struggles and triumphs and hopefully it will be a decision I won't regret.