RelayI am competative….whatever I take on in life I do my best to tackle it. I persevere and put my heart into it. I am yet again reminded why I do the Relay for LIFE and thought I would share my thoughts…..

This year I am preoccupied, I don't have time, my life is busy, my kids are playing every sport known to man that involves a ball and running, I have to remind (nag) those same kids to do their best at school and stay on top of that, my pool pump is making a funky noise, blah, blah, blah…..and the list goes on. The last thing I have time for is walking….or do I?

Last Christmas I had a little scare myself that just made me more aware. Two pesky moles that had been increasing in size, changing colors and shape needed to be taken care of. What I thought was a routine, go in to the doctor have them froze off turned into pain, stitches on my neck and stomach and a biopsy! What the heck doctor, I only came in here for the freeze and go treatment. When she put on those welder-like spectacles to exam and had great concern I was like…..Come on, I do not have time for this. Let's freeze and go. But biopsy it was. And the weeks waiting to find out it was not cancer was worth the little wake up shake and much relief when the doctor called and said "carry on (with precautions of course).

So raising some money, walking with my friends, sign me up! Yes, I don't have time but I also don't have time for cancer. No one does. So what is a few emails, some blog posts and some mileage on my shoes. And guess what…I LOVE to walk! I have taken back to the track to put me first and take some time for ME.

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Last year I raised over $1000 and this year I set out out raise $500. I am at $460!!! and have 57 days until I walk. That $500 does not seem like so much. Yesterday our team captain went to her monthly meeting for our walk and surprise I was the lead fund-raiser so far in the city so I got this pretty little mug to remind me…….

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I get to drink out of that mug, have my cup of tea in my art studio surrounded by my favorite art supplies, drive my kids to their various sporting events and sit with my feet up watching them run cancer-free right now. I am afraid for what this cancer deal will be like for my kiddos. I want to know that I took just a few steps to fight this in some small way.

Last night I was LIVE with my fellow artists and when I mentioned the walk there was not one person who said they had not been touched by this aweful cancer either directly or with a family member. They shared the death of their brother, their fight and some personal stuff.

That is why I am walking. Yes, I am competative and am raising that personal goal to $700. I can do it! So any and every dollar donated to support me means more than you will ever know. I will be walking May 12-13th. Donations can be made by going direct to my personal page by clicking HERE:

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY12National?px=19179772&pg=personal&fr_id=36994

That is what this walk means to me……..and I am reminded by a few sips of tea that it is worth every step. Have a great weekend!

Tracy

"I am just striving to be more than I have ever been" ~Unknown