I remember every year at the closing of both State Recognition Days (SRD) and International Recognition Days (IRD) that I would say to myself, “Next year I will be in the KOP Circle of Light.” I have a great respect for KOPS and those that have maintained their KOPS status. I have come to realize when you make KOPS it is a great accomplishment, but the fight has really just started. It is twice the struggle to stay in leeway.
I was able to get to this point as a result of attending IRD in 2019 in Portland. TOPS President Rick Danforth did an amazing session on “Rocketing to Your Goal,” reminding us that every positive step forward makes us stronger. My TOPS traveling sisters, friends, and accountability partners Denise Triplett, Esther Dickerson, and I were so motivated that we made a pact – by next IRD, we would all be KOPS together. Though it took two years, on April 26, 2021 we were all KOPS at the same time, an exciting evening for us. In that moment, I felt accomplished, that I had done something, that only I could do for myself.
We all know that our lives changed in March of 2020 as a result of COVID-19. We were all mostly closed up in our homes and I was fearful for my loved ones, especially my husband and daughter who were both essential workers and were going out daily, exposing themselves to the virus, worried that they may bring it home to me.
I found myself losing my purpose and motivation, as my own mental wellness was being challenged. I belong to a group called GirlTrek, which encourages exercise for all women mainly through walking. The group started a 21-day Boot Camp, and every day at noon members were to lace up their shoes and get outdoors to walk while listening to a podcast of various subjects. That is where I started and it felt really good to be out in the air – free and I actually felt safe and stronger.
I then went back walking with the PG County 300 Seniors Walkers Club who walked socially distanced in various parks. My focus was on feeling healthier and found I was more confident. I was eating healthier and I was losing weight.
Our TOPS Chapter Leader Donna Johnson was dedicated to make sure we didn’t give up due to the circumstances. We met in parking lots, had conference calls every other week and did our weigh-in at my church. As weight recorders, Denise and I could see that the chapter was doing well.
My biggest highlight in 2020 before I reached KOPS, was that while I was getting myself together and walking, determined to minimally do 10,000 steps a day but with a goal of 12,000 steps a day, my daughter Kristyn said she was going to go walking with me. We started in the neighborhood, then we started walking on weekends to some of the parks and enjoyed nature. She bought me ear buds so I could enjoy all kinds of music while walking. Sometimes we didn’t listen to music – we just walked, laughed, and talked. One day, she said she watched me and I inspired her and that is when her whole life routine changed. She not only walked, but she trained herself in running and is so dedicated and regimented. Though neither of us started out specifically for weight loss, she has lost a significant amount of weight and runs three days a week at 4:30 a.m. before work. She has run a 5k and a 10k and I continue to walk and have done 5k walks.
It was great becoming a KOPS after 30+ years as a TOPS member, not listening to those that reminded me I had been in TOPS a long time and still had not met your weight goal. That didn’t matter to me, as I continued to persevere. I learned not to set time constraints on myself, to stay in your own mind and never give up on yourself.
Life happens to us all, and we get off track. Don’t be so hard on yourself, as you cannot focus on everything at once. Setbacks are not failures, they are interruptions on your path. There are always going to be peaks and valleys. Remember to look ahead and step out today towards the new and improved you. Love who you are, where you are. The only person you should strive to be better than is the person you were yesterday. When you ask yourself if you can do it, the answer is “Yes you can.”
