A Story Mile To Climb Scrapers

Events often influence our lives, like mine was when I needed a new dress for an upcoming show and I saw the dress size that actually fit me was larger than I ever thought I could ever expand to.  If size was like money in the wallet, I would have been a rich woman with how big I had let myself go without even realizing it. 

 

Should I have allowed it to be an accepted way? I guess on the lighter side of the situation, I was never ashamed of the person I was. I learned how to find some sort of comfort in myself whether I had the world on my shoulders or a not so heavy load. Life is life and we ought to roll with the punches if we are meant to see the rainbows that stand before us with our own eyes.

We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives, so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt, that peace and abundance may manifest for all.
– Dorothy Day

In life, we have a plethora of options. There is no one-sized fits all solution. Everybody is different and what is for one person may not be for the other. I decided to turn my focus to what matters most which was my own welfare. In order for a person to stand as tall as a tree with all their individuality growing out of the uniqueness of their branches, they must use true common sense which in fact is not always common.

“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself” - Mark Caine

It was a good time for me to embrace change and give my health the proper weight it deserved. I had already decided to change my lifestyle for one that exemplifies more of God and then I heard news of a fitness challenge that had commenced. That is the day I decided to join the gym and to also participate in the challenge with a few friends that had the common interest of doing something beneficial for themselves. Together we formed a team.

We were challenged to complete many different tasks individually and also in a group setting. One of the challenges was to walk up 13 flights of steps to the top of the building. They say the sky is the limit but I was not looking forward to climbing the heights of it because I thought it would be hard. But whenever we put ourselves to the test, it is a new height that we’ve gained. So I left it up to chance and in a short while, my team did it and we added climbing flights to the accomplished tasks list.
 

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman

Maybe the challenge has left me with some kind of newness, always feeling like it is a good time for me to workout. It could have actually been walking 10.5 miles from lower Manhattan to Kensington, Brooklyn or quite possibly, it could have truly been climbing the steps that made the difference.

Now that was just 13 flights of stairs, I can‘t imagine how those challenged today in the story by story climb must have felt after climbing the 42 flights of 1411 Broadway located in Midtown, NY on the corner of W. 39^th Street and Broadway.

 

My challenge was for a good cause because it was to help me to achieve balance in my own life, but the climbers challenge was for a great cause which was to raise money to stop domestic violence. Hundreds were gathered ready to climb from one cliff edge to another and make it all the way to the roof on Thursday evening, October 12^th, 2012.

The website indicates that each participant was to raise $100 in order to be a part of the fundraising event.  I also heard announced that One Equity Partners Challenge which included Ernst & Young and KBMG, offered to donate $5000 towards domestic violence for anyone who beat their team in the race.

The climb was from 7 PM and all runners and walkers were to be done by 9 PM. It was like any of the other fundraising walks but only this one was a walk or run up steps; climbing to end domestic violence.
 

 

 

 

 

I have to say that I am left very inspired about taking the stairs as opposed to getting on to the elevator to get to where I have to be after finding out that the climbers would be making their way up 42 stories. Though I am an elevator person and may or may not ever walk up 42 flights of stairs, cheers to them for being part of such a worthy charity event. They truly will make me consider using the steps instead of the elevator every now and then. Getting me out of my lazy and stubborn ways is truly a challenge in its own self. 23 pounds lighter than I was 2 1/2 months ago,  I can honestly say that I am learning to overcome it more and more now though which is a wonderful thing. Find out more about this charity event and the organization that puts it all together at http://storybystory.inmotiononline.org/about-story-by-story