My tomatoes are doing well. They’ve gone from blooms to marble sized, to ping pong ball and larger - growing enough every day I can see the difference. I make a point to monitor and record their growth and it’s been fun to see the changes day-by-day. They’re not the only thing growing around here. When I put my workout clothes on this morning and smoothed out a wrinkle in the fabric on my thigh I felt muscles. I hadn’t noticed that my own body is changing as much as my tomatoes!

My trainer sees the difference because it’s her job. But I hadn’t noticed because I haven’t been looking. I’ve been FEELING the difference - more endurance, more strength, looser clothing and all that - but I hadn’t looked at my body in the same way that I’ve been checking out my tomatoes - for visible changes. I honestly didn’t think I’d see results this fast. The truth is, I’d been so focused on the PAIN of my workouts (60-90 minutes of cardio on the bike every day, and then weights MWF) that I had forgotten to look for the results. Admittedly, they’re easier to *see* with my hands than my eyes - feeling them underneath the layer of fat that’s still there, but hey - THEY’RE MUSCLES!!

The take away of my morning was that growing pains bring us more than agony. They bring us delightful changes, positive changes. I can barely move today since today was “superset” days and my trainer increased the weight on the machines until my muscles screamed (and so did I!). But I held on, legs shaking, arms and muscles sore because I kept remembering the way my quadriceps felt under my hands this morning. Growing pains. They’re indications something is emerging in your life. Stop and look for it. Monitor it. Notice it. Appreciate it. It makes it so much easier to endure the “pain” part of it. I guarantee it!