First things first…
Apologies for not posting in a while.
Apparently missing a day and then returning with a double instalment is becoming a bit of a theme around here.
But at least that means you’re getting two instalments today.
Yesterday was technically a rest day.
And for once, I actually rested.
My appetite wasn’t great, I definitely didn’t drink nearly as much water as I should have, and there was no gym session, no dramatic battle with a plank and no muscles threatening legal action.
But today is another day.
And yesterday ended up reminding me that this little journey I’m documenting isn’t only about getting fitter.
Because sometimes the important stuff has absolutely nothing to do with the gym.
Yesterday I became a grandparent.
Well…
A stand-in grandparent.
It was Grandparents Day at my youngest’s school, and I got the privilege of standing in.
And honestly?
It was the cutest bloody thing.
There was something really special about watching all these little humans celebrating their grandparents and seeing the love and respect they have for them.
And it made me think about just how much grandparents actually bring to our children’s lives.
I see it every single day in my own household.
My children are incredibly lucky to have grandparents who are actively involved in their lives — people they see, talk to, learn from, laugh with and undoubtedly get away with things with that Mom would absolutely have said no to.
Because apparently that’s in the grandparent job description. 
And I think sometimes, in the chaos of everyday life, we forget just how valuable that relationship is.
The stories.
The advice.
The traditions.
The completely unsolicited opinions.
All of it.
And I’m lucky enough that even at my ripe old age, my own grandparents still play an important role in my life.
I’m still learning from them.
Still listening to their stories.
Still getting advice.
And probably still being told things I’ve already been told seventeen times before…
But one day, I’d give absolutely anything to hear those stories for the eighteenth time.
That thought hit a little differently yesterday.
Then I got to spend some time with my mom.
Nothing particularly exciting.
We went shopping for a few essentials.
That’s it.
But somewhere between walking around the shops, talking absolute nonsense and laughing together, I realised how much I had missed simply being with my mom.
Not needing anything.
Not sorting out children.
Not solving a crisis.
Not rushing somewhere.
Just…
Mom and daughter.
When I was growing up, she used to tell me:
“I’m not your little friend.”
Usually after I’d said or done something that clearly tested her patience.
Well, Mother…
I regret to inform you that somewhere along the way, things changed.
Because apparently…
You ARE my little friend now.
And I’m yours.
Funny how that happens.
You spend your childhood thinking your parents know absolutely nothing.
Then you grow up and suddenly you’re phoning them asking questions about things they tried to teach you twenty years ago.
Turns out they might have known a few things after all.
Please don’t tell my mother I said that.
I’ll deny everything.
So no, this one isn’t about fitness.
It’s not about eating clean.
It’s not about calories.
It’s not about whether I lifted more or less than last week.
And there isn’t even a plank joke.
Okay…
Technically there just was.
But you know what I mean.
Yesterday was about something else entirely.
It was about remembering that while we’re so busy trying to improve ourselves, build careers, raise children, chase goals, get healthier and figure out what the hell we’re doing with our lives…
There are people walking beside us who helped make us who we are.
Our parents.
Our grandparents.
And if we’re lucky enough to still have them here, maybe sometimes we need to stop rushing long enough to appreciate that.
Ask another question.
Listen to another story.
Go shopping with Mom.
Have the coffee.
Take the photograph.
Laugh at the stupid thing.
Let the grandparents spoil the kids a little.
Because those ordinary little moments?
They’re actually the big ones.
So Day 12 looked a little different.
Gym: rested.
Appetite: apparently also resting.
Water: definitely could’ve done better.
Grandparents Day: heart officially melted. 
Kids: incredibly lucky.
My grandparents: still teaching me.
Shopping with Mom: unexpectedly good for the soul.
Mom: apparently my little friend now.
Plank: completely irrelevant for once.
Heart: very, very full. 
Now…
It’s time to drag my butt out of bed and get today rolling.
Because apparently we’ve got another instalment coming.
Progress isn’t always measured in kilometres, kilograms or weights lifted.
Sometimes it’s simply growing old enough to realise how lucky you are to still have people around who have loved you through every version of yourself.
Much love.
Apparently, we’re still doing this.
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