All Grown Up?

Good morning friends, family and secret followers of The Sassy Dietitian (I know you’re out there now :-D). I am so excited to have you here and hope that you find the content helpful, fun and educational, know that you are in a judgement free zone. If you haven’t done so before, head to the comments and let me know where you are following from and what you want to see on the blog, first one gets a virtual high-five! (You can also subscribe to my email list, newsletters coming soon!)

This weekend I went home (aka Maryland)  to visit family and to see one of my sweetest friends get married to the love of her life. It was such a joyous event and I had tears in my eyes throughout the day, tears of joy of course because when you see two people in love you can’t help but get chills and all the feels. I also got a Sassy Dietitian shout out during the Father of The Bride speech which made me happy as a clam (are clams even happy?). It is amazing how a special life event can bring people together on an otherwise unimportant day of the year, really cool if you ask me.

Not only did I have the chance to watch my friend walk down the aisle to her future but I also was able to hang out with many friends that brought me back to the past. We laughed and caught up, gossiped a bit and danced the night away. It seemed like nothing had changed but at the same time it felt like everything had changed. Some of us are now married, some have kids, some are in new relationships, some are starting new jobs, some have moved far away and some have stayed right where they were. It’s like we were ripping up the dance floor of a middle school dance but our style had improved and our confidence soared.

Are we all grown up? Is that possible? Wasn’t it just yesterday that boys gave us butterflies (or cooties) and what we wore could make or break our night? The day made me think:

“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.”- Chili Davis

As many of you may or may not know, middle school and high school were not the greatest of times for me. I was awkward and trying to figure out who I was. I loved school but I also loved sports. I liked being a tom boy but liked dressing up once in a while. I liked being loud and carefree but kept quiet because I wanted to be accepted. I wanted to curl up with my dog at home but I wanted to be with all of the girls. I wanted to grow up and leave the life of my teenage years behind but I didn’t want to grow out of my childhood.

Maybe this is the gemini in me or maybe it’s just the nature of being in your teens and figuring out yourself and the world around you. Either way I think it made me into the sassy gal I am today.

What I never realized is how much I would learn from the girls from my childhood. There is so much strength and beauty and wisdom that come from them that I am overwhelmed. The cliques have been broken and the judgements have faded. It’s hard to remember what made someone popular or what held you back from being sassy and outgoing. There are more important things in our lives like husbands, boyfriends, children, careers, etc. that all the petty things seemed in the past and insignificant, at least for the night, anyway. Growing up seemed fun and comforting but maybe we are just growing old, I mean we were breaking it down to “Watch Me” on the dance floor.

It was so good to see some old friends, and make some new ones. I think it’s okay that we don’t completely grow up but that we learn from our experiences and accept each other for what we’ve been through. We don’t have to see eye to eye, we don’t have to be best friends but we do need to be kind and loving. We don’t need to know every last detail but we need to know the details matter.

Maybe we’ve grown up or maybe we’ve just grown older. Whatever has happened I’m liking where this is going and I can’t wait to learn from my experiences and pick up right where we left off last time. Cheers to new marriages, new children, new opportunities and of course, new eating habits. I am blessed by all the wonderful friends, family and followers I have and am still smiling ear to ear.

Thank you for allowing me to be sassy and for you sharing your experiences and love for life with me. Now that I’ve had all the feels, it seems like it’s time to get back to the food, fitness and fun 🙂

Have a happy and healthy week, and make me proud with your “Sassy-approved” meals will you? (Feel free to share them with me too)

xoxo,

Sassy

ps. it’s okay to not be grown up all the time