I love this philosophy!!

Part of this journey is loving and respecting ourselves enough to make choices for health. I know that your future self is going to thank you!

It is important to look at where we have been. This is a slight thread derail, but you have me thinking.

I survived an abusive childhood. I have cut a lot of links to my past and it is really hard for me to have an objective view of myself as a child. For the first time in years, I saw a picture of myself as a little girl in a scrapbook my sister-in-law has.

It was one of the most difficult and emotional experiences of my life. My God, I was JUST a little girl. I deserved love and happiness and safety as much as any other little girl on the planet. It was a stunning, stunning moment in my life, and I realized I had to embrace that little girl. I really grieved that she---that I---could not have had a decent childhood. So what would 35-year-old midwife say to 8-year-old midwife? What would we say to 70-year-old midwife?

Sorry for the total derail, but your post struck something very poignant in me this morning.....I probably have not made any sense at all!

BTW, Meet the Robinsons is a really terrific animated movie touching on time travel and some of these issues. I totally recommend it if you haven't already seen it.

I agree that we are doing this for our tomorrow selves..

Although that was a frightening concept about travelling back in time. If I woke up and was 20 again (or 16), I'd scream "get me out of here!!".

OMG! I was talking about this exact idea last night!

I was thinking...if I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now, what would I whisper to myself? Well the first thing would be is to go back to when I first got married and tell myself what I will weight in the future. To put down the fork now before it starts! Exercise wouldn't kill me either. That having two kids will make it harder and to get myself in shape before then.

The other thing I think I would do would be to tell myself NOT to let my husband get on the internet! This became a big problem later in many ways. Our marriage will be a lot stronger if he finds something to do beside play online with other people!

I'd be happy if I could only change those two things. I think I could handle everything else the way it played out.

Nelie - omg, you cracked me up!!

Supersub - how weird is that, that you were just talking about this same concept! (Hey, quit tapping into my brain, k? lol) And I know what you mean about the internet, it can definitely suck a person in. It's a dangerous pit, that way.

Midwife - your post choked me up. And no, it made perfect sense. The child that I was forty years ago is not the woman that I am now - and that's one of the concepts I touched on (just as the woman I will be in 20 years is not the same as the one I am today).

If we can have compassion and respect for the children we once were then shouldn't we have just as much of both for the women we are yet to be?

Wow, that was hard to put into words. But anyway, yeah, I think I got it, what you were saying. And thank you.

Yes, yes, and yes again.

Great Post gets one thinking!!! Yea YOU!!

This is a terrific topic! 20 years ago I would have also told myself to put the damn fork down and go for a walk. This week at weigh-in, I lost 3 1/4 lbs and made it to 216. I haven't seen that number on a scale for over 20 years. It has motivated me to work even harder and the biggest reason to do this is for my future. I have so much to live for and I have to be fit and healthy in order to live the life I want. I'm going to be fabulous in my 60's!!

I keep forgetting to take my calcium. This may not seem like such a big deal, however, I had a bone density scan in September and I was told that I have the very earliest stages of bone degeneration. So,if I want to be the active and strong Grandma that travels the world, I really do need to tell this 43 year old woman to take her calcium, do some strength training and start walking on that treadmill.....today!

Funny - but thinking about the future me is pretty much how I quit smoking. I had been smoking since I was like 16. I had only attempted to quit once before and it took 10 years after the first attempt before I was ready to try again. After I had quit, when thoughts of smoking again came up, I thought about how it would prolly take me another 10 years to quit again. The thought of being ten years older and still smoking was enuf to keep me off of it. My 10 year anniversary of quitting was last year....

Do it for YOU Eileen!!