Mark Twain once said, "I can live for two months on a good compliment."  For me?  A compliment a day keeps my blues away.  But hey, if someone wants to pay me compliments more often than that, I'm not one to complain.

You see, I'm a "Words of Affirmation" Love Language kind of gal, so when someone criticizes me, it throws me into an emotional tailspin.  Which is exactly what happened last week when I showed up at my housecleaning client's house.  Showing up on a Friday instead of my normal Thursday threw my routine out of whack, which means I forgot my weigh-in book.  "I lost .6 this week," I had to tell her (she insists on SEEING the proof).  I thought I did well, considering it was my birthday and all.

"I'm getting sick of these 160's," she huffed.  "I want you in the 150's!"

Being April Fools Day, I envisioned myself saying, "Bite me!  I quit!" and stomping out of her house, never to return again.  But my cowardice didn't allow me to.  "I'm doing the best I can," I offered, then filled her in on the miles I had racked up this week.  She wasn't impressed. 

Instead of focusing on the 16 miles a week I was running, the 61 pounds I've lost so far (technically 70 if you count the weight I've had to re-lose), and shrinking from a size 26 to a 14, she was irritated that I was plateauing in the 160's.   For her, it was all about the numbers on the scale, but fitness is so much more than that.

All week I had been on a high from my running and weightloss accomplishments until her callous words cut me to the core.  On Saturday, I still ran 4 miles in Garden of the Gods with my training team, but by Monday, I was so depressed, I skipped my run altogether.  On Tuesday, I didn't go to the gym; I bought Whoopie Pies and Sugar Cookies at the grocery store after work and binged instead.  I cried myself to sleep that night.  I had gotten some encouragement from some friends after posting I was "in a funk," so by the time Wednesday rolled around, I was ready to tackle a run.

When my daughter is told she "can't" do something, she works that much harder to prove the person wrong.  I'm usually not like that:  If someone tells me I can't accomplish something, I believe them and don't even bother trying.  However, today, I decided to be like my daughter to see what I had in me:  I ran 6.75 miles! 

It's a personal record so far, and yes, I had a lot of extra calories to burn off, but the exhiliration, mental and physical, that I felt afterward took away the sting of her criticism.  I'm still not fully recuperated from her negative comments, but a long run was just what the doctor ordered, and I'm back on my way to feeling good about myself, regardless if I have a gain or loss this week!