Reclaimed

This house has been a permanent fixture in my life since, well forever. It's at the bottom of a huge hill on my running route (the big, stupid hill if you follow me on instagram or facebook). I don't ever recall this house in any other state but this one. Since I have been alive, and paying attention, there have never been windows or doors. You can see paint peeling on the inside walls. The siding is faded, shingles are missing, and there are always a smattering of old tires and beer bottles inside and around the front door. Basically it is hopeless. This is not even a fixer upper. The earth is slowly reclaiming this house. One splinter at a time.

As I was running the other day, the phrase 'the earth is slowly reclaiming this house' struck me. I have read it somewhere before. Not sure who to credit with that phrase. Anyway, I was thinking about blog posts and losing weight and all manner of things when I passed it and I said those words to myself. Then I got all philosophical and decided to apply it to myself.

Before I started this whole journey, the earth was slowly reclaiming me. I may not have been turning to dust right before your eyes, but I was dying. I know, I know. We're all technically 'dying' but I really was. I was letting the earth just have me. I might as well have been digging my own grave and stepping right into it. No fight. At all. Just consuming and letting nature take its course. Literally. I was on the cusp of being hopeless. A non-fixer upper.

BUT! (praise the Lord for buts!) (please don't take that as a bad pun, though it is funny) I finally said 'NO MORE!' I pulled myself up and got started. Something clicked. There was no way I was just going to let the earth just have me. I reclaimed myself and my life!

This earth cannot just slowly have me. I'm fighting now. I am working hard to add years to my life instead of subtracting them. I am reclaiming what is mine. I want to live out loud with love bursting out of every pore of my body. I want to live until my grandchildren have children. This is my life and I will not be controlled by food. I will eat to live instead of living to eat!

How about you? Are you slowly being reclaimed by the earth? Or are you fighting tooth and nail for the chance to live your life out loud?