Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Beyond the Books: What I Am Most Proud Of

Every Thursday Karen of KissinBlueKaren hosts Beyond the Books, at which time participants are given a topic and asked to write about it on their own blogs. They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Today Karen's Beyond the Books topic is about what I am most proud of.


I once ate an entire medium pizza by myself. I was about 15 or 16 years old. I can't remember exactly. 

Seriously though, my first thought when seeing today's topic was my family. I am most proud of them. We are not perfect, but we love each other dearly and are there for each other. My husband is an amazing man. Hardworking, generous, and loving. My daughter is kind and thoughtful and yet not afraid to speak her mind. They know how to make me laugh. I feel very lucky to have them both in my life.

A friend and I had a conversation about this a few months ago, and she would not let me get away with just saying my family. She wanted to know what accomplishments of my own I am most proud of. To be honest, I have not led a very adventurous or exciting life. I have no regrets about that; it just means I do not have any exceptional stories to tell.  Nothing out of the ordinary that would make me stand out or earn me a medal of any sort. 

What am I most proud of? My 17 years of marriage. Being a mother. Getting my Master's degree. Losing 75 pounds. Being a survivor and no longer a victim. My career. My blog. Myself. Sometimes I waver on that last one, but, for the most part, at least right this second, I am proud of who I am.

What about you? What are you most proud of?


 © 2015, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

36 comments:

  1. NICE!! I think you should be proud of yourself! Your masters?! Your blog! And a family who you love and they love you. There really is nothing better.

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    1. Debbie - Aw, thanks! I agree with you about family. :-)

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  2. A Master's degree and losing 75 lbs (wow!) is nothing to sniff at... though your personal best may have been eating that medium pizza (joking). Having a great family is also something to be very proud of. I'm most happy about my autodidact ways and my resilience. Not many people endured teenagehood with wacky pain that no doctor could diagnose, while simultaneously earning a GED. Introversion has its upsides. :)
    ~Litha Nelle

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    1. Litha Nelle - Yes, I was very proud of being able to eat that much pizza. Haha

      Your resilience and autodidact ways are definitely something to be proud of. You've shown you have a lot of strength--mental and physical--being able to deal with that pain and earning your GED.

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  3. You have a lot to be proud of and thankful for.

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  4. I think for many of our our families may well be the first thing we think of. Well done your friend for pushing you and well done you on these achievements.

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    1. Tracy - We've certainly been through a lot together. I have to best family. :-)

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  5. Wendy, I'd say you have PLENTY to be proud of. Like you, I think I am hard on myself and haven't given myself enough credit for all I've done over the years - many women, especially ones who have been though difficult circumstances, have trouble seeing that sadly. Bravo for you.

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  6. Wow! 17 years is awesome, also Masters Degree and losing 75 lbs. That is a whole lot to be proud of!

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    1. Karen - My husband and I were very lucky to find each other. :-) The 75 lbs would be more impressive if I hadn't gained most of it back. At least I know I can do it.

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  7. Yes! You should be proud! I love this post. So many positive things. Including that pizza! If my food allergies did not get the best of me I would so eat an entire pizza right now. LOL. I miss it so much. Sad to miss food.

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    1. Ti - Haha! I don't think I could eat an entire pizza right now. There is a lot I can't eat anymore that I once could eat. It does terrible things to my body. I know it's harder for you though with your allergies. :-(

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  8. You've a lot to be proud of based on all the things you've mentioned, Wendy! :)

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  9. That is a great list!! All of those are incredible achievements. I only wrote about my family since they were the first thing that came to mind. I should have mentioned my blog and almost reaching my reading goal of 100 books.

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    1. Kathy - Reaching your goal of 100 books is awesome. I haven't been able to do that in a long while. And even then it was a rare occurence. I personally think family is a very natural response to the question. They are such a big part of our lives--and who we are.

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  10. :) It is always fun to read about what people are proud of -- they run the gamut from big to little, with the little things often more important! You do have a lot to be proud of Wendy and have given everyone some things to think about. :)

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    1. Jenclair - Most of what I am proud of isn't that unusual, I admit, but it's a big deal to me. :-)

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  11. Beautiful post! You have a lot to celebrate.

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  12. This is lovely! Try not to sell yourself short- those things that you listed? Those are AMAZING accomplishments! Working hard at a relationship for 17 years? Losing 75 lbs?! Running a blog while trying to take care of your family AND having a career? A Master's degree?! And surviving what sounds like a traumatic situation... you have SO MUCH to be proud of. Now, I am kind of the pot calling the kettle black here, because I do the same thing. But I am going to try to think more positively too, because we SHOULD be proud of these things. These things are making you an AMAZING role model for your daughter, making you inspiring to people around you! Hell, you've inspired ME! You're making an impact on this world- and a good one! Thank you for sharing this, it's beautiful.
    Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

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    1. Shannon - You're making me blush. Thank you. I only can hope I am setting a good example for my daughter. I don't always feel like it (like when I cursed this weekend because I forgot to turn the house alarm before opening the door). But you are right; I think it's important that we take time to give ourselves credit for our accomplishments. You are pretty amazing yourself.

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  13. This is a question I would struggle to answer too but I would love to give it a try sometime. I think it's therapeutic and will also make me more aware of my blessings, which I should remember to count always. That said, I didn't have a very adventurous life either so most of the time, I have very few tales to narrate.

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    1. Athira - I almost skipped participating because I was having trouble thinking of what to write. And actually writing this came at a good time for me. It's given me a bit of balance when I feel as if my world is tipping over.

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  14. That's a fantastic list! It makes my kitty post seem a little silly. :P I'm seriously happy for you! :)

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    1. Lola - Please don't feel that way. Your post was perfect. I'm kicking myself for not mentioning my cats. They are pretty special.

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  15. How wonderful! You've accomplished so much. Your last paragraph is particularly inspiring. I am also most proud of my family. My oldest two were micropreemies who are happy, healthy seven-year-olds today. Those first few months weren't easy for us as a family, and I'm proud of how we managed to stay together and support each other. As for my personal accomplishments, I'm proud of being able to balance my family responsibilities, hobbies, and my career in a way that works for us (most of the time!).

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    1. A.M.B. - Thank you! You definitely have a lot to be proud of--from your family to your career as both an attorney and an author, and everything in between.

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  16. Your list is great, and kudos to your friend for pushing you!
    I'm most proud of creating 2 mini bibliophiles. I fostered a love of books and taught them both to read (this still amazes me!). :)

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    1. Selah - Thank you! That is something to be proud of! I hope my daughter will love to read too.

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  17. This is great, sounds like you've embraced what life should be about.

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    1. Tanya - At least in my better moments. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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