Feeling out of sorts ... and liking it

The past few weeks have gone by in a flash, and I feel like I barely recognize the person I've become. When I look in the mirror, I still see the same old me ... most of the time. It's my attitude and approach to life that are so completely different.

I had an experience today that would not have been possible a year ago. I made a new friend and it happened in what I think is a weird way. Someone I know simply recommended her as a friend on facebook. I sent the request and poof ... a couple of weeks later, we're having lunch and chatting as if we've known each other forever. And she's the second new friend I've made in the past month. I'm 37 years old and it sounds so strange to be talking about making new friends. I can't even really explain the need to do it. A year ago, I would have never "friended" someone on facebook I didn't actually know already and I certainly wouldn't have met the person for lunch and shared personal information about myself. The old me would have just not been able to do it and if I had, I would have been so stressed ... probably to the point of feeling sick. Today, I felt so comfortable and at ease.

Of course, my new friend deserves a lot of credit. She's very easy to talk to and didn't seem to mind that I might have sounded a little crazy every now and then. Unfortunately, there's still that small part of my brain wondering if she thinks I am crazy. But I'm trying to ignore those voices. Instead, I'm trying to focus on the progress I'm making. I've said it before: My journey is not just about losing weight. It's about discovering who I am and being happy with myself.

I am happy with myself today, so here's my list of five things that made me happy today.

1. I made a new friend. Not just because she's a nice person and fun, but also because it meant doing something I wouldn't normally do. I went outside my comfort zone and I liked it.

2. I won a newsroom award for planning our election coverage. I have a whole team of people who really deserve all of the credit. I'm happy I won, but I'll be even happier when I reward my team in some way for carrying out the plan.

3. I'm happy about the direction some things are going at work. As usual, I'm not going to reveal a lot of details about my job in this blog. But I feel like things are on the right track and progress will be made. Continuous improvement is important to me.

4. I blogged for the first time in a few days. I was feeling out of sorts, confused, tired, etc. and just couldn't focus on blogging the past couple of days. I'm happy I did it today. It always helps me organize my thoughts.

5. I got an unexpected e-mail from someone. Not ready to share the details, but it did make me happy.