Susan 2.0

Guess what? I ate asparagus for the first time this weekend. To most people that may not be a big deal, but for me it was. See, I'm a very picky eater, always have been. As in, my mom used to make me something different for dinner to the protests of my sisters, picky.

So last year when I was told that I had to start daily injections for my MS, I made myself a promise. I promised that if I was going to be forced to face this challenge, I was going to create challenges of my own making. I was going to try things that I hadn't before, expand my horizons. I was going to be in charge of what I could be. That's when I signed up for the Princess Half Marathon. (You know, a half marathon is 13.1 miles, right?)

Then late last year, I had the opportunity to take on another challenge when the role of managing editor at St. Anthony Messenger came available. At first I balked at the idea. And then--after much deliberation--I accepted the challenge. Shortly after taking the job, a friend and colleague of mine commented on how I seemed to have changed. He started calling me Susan 2.0.

I liked it. I decided that moving forward I would push myself beyond my comfort zone. I would try new foods, new adventures, new challenges. So far I've completed a half marathon, a 5K and wrote a book. I let my niece cut and color my hair any way she wanted. I started trying at least one new food a month. I've had authentic Chinese food, discovered that I love sugar snap peas and cucumbers and hate Wasabi peas, Swiss cheese and asparagus. It's been fun--and challenging.

Moving forward, I'm open to suggestions for challenges, and encourage you to join me and give yourself an upgrade. It's a lot of fun.