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Lessons not learned have a habit of re-presenting themselves—at the worst possible time.

I like to joke that God puts a pebble in my path to get my attention. If that doesn’t work, I get a rock to trip over. If that doesn’t alert me, a boulder soon appears headed in my direction. Only after I’ve been run over do I ask myself the question: what lesson am I supposed to be learning here?

Nowhere is that truer than in my efforts to get fit, lose weight and live healthfully. For roughly 40 years, I ignored every obstacle—large and small—in my path. Gall bladder surgery, a torn hamstring, clothes that fit too snugly, frequent hospitalizations, chest pain and a bad fall—all of these lessons went unlearned.

When I weighed in at 183 pounds, the bathroom scale broke. For some reason God only knows, I “listened up” and made profound, life-altering changes. Nearly eight years have passed. Yet from that moment forward, I’ve focused on getting and staying fit.

Even so, I must confess that occasionally I take a big header. What that happens, I reassure myself that I am still on the journey. At no point can success—or failure—be declared; there is no “there” there. It is always and only a matter of putting one foot ahead of the other and looking to see what lessons I can glean when I stumble and fall.