Makeover - Madness?

Here we are after Labor Day, when everyone but the celestial calendar considers it Autumn, and the weather seems to be the sultriest of the year.
Much as I love the summer, and always considered it my favorite season - what's not to love about insanely long days, breezy fragrant nights, sunshine & gauze-thin seasonal wear? Oops. Lost in temporary reverie. :} ahem. As I was saying, lovely as summer is, I find myself looking forward to Autumn. Even though it's streamy & hot, I find my mind wandering to cuddling up inside a warm, cozy sweater, the faint smell of woodstoves... long evening walks through rustling leaves... funny... I don't ever remember looking forward to any of these things before. It was just another quarter at work. A slightly higher light bill.
I really think it has to do with how much better I'm feeling about myself these days. I've dropped an embarrassing amount of weight - not that people thought me overweight - just a typical "doughy" american. But I had a body image in my mind.. an ideal self.. and weight, muscle tone and energy level were just some of the facets. Well, by somehow finding my focus, I'm actually getting there... these changes would probably seem sudden and drastic to an outside observer, but I've had the healthy lifestyle voice in my head for years.. maybe my entire life... I just managed to ignore it & behave like everyone else. Until recently.
To recap: down 38lbs. Walking a lot. Bike riding. Eating healthy. Starting to like myself - or who I'm becoming... side effects... smiling much more... engaging with people... looking forward to things... it's a subtle makeover to start, and so far no one seems to have noticed except for random comments about looking "younger" :) They say "youth is the best cosmetic", but barring that, confidence and vigor go a long way too.
I'm really itching to take things faster. Patience never was one of my virtues. Still, I remember how long it took me to dig this hole. I remind myself to be content with any progress however subtle or seemingly small to outside observers. Life is ...good... right now. And I intend to savor it.