Life is Short

My very good friend Kelli lost her mom this week. It was quite a shock. We are not at an age to be dealing with the death of our parents. I'm blessed enough to have all of my grandparents around still, so death is a fairly rare experience for me.

This this episode gave me cause for reflection. And these are my thoughts:

• It's a cliche, I know, but life really is short. Therefore, you ought to spend your time here on the good stuff. Find what you like and find a way to do it.
• I spend a lot of time worrying. A lot of time. Worrying. About fairly dumb, or uncontrollable, things. This is a waste of my life. I carry grudges, fight with my husband, I don't see my family more than a dozen days a year. Again, waste.
• People and your relationships with them are more important than whatever else you have going on- your job, your worries, your schedule, whatever. Take time to let the people who are important to you know that they are important to you. This is hard for me, because I feel like I'm always running between things, but I'm going to try to do it more. I'm also going to try to repair some relationships that aren't so great right now. Grudges and anger are not good ways to spend your life. I would hate for my last interaction with a person in my life be one of anger or bitterness.
• It is really easy to let relationships slip away- people move, change, just get busy. If the relationship is worth it, give it some effort. Friendships don't happen by magic.

Philly Inquirer Article on Career Changes

I was interviewed for an article on under-30s making career changes from their degree fields. As I reflect on my transitions, it is great to see other people are making them (and pretty radical ones) too! http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/19208149.html

Transitions

Today is the first day of the 3 day "Basic" seminar. It is official. I am moving from paperwork and administration to Pilates. I feel nervous- I'm even shaking a bit (although that may be the 2 cups of coffee).

The nerves are not about the class. It's about the sudden real-ness of this change. I've been training and preparing for almost 8 months now, so it has always seemed pretty far away. Now it is here! The nerves are definitely mixed with excitement- I've been wanting to do this, and now I have the chance. Valerie has a quote from Jack London on her blog (The Road Lots Travelled), about the point of life is not to exist, but to live. I think I am making steps in that direction. Side note- if you have not read Val's blog yet, do it! She is friggin' hilarious, and has had some pretty cool adventures!

In the TV show "LOST", when people travel through time, they have to have a "constant", a person that grounds them in both the past and the future. I think it is the same for transitions. Having some connection to your old world and your new at the same time makes it smoother and easier. I am blessed enough to have many constants: Chris (who loved me as an insurance administrator, and has been my biggest cheerleader for this change), my apartment (didn't have to pick up and move to make this happen), even my job situation, as my boss has agreed to have me work on some projects at an hourly rate.

So I don't feel totally at sea in my new life. I'm in a lifeboat, with lines to solid ships. I feel like I could let go of some of the lines, or I can ride with them all. Right now it is a nice place to be. We will have to see if that remains, or if one of the lines starts to tug a little harder than the others.

So, why do transitions, even ones you are excited about, cause fear and nervousness? It seems a shame to let your happiness get overrun, even just occasionally, by fear of the unknown. Isn't the unknown what makes life worth the living, not just the existing? If we knew it all ahead of time, it would a pretty boring way to live. You may not have the fear, but you also would not have the excitement, anticipation or surprise. So, maybe fear, rather than prescience, is a good trade.

Nutrition Check-in

I have had a couple of requests for an update on how the weight gain is going. Truthfully, I have no idea. I don't weigh myself very often. I know that I have gotten stronger in my workouts, so maybe a little bit....

I'm putting protein mix in everything- my coffee, cereal, ice cream. And I've been drinking a lot of Ensure. These things have to helping some, I would think. This week I will start visiting a nutritionist. Independence Blue Cross gives their members 6 free nutritionists visits/year. Free, really! So if you have IBC, check it out (guess who's been working in insurance?)! After my visit, I hope to have a better plan of attack and a better way of tracking my progress.

Updates

Well, I passed my Initial Assessment! Hooray! I am officially an apprentice in the Romana's Pilates Teacher Training program.

But now the real work begins. Over the next 6 months to 1 year, I will be observing lessons, taking lessons and teaching lessons. I will attend classes and take tests. It is a very intense program, but I am very excited to be a part of it. I know that this is a fantastic opportunity for me to learn from the best. So, my goal is to be the best student that I can be- to learn as much as I can, to not be afraid of making mistakes, to ask questions, to explore- so that I can be the best teacher I can be.