I realized earlier today that it's the end of June, meaning we're halfway through 2013. This year began as a new start for me - focusing on me. What exactly does that mean?
Well, so far this year, the big thing is that I completed my first ever half marathon, while traveling to Washington, D.C. for the first time ever. A year ago, I wouldn't have thought I would ever run 13.1 miles at one time.
This week, I also hit the one year anniversary of being at Tobacco-Free Michigan. I've learned a ton over the last year, and I'm thankful that I've had the opportunity to learn on the job and move things forward just a tiny bit.
I am continuing to purge my apartment and it seems there's no end in sight for this task. I have no doubt the thrift stores are benefiting from this project.
A year ago, I was just learning that I was accepted to the Western Michigan University School of Public Administration to work on my Master's degree. This past Thursday, I started my fifth class in the program and by the end of the year, I'll have 18 credits of the 36 I need to start my project paper.
So what does that mean for the rest of the year?
Something my friend Kari wrote about her first week of marathon training hit me today. "Sometimes we hold so tightly to things that just are no longer serving us, that we end up cramped and in a life-stifling death grip on the way things used to be."
I'm taking this with me for the remainder of the year (and beyond). At the very least, it'll help in this purging process and getting rid of things I do not need in order to simplify my life (holy crafting supplies!).
I also need to let go of the feeling that I'm not a runner. After the half marathon, I've fallen off the running wagon. I've literally been out to run a handful of times since the half. With that, I've gotten into the thought process of doubting that I can run another half. The problem? I have already signed up for the GR Half in October, which means I need to be training.
So, in the next 6 months, I need to get back to running (sooner, preferably), keep purging and "let go". I'm looking forward to the upcoming four day weekend I have planned to keep going on that path, and with any luck, my car will be full of stuff to take to the thrift store.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Hitting the low...
Today is June 22. It's been 3 weeks since my last run. I've been plagued with some sort of illness for the last week. I've wanted to sleep most of the day for the past month or so.
I'll let you in on a little secret...I'm broken.
It didn't happen overnight. But it really came to a head last week, when I lost my voice and started feeling like crap. It had been a while since I had been sick for more than a day or so, so I think I sort of forgot what it felt like. Once I got back from my half marathon, I went directly into the first summer semester for school and the class I took was extremely overwhelming (though a great class).
I've not been myself. And I don't think that's recent, but over time I've stopped reading for fun, my attention span has deteriorated, my focus is out the window, I'm having a hard time with priorities and I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. In the process, other outside forces have really put a damper on things, and my uncertainty about how to handle them has made me "turtle up" some (Yes, you bet your sweet ass I am...).
But, there's nothing like being sick to give you time to 1) decide that things suck, 2) realize you're being lazy, 3) decide you have to get back to the purging of your apartment and 4) understand that you haven't been taking care of yourself.
I started feeling human for the first time in a week on Thursday. Now that I'm feeling a little bit better, and the better part of my weekend is going to be spent working on my final paper for the semester, I decided that I needed to do some things moving forward before getting sucked into the paper.
This may sound odd, but I went to Staples and got notepads. I really went there for ink, but there were two particular notepads that caught my eye. One is a to do list type, and the other is a project type of pad, which includes boxes for tasks. I also spent way too much money there, in an effort to try to get myself re-organized.
The second place I went was Barnes & Noble. Mostly because it's the closest bookstore to my apartment. I used to wander in the Borders in downtown Ann Arbor for hours, looking at everything. I haven't bought a book in a bookstore for months (though I have purchased things on Kindle). I know I pretty much have a library at home already, but I bought a book today ("A Discovery of Witches", for those interested) in hopes that I'll pick it up this weekend and start reading (or any book for that matter).
Basically, I need to shift my priorities (or continue to) back to the following things (in no particular order):
- Work
- Half marathon training and fundraising
- Yoga
- Eating better
- Paying off debt
- School
- Purging the apartment
- Taking more time for fun stuff (reading, movies, friends, etc.)
My hope is that by doing this, I can move back toward being myself. Or, at least a little less broken version of myself.
I'll let you in on a little secret...I'm broken.
It didn't happen overnight. But it really came to a head last week, when I lost my voice and started feeling like crap. It had been a while since I had been sick for more than a day or so, so I think I sort of forgot what it felt like. Once I got back from my half marathon, I went directly into the first summer semester for school and the class I took was extremely overwhelming (though a great class).
I've not been myself. And I don't think that's recent, but over time I've stopped reading for fun, my attention span has deteriorated, my focus is out the window, I'm having a hard time with priorities and I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. In the process, other outside forces have really put a damper on things, and my uncertainty about how to handle them has made me "turtle up" some (Yes, you bet your sweet ass I am...).
But, there's nothing like being sick to give you time to 1) decide that things suck, 2) realize you're being lazy, 3) decide you have to get back to the purging of your apartment and 4) understand that you haven't been taking care of yourself.
I started feeling human for the first time in a week on Thursday. Now that I'm feeling a little bit better, and the better part of my weekend is going to be spent working on my final paper for the semester, I decided that I needed to do some things moving forward before getting sucked into the paper.
This may sound odd, but I went to Staples and got notepads. I really went there for ink, but there were two particular notepads that caught my eye. One is a to do list type, and the other is a project type of pad, which includes boxes for tasks. I also spent way too much money there, in an effort to try to get myself re-organized.
The second place I went was Barnes & Noble. Mostly because it's the closest bookstore to my apartment. I used to wander in the Borders in downtown Ann Arbor for hours, looking at everything. I haven't bought a book in a bookstore for months (though I have purchased things on Kindle). I know I pretty much have a library at home already, but I bought a book today ("A Discovery of Witches", for those interested) in hopes that I'll pick it up this weekend and start reading (or any book for that matter).
Basically, I need to shift my priorities (or continue to) back to the following things (in no particular order):
- Work
- Half marathon training and fundraising
- Yoga
- Eating better
- Paying off debt
- School
- Purging the apartment
- Taking more time for fun stuff (reading, movies, friends, etc.)
My hope is that by doing this, I can move back toward being myself. Or, at least a little less broken version of myself.
“Risk more than others think is safe, care more than others think is wise, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible.” - Cadet Maxim
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)