This morning I slept in, till 7:45am!
Now, I know what you're thinking, "7:45am? What?! Ya call that sleeping in?" Why, yes, I do. As a teacher, that time is a luxury for me :)
So, I lounged around the house, fed my cats (they're both calicos and they love to be held!) and made myself some chamomile tea. I got dressed, made breakfast and looked out the window while I ate. This may seem like an ordinary day, but to a girl that equates herself with the Energizer Bunny, this was a taste of heaven! On a side note, I've been making it a point to cook myself breakfast before I leave for work every morning and I feel more energized, more relaxed and it sets me in the right frame of mind for the day. One day this past week, I only had a cinnamon raisin bagel with Earth Balance Butter and I could totally feel the difference in my work performance, my motivation, and the ability to face daily challenges head-on. Now, I know that I can't always expect myself to make breakfast every day, but I've come to the understanding that a good meal in the morning, sets the tone for the whole day.
A couple of hours later, and I find myself here in this coffee shop, writing. Actually, I've got multiple tabs open up at once. Do you ever feel like you can't just do one thing, like you have to try and get a little bit of everything done in order to feel successful? But then again, there are some days where I need to accomplish everything on a list in ascending order and other days, where I jump from one task to the other, without missing a beat.
Last night, I went to a comedy show with some coworkers. It was so nice to be able to get out and be social, to enjoy one another's company. I have come to terms with the fact that I need to incorporate more of this "socializing" into my life as I get older as well as take advantage of the opportunities that bring me joy. At this point in my life, those opportunities now include taking all day classes once a month to become licensed in teaching more versions of Zumba and it's HIIT counterpart, Strong by Zumba (SBZ). Through these opportunities, I've been able to network, meet more people with a desire to learn, and develop my extended "gym" family. In reality, we all need a healthy dose of physical activity, but more so, to incorporate wellness and spirituality (whatever that may look for you) while being acutely aware of our physical presence/being. We need to be able to readily identify the things that bring us the most joy and make it a point to allow those things movement and places to grow in our daily lives.
As I prepare for Lent, one of things that a guest priest at my church mentioned last week has stuck with me throughout this past week. He said, that instead of focusing on "giving something up" this Lent (which begins on Valentine's Day-Ash Wednesday! well, that's easy to remember), focus on adding something into your lives. Find out where your talents and gifts are and work on incorporating them into your lives in order to see where God and those talents align with each other naturally. Now, I've heard this message so many times before about Lent, and the importance of giving something up (which I will) and how giving something up allows us to focus on God. But his message struck a different chord inside of me. Perhaps, I was awakened that day and I heard it in a different way and maybe even, I was ready to hear it. But, it challenged me to try and make a way to bring my talents into my life that glorify God on a regular basis.
This week, I've made it a point to write regularly on my blog. I've signed up for different Zumba events that challenge me. This month, I've learned to listen to my body and when I feel the need to slow down. I know that it's okay go home, jump in my pajamas and be asleep in bed by 8 or 9pm. I've learned that it's exciting to go after your dreams and a little scary, too. I've found the process of applying to doctoral school both challenging and thrilling, knowing I am making yet another jump into the sea of the unknown, but it will help opportunities to arise to the surface and awaken passions inside of me that I never knew existed.
I've also realized that, in the past, I tend to put up invisible barriers or walls when I meet a potential guy in order to protect myself from hurt, from being afraid, or from things possibly working out. I've heard it said that sometimes, it's not things that scare us but things having the "potential" to work out, that scare us. I've recognized that, said it, and understood the need to slowly bring those partitions down. I now understand the honest and genuine care that my colleagues show me for wanting to "set me up" with a guy and the kind of different "happiness" that comes from a relationship. Though that hasn't happened yet, I am from the belief that a relationship that is developed in it's own time will be beautiful in it's own way. I am so thankful for laughter that makes me smile and for people that have turned to lifelong friends in the most unexpected places. And for that, I owe it to my close friends, colleagues, and parents.
And yet, I continue to sit and type, without having much of any plans for today. Just enjoying the light chatter of conversations around me, the familiar and comforting smell of my coffee with honey, and thankful for being alive and healthy.
And, here - I leave you with my favorite quote, which has brought up a topic of discussion lately about tattoos - if I were ever to get a tattoo (which I wouldn't) it would be this - or a take off of a cross in white ink that a friend had back in college):
"May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand."
~cheers.
