7 Quick Takes Friday

1) This is such a weird morning for me, and it's been kind of a weird and long week. I feel like I need to get ready for work, but I don't because I'm going to a conference. If the weather allows. And if I get my packing done. I hope it'll be good. The topic that I'm going for is one that I'm really interested in learning more, but I'm a little nervous because a brief glance at the handouts that I printed out look like stuff that even I know. So we'll see. From what I hear, the presenter is pretty good, so I'll go ahead and assume that he does a bare bones power point and gives us the real info at the talk. Hopefully?

2) I am way behind in blog reading, but I'm really okay with that. I kind of like knowing that when I have a few minutes to sit down and relax, I'll have plenty to read. I'm starting to catch up a little, but this weekend will probably put me behind again.

3) I think the presentation that I helped with this week went well, and it was actually pretty fun. It totally wore me out, but it was worth it. Hopefully it will also help us to get some of the best kind of business (the fix things before they get totally out of hand kind; so much more fun and generally much easier than the I can't move anymore, so I guess I'll try PT kind).

4) If you're interested in a short read about movement and how to use your feet (and thus the rest of your body) better, this is a great book for that! It has a lot of exercises for your feet (with pictures) and some great explanations of how the feet affect your overall movement health. Don't be scared off by "barefoot" in the title. It doesn't mean that you have to walk around barefoot all the time or wear 5 finger shoes (unless you want to; in which case it will help you get to that point safely). It will explain why are feet could be doing so much more than what we ask of them, and it will make you think about your shoe choices going forward. Those are good things.

5) I may have bragged on fb that I haven't been nearly as bad with my hunger lately, and then a mere hours later had a total meltdown because I got too hungry. Seriously! I know that moms should never brag about how well their kids are sleeping on the internet, but I didn't think that would be a problem.

6) Can you tell that my brain is beyond fried from this week? How am I going to make 3 days of sitting in classes? Should be interesting.  Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Head on over to Kelly's for more Quick Takes.

7)

Perhaps the first time I've gotten a photo of the moon that wasn't just a bright, blurry blob.

Life: Crazy, Beautiful, Challenging

Let's be honest. It may not be life that's crazy, it may be me. The lines are a little blurred at this point.

So, I traveled last weekend. It was great to see family, but crazy stressful to drive that far in a short period of time. I'm not in the least bit caught up from all of that, and I will be at a conference this coming weekend that I have no time to get ready for. I also have a presentation that I have to help give this Wednesday that could be hugely helpful to work if we present it well, but I'm not always the best at presentations... Some prayers would be welcome. I'm super excited about the possibility of being able to help people challenge and change some of their movement limitations, but also somewhat nervous. I sometimes find it hard to really communicate it to people, especially in a large group.

Last week was kind of a big anniversary for me. On April 4, 2010, my life looked pretty set. My company was transferring me to a small town, and I was considering buying a house or a condo in that area. My company was celebrating its 15th anniversary, and I figured I would be there for their 20th. On April 5, 2010 it all changed. I had a day off, and my plans for the day fell through. I was so upset, and I had to figure out why. I realized that I felt stuck and that my life where I was was falling apart. Everything that had been going so well for several years was changing. It suddenly occurred to me that it was time to revisit a long dormant- but never dead- dream of moving to the mountains. It seemed like a bit of a crazy and drastic response, but I didn't really know if anything would come of it anyway. It turned out that within about 5 minutes of first having this crazy idea and deciding to look online for a job, I found a listing that led to the job that I still have. Let me tell you, that is a weird, weird feeling when you realize that a sudden and completely crazy whim could actually become a reality. By June 5, 2010, I had moved.

It was crazy and surreal. Challenging. Amazing. In retrospect, it's hard to believe where my life is right now. How am I a climber who is now looking for a bike so that I can start training for a cycling trip to the Alps? How did I go from nearly completely sedentary to climbing mountains for my weekend fun? How I see myself has changed completely. What I consider possible has changed completely. I no longer feel the least bit stagnant in my profession; I am so excited by the possibilities and new ideas for different patients. I miss the Midwest, and particularly the people there more than I could say, but the mere idea of leaving the mountains makes me die a little inside.

Life here still has all sorts of frustrations and challenges. I am still no closer to being married. My allergies keep causing all sorts of insanity. I love the people in my life and really feel that in many ways I am here to pray for them, and hopefully minister to them in whatever small way that I can. However, I don't really have anyone right now who is a good anchor for my faith. I miss that. A lot. In some ways my job is amazing, but we try to do things better, which means that it's not the easy way, and it's not the way to make the most possible money. Sometimes I just wish it were easier, you know?

But isn't that how life is? Beautiful, wonderful, amazing, but not so much easy.

Easter 2015