Take a Moment to Reflect

Today, all across MA, at 2:50pm, bells rang and folks participated in a moment of silence to honor victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.  At Gillette, they spelled out Boston for an aerial photo.  The image of the crowd by the marathon finish line is touching.  I'm sure that thoughtful demonstrations took place at college campuses across the state.

As I was taking a moment of silence here in Chicago, with my heart and mind focused on Massachusetts, I decided to take a moment of reflection for myself.  I had been a little disappointed in my workout today - I'm being extremely conservative with my hip, so I had to adjust the programming, and wasn't able to get a new PR on my shoulder press.  I'm definitely in denial about the fact that starting the day after tomorrow, I am going to be losing a lot of my time with Max, as well as freedom in my schedule.  And, as usual, there are just a list of things that I'm not feeling great about.

But it is a gorgeous day in Chicago (I'm out in the sunshine, where I have been sitting and working on homework that I'm really enjoying despite it being finals time!), and I think it's so important to take time here and there to just reflect on the good things.  They don't have to be big good things either; they can be little reminders of the many pieces that come together to make a day, an afternoon, a moment, good.

Just to reiterate, it is Lovely here.  Sun is out, it's not too hot or too chilly.  This is a welcome change from the monsoons, snow, and general cold dreariness we have been experiencing thus far this April.

So I couldn't PR on my shoulder press.  Who cares?  I'm reminding myself that I made a deal with myself a while back that I would not get caught up on getting heavier and heavier on my lifts.  And just last night I made the call to get rid of a purple halter dress that used to look so good because now with my jacked shoulders and arms, it makes me look a bit like a cross-dresser.  I love being fit and making progress with my abilities, but I don't necessarily need to be building so much strength (slash muscle slash mass!).  Is this my attempt to justify "failures" to my competitive nature?  Maybe.  But even if I'm not adding more weight to the Olympic bar than I was a few months ago, I am seeing progress - in my ring muscle ups, handstand push ups, being able to use a heavier wall ball or kettle bell, shaving time off of workouts.  So it's ok to level off a bit on weightlifting.

Max is getting cuter and smarter every day.  He is so funny, so in tune with his surrounding and so interested in everything, and boy does that kid love to eat!  My parents and I pretty much all eat at different times, so he basically just goes from his meal to the next to the next all morning and into the late afternoon.  Yeah, he takes after both of his parents - champion chow hounds, the both of us.

Maddy is doing well.  She even got on the outdoor couch without assistance today.  She's going for long walks (while I rock out to Liz Phair and look like a crazy person in my Crossfit duds).

I have awesome friends, and am reminded of this constantly.  I don't get to see enough of them - even the ones who live in Chicago - but I have an amazing group of people in my life, and that network continues to grow, which makes me happy because it's not always easy for me to make friends, especially considering everything I'm dealing with now.  Friends, you rock.  If I don't tell you all that enough, I apologize, but know that I'm thinking it all the time, and I appreciate everything you do for me.

And my parents - yeah, I'm a lucky girl.  Knowing that Max will be with them when I'm away all day at work is what makes me think I will be able to make it through on a daily basis without breaking down in tears. And I swear I will try to give them more opportunities for breaks (though with Max entering preschool, they will be getting more time without him already).

Hmm, I guess I got into some bigger things there, but back to a little one - Game of Thrones.  Man I love that show.  And just when I was afraid that Khaleesi wasn't going to make an appearance in last night's episode, BAM!  I watched that scene at least 3 times.  I would like to have a soundtrack of her speaking in Valyrian to play whenever I need to get amped up for something.

Also, last night I tried on ALL of the clothes that are hanging in my closet because I have to weed stuff out.  Didn't manage to put much in the "to go" pile (except that dress - grr) but I am going to make an effort to actually wear more of my clothes.  Maybe going to my internship (which doesn't require wearing a suit, but will require not just wearing my workout clothes all day...) will help.  It might be nice to be able to put "real" clothes on (for at least a week, anyway)

And now it's time to get ready for the last meeting of my Org Culture and Design class with my favorite instructor.  The best part is that it's all presentations and I did mine last week.  So I can just sit back, relax, and as long as I ask a couple of questions, I'm golden.

Why don't you join me in taking a moment to reflect on a handful of things that are good in your life right now, or just letting go of the less-than-stellar things on your mind?