28. Perspective Half Way Through

At the Crossroads of Sunset and Moonlight

I watch early morning seagulls gliding through the sky to their flawless landing atop the lamppost of my San Luis Rey & Ocean Front signpost.  Six of them seem to be playing together as they dart from rooftop to rooftop, then burst off circling the beach, back to another rooftop, now swoosh up again o'er top of the serious 7:00 a.m. volleyball players, and finally line up on the arc of the lamppost. 


Perhaps they're resting, or napping--do birds nap?--as they sit side by side, silhouetted in synchronized perfection.  One breaks away to come perch on a ledge directly above my curious head.  She looks down, I look up, we share a moment, and she's gone. She doesn't join her five napping companions, but finds her own curved post on the beach's far end by the park.  When the five decide to take off swooping and soaring again, she remains, preparing for her day ahead.  As do I.


Half way through Fitcamp in San Diego, half way through living in a sun-filled paradise instead of Chicago's frozen winter wonderland, half way through whatever I hope to accomplish while I'm here...pause, deep breath...I ask what will my days ahead bring?


I'd imagined the daily workouts before I came.  Imagining and experiencing, of course are two very different things.  The first week I now realize was sheer will power, forcing myself to participate, to follow the trainers with my heavy, awkward moves.  The second week, promising myself to attack the workouts instead of simply experiencing them, again my head said attack and my body said, "Oh, alright, but up to a point."

I took a morning off here and there, to walk to the water's edge and bend down for this shell and that (discovering when done correctly, I was actually performing squat after squat anyway)  but never missed Fitcamp in the evenings and on Saturday mornings.

I learned about balancing my protein, carbs and fat, and to write every single item in a food diary.  I shared with friends--some who teach me much, and some I'm able to pass it on to. 

I had interesting discussions with my neighbor upstairs about artists and atheletes.  I accepted the generosity of the trainers driving me back and forth to Fitcamp. I tuned a friend's first Ukulele for him (and followed "Ukulele Mike" online learning to play "Amazing Grace".)

I brought together a friend from Phoenix with a San Diego friend who will now be able to work together in a portion of each's business venture, and, I discovered I could walk 2 -6 miles to get whatever I need to get done in a day!  Grocery store, post office, real estate office, drug store--all there waiting for a good walk.

I haven't written here in the blog for awhile...it seemed like so many details regarding push-ups, lunges, planks, lateral squats, every type of bicep/tricep/and all other muscle group resistance exercise, and on and on,  kicks, jabs, steps, knee-raises, and on and on...  my daily grind didn't seem like something to write about.

However, half way through, I've gained perspective. 

I turned a corner. 

My body isn't telling me what to do on the mat and on the grassy obstacle courses, I'm telling it what to do!  It's a new feeling, one which I believe is moving toward balance.  In the future I hope to continue working together, mind and body, toward accomplishing my goals.

In the future I hope to bring you along, bring my friends along, swooping and soaring together, finding our own perches when we need them, and lining up together when we need to share. 

If you could fly... 

You can.

One step at a time.



Discovered today in the preparation details for the "Hustle Up The Hancock" on Feb. 27th, that the 94 story climb has 1632 steps, but the 52 story climb, which I'm doing, only has 816 steps! Sounds like a piece of cake compared to the over-1000 that I previously thought it would be.  Still have a lot of training to go, but I believe it sounds manageable now.

Yesterday I learned my first Ukulele piece, discovering I'd like to purchase one and learn to play.  Unbelievably, last evening a friend back in Wisconsin invited me to go with her to a Ukulele workshop in August--out of nowhere--we'd never, ever spoken of Ukuleles before!  I'm in.