A Month of Focus

So it's a month away from when I will be leaving for Australia, on my six-week adventure. In this month I have a lot to accomplish. No one seems to feel sorry for me. Regardless, I'm also starting a new phase in that I don't want to buy anything new this month. I want to focus on getting ready for the trip. Wrapping up work as much as possible, throwing Kendra's baby shower, and continuing to work on my new venture.

The exceptions to what I can buy? Food and the necessary items such as shampoo and other tolietries. No clothes, no shoes, and no books. Though I can trade books in at the secondhand bookshop in Glenwood Springs. Trading is acceptable. So far so good in the first two days of the month. I'll keep you posted.

Part of this is about saving for my trip, and the other part is about getting really clear about where my money goes. I don't always pay enough attention, and it shows. So I'm going to turn that around. And as my roommate said today, everyone deserves a second chance. So instead of berating all the choices I've made that haven't been great I'm going to move forward starting today and this month.

Wish me luck. Bonne Chance!

A good book

A good book is like a fine glass of wine to be savored. Amy recently let me borrow "Loving Frank". This book is a fictionalized account of a true love affair. The book is about a modern woman living in the 19th century, though you may not identify with all the choices she makes you can identify with her belief in being authentic to yourself. Read it. I couldn't put it down. It kept me up nights. Enjoy!

A trip away

So right now I'm sitting in my friend Ruth's kitchen. I just caught up on a month of blog entries on her wonderful blog site www.ruththemom.com. She inspires me to want to write on my blog on a more regular basis, and she makes me laugh on her blog and in general. Spending time with friends is truly a blessing.

Soon we are heading to Sonoma to wine country, which is one of my favorite activities. Truly, having to taste wines, how will we survive? I have finally made it to Sacramento to see where she lives. Getting a chance to hang out with someone in their natural habitat gives you a much better sense of their life, and then you can talk about your common frame of reference.

I noticed on my last blog entry (last month) that I was talking about suffering from allergies. I'm happy to report that after the misery I am feeling much better. It turns out it wasn't just allergies, it was also anemia and some thyroid issues. I went to a Naturopath, because the traditional medicine route just wasn't helping.

It turns out that my inability to wake up had a medical reason. I just put too much expectation on myself. Even with this blog I feel like once a month is not enough. It does make the bar manageable. If I can get to twice per month then I've made a major advance!

Which brings me back to spending time with friends, and how wonderful it is for creating the best life. Last weekend Mary Beth came to Denver and Boulder and we spent some great hours people watching...priceless. And this weekend I get to spend some quality time with Ruth. So life is good. I will keep you posted, maybe twice or more this month!

One blog per month I can do better than that

So the past couple months have posed some difficulties with a truly tough allergy season. I haven't felt like myself, run down. I've woke up extremely congested, and I've had many contact issues with several days of wearing just one contact. Who knew that vision was so important?

I know that one option is signing up for years of shots, and I hope to bypass it. So instead I started going to a naturopath doctor, and guess what? I'm feeling much better. I am hoping that this foray into alternative medicine will put me back on the path to feeling like myself again. I want to feel great when I head to Australia in October.

The realization and awareness that I'm having is showing me that sometimes we need help. This was one of those times for me, and often I want to figure it out on my own. But instead I just need to find the right help.

I'm really good at seeking at help for professional growth, however, I'm not as good at getting the assistance I need for self-care. One day I wasn't sure I could even wear one contact. I made it home, barely, however, that may have been the time to ask someone to drive me home. It's just so darn hard to admit when you can't do it on your own.

Reminds me of this song...'miss independent, miss self-sufficientm, miss keep your distance, mmmm.' Time to bloom. I think so!

Heading back to Australia

I realized that I hadn't told you that I'm officially going back to Australia. That's right I've been selected as a team member of the Rotary International Group Study Exchange to visit southern Australia. I admit that my travels have been a bit excessive lately. The truth is that traveling is such a key component of who I am. So I keep traveling.

And now I get to make a dream happen. I always wanted to study abroad, but I convinced myself that it cost too much. So I didn't. And now at 23, oh I mean 33, I get to travel abroad for an extended period. Life sure does surprise you sometimes!

What about life surprises you? I'm really surprised that I just wrote two blog entries in one day. A Guiness world record for me.

One hour at a time

I am realizing that I often expect change to happen instantly. Maybe I watched too many fairy tales where a magic wand was waved, and poof everything happened instantly. The truth is that our lives aren't like a Polaroid picture. We don't wave them, and then the image or the way forward appears instantly. Alcoholics often talk about having a moment of clarity. Meanwhile, I'm lucky if I remember to walk out the door with my cell phone.

So now I'm taking it one hour at a time, per my friend's suggestion. That seems to work better. So this hour I'm taking the time to write on my blog. Wonders never cease, and I'm enjoying the moment.

A Blog Intervention

So at this point I'm at a post a month. I obviously need a blog intervention. Or maybe just an intervention from watching that show. Yes, I've become addicted to watching Intervention on A&E. I don't know what it is exactly, but it has something to do with the fact that I can watch someone potentially take the opportunity to save their own life. Though the sad truth is that many of them do okay for awhile, and only a few of them make it.

That being said finding a way to make changes in your life even of the non-addicted variety takes a lot of courage, a lot of patience and a ton of perseverance. I have taken many steps in the past year to make some changes, and some have actually materialized. Other changes I am making continue to be more difficult to truly implement.

But I keep trying and staying the course, because I believe in myself, and I know that work and consistency eventually pays off. I just have to remember that I need to put as much stock in the changes I want in my life as my work. I often put myself last on the list, and I'm truly trying to embrace a new mindset. I come first, so I can then offer more to the world. And this month I'm going to work on one post per week. Wish me luck!