It's My Birthday & I'll Blog if I Want To!

Today, I am one year older and with any luck a year wiser. Being in my twenties, my life so far has been a series of transitions. We transition from childhood to adulthood, with countless changes in between. We spend all those years figuring out who we are. We evolve and reassess our values and beliefs. We become our own people with our own opinions, and as we do this we break out of the mold others have put us in. We take risks and make mistakes. We begin to move toward starting our own families and continue toward the life that is uniquely our own.

2009 alone was a year full of colossal changes, all of which were for the better. I went from a four-year relationship that should have been a friendship, to one full of passion and genuine love. I moved from my urban Chicago apartment in the hip Bucktown neighborhood to the flamboyant Hillcrest in San Diego close to downtown and the beach. It is hard for me to find similarities between these 2 places. One is centered around great food and music with spectacular architecture while the other is a wide spread county of natural beauty catering to the active lifestyle.

The changes didn’t stop with my move. I quit my corporate job where I was becoming a disgruntled employee and began work at a non-profit organization that provides care to seniors with dementia. My new position comes with regular hours allowing me to cook my own meals and have a healthy sleep schedule. As a vegetarian eating meals on the go I had iron-deficiency anemia. Now my iron levels are back to normal thanks to my ability to thoughtfully choose whole foods and prepare them myself. This may seem small but as a runner I can physically feel the difference.

My fresh surroundings have given new meaning and beauty to my runs. Running is now an adventure as I seek out new trails and explore new territory. I don’t just enjoy running anymore; I have become deeply passionate about it. I dream about it, read about it, talk about it, write about it and am always looking forward to my next run. I have also stuck to a training program for the first time! Surprisingly it is building my confidence and making me a stronger runner. All aspects of my running have been lifted to a higher level.

I am grateful for all of these changes and all of the new people that have come into my life, including my partner. I work with a wonderful group of strong, intelligent, unique women and each one of them brings something special to the table. They accept me for the crazy, overly energetic, sometimes inappropriate woman that I am and I never have to fake it around them. If I am upset they see it, if I am happy they know it. They all make it tolerable to be away from family, and although they don’t know it they mean the world to me.

Tonight, instead of celebratory drinks I will be running the 5 mile Cinco de Mayo race around Lake Miramar with Angela. It is put on by the San Diego Track Club, which we recently joined, and will be a good test to check out our fitness and see where we’re at.  Wish us luck!

This past weekend in Catalina and week full of birthday surprises is more than I could have ever imagined. Thank you to everyone special in my life – you make my days exceptional!