Thursday, December 31, 2009

8, 9, 11 and done

Doesn't everyone state at year end "where did the time go?" ?? Regardless if it was a year full of the best of times, the worst of times, painful times, joyous times, etc. it does indeed seem that time escapes us inexplicably. At times in this past year I felt as if time was standing still, I was hurt I was not feeling like myself, I was biding my time, wanting to skip forward and magically be "me" again. And during that time, unbeknownst to me at the time, I grew more into "me" than I ever thought possible. In the cycle of physical therapy which started late last year and continued into January I rediscovered yoga. I decided to make my practice a regular thing, to grow it, to explore a new [to me] studio and see if that might not be part of the solution to getting myself healthy and running again without pain.

And it was, indeed, a prominent slice of the solution. And it was so much more than that, so much so that it's very difficult to put it all into words. Yoga strengthened me physically and mentally. To deal with life's regular hurdles, long hours at the office, the rediscovery of my running, my relationships with family, friends, co-workers and complete strangers. My mind exploded in a reawakening of the interpersonal skills that we use every single day. I loved each day more than the last, I saw things differently ...more thoroughly, more intensely and with a deeper sense of being. Perhaps yoga was just the impetus and everything that followed a reaction? Whatever the case I feel truly blessed that this series of events occurred in my life. This year has been about a deeper understanding in who I am and want to be as a human, how I want to live my life, what makes me & my loved ones happy and how I'd like to engage in the world as "me". It was the perfect setup for where I am now, back into my running, very much enjoying a [oftentimes] stressful job, growing and happy in my relationships and wanting to spread this phenomenon with everyone around me!

I have zero doubt that 2010 will be a good one. Good b/c I intend to start the year just as I'd like to, on my terms and with a positive attitude. Good b/c, hot damn!, I'm back to running consistent 50+ MPW and will be moving deeper into my training for Illinois. Good b/c this gift of yoga has only one way to grow, up. So then my friends, I close 2009 out with 8, 9, and 11 mile runs :-) Eager to see where the next 365 days takes me and confident that it will be based upon the last 365.

Happy New Year!!

4 comments:

Doctor Err said...

its nice when you realize very firmly who, where and what you want life to be....and particularly when you see that life doesn't just happen to you.
xoxo

Sarah said...

Happy New Year!!! I am so excited to see how this year goes for you and your running.....you are going to kill all your races!

After only 4 weeks, I am already feeling the same about yoga.....where has this been all my life?? How often do you practice? I'd love to go more but for now 1-2 times a week is all I can fit in.

Joe said...

I think everyone does say "where did the time go?" but I guess for me, it did strike me a little more than typical. I guess it was that kind of year for me.

Anyway, Happy New Year to you Maria, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you kick some asphalt this year like I know you can

Christine said...

live, believe, and execute it! you've got the living it out down.. now its time to move on to believing :) you have so much raw talent just bottled up, waiting to be showcased and it seems like everything is starting to come together.

i'm excited and thrilled for you for just the past 3 months and how your running has changed. i'm even more excited to see what the coming year brings. what a great place to be.. at the crossroads of something great. YATTA!!!

missy