ONE YEAR OLDER....BUT STILL YOUNG AT HEART!!

So last week Wednesday, April 14th, I celebrated another birthday!! I should have written a post then but I had such a busy day that I never got around to it. To be totally honest, it was one of the best birthdays I've had in a long time! I've never really been a huge birthday person, as in I don't really make a big deal about it. However, it really is such an awesome feeling when your friends and family make it a point to show you just how much they care.

I received a couple of cool gifts too, stuff that I had probably been in dire need of, lol. I'm an old skool girl at heart and so sometimes I don't really get with the times until everyone else has moved on to the next thing, leaving me still trying to catch up. I'm cool with that though - maybe one of these days keeping up with the Jones' will be important to me but to this point in my life, that's never been the case and I don't envision that changing.

That being said though, I REALLY loved my gifts and the thought that went into them. When someone shows you just how thoughtful they are by paying close to attention to what you need, it makes you feel that much more special:)

I think back to a year ago at this time. I had just injured my Achilles on April 18th 2009, I was without direction, upset, sad, afraid of the recovery road that lay ahead, worried about the apparent end of my long and oh-so-fulfilling career, and just really wondering where my path was going to take me. I had nothing but questions and very few answers.

Fast forward one year later and I have landed! Last Friday, I was finally able to jog again....woohoo! Yeah for rehab/physiotherapy!! I've been fortunate enough to have some great business and career opportunities fall into place and I'm SO excited about that. My bank account is looking pretty good:), I had a smooth transition from one tenant to another in my house in Austin, TX, thank goodness, I have been enjoying myself, my heart is being taken care of so well;-) and I am truly at one of the best points of my life!

I smile a lot. And the world seems to be smiling back at me. I keep wondering how come the Lord sees fit to keep blessing me like this, but since I don't know how or why, all I do is just keep thanking Him. If someone would have asked me where I would've been a year from last year, I would've never guessed that I would be standing in this place.

And all I can do is keep on keeping on, trying to be a good person, to show my friends and family how much they mean to me. People keep asking me how come I still look so young and would have to say that I think the key to my youthful feeling and appearance is just that I live life to the fullest, I stay positive, I really care about people, I'm passionate, I don't take myself too seriously and laugh a whole heck of a lot:-)

So here's to another year of life!!! I have a feeling it's gonna be my best one yet!!!!!

WITH MY HANDS TIED....

I don't know if you guys have had the chance to hear this new Toni Braxton song, but it is MY Kinda Song!!! I love it and I've been playing it in heavy rotation. It's called Hands Tied. The lyrics are on point,

"I dont need my hands to feel the things i feel inside (cuz i)
cuz i know what inside's my heart is right
they dont have to hold you like that
they dont have to touch you like that
cuz you know the truth is that i will love you with one hand tied behind my back...."

Check it out and tell me what you think....



Aside from wearing out this song, lol, I've been just busy, busy, busy - busy doing work, busy spending time with my friends, busy spending time with my friend:-), extremely busy at physiotherapy - I swear those therapists at Select Therapy are masochists or slave drivers or something, but they are definitely getting the job done because my Achilles has improved by leaps and bounds and I'm supposed to start jogging next week. Woohoo...finally!!!!

In other news, lol, PUMA just sent me another shipment of stuff and as per usual, they have sent crazy amounts of everything. 15 pairs of shoes (including a couple of really funky Alexander McQueen ones), dresses, belts, caps/hats, every kind of shirt/top/blouse/t-shirt, skirts, and then of course actual track gear. Does anyone wear a size 7 1/2 shoe??


Peggy and I have been very blessed recently to make some really good connections in regards to our interior design business, Urban Safari Design. We've connected with a great construction company and we will be a part of most of their projects so that means lots of consistent business for us on a very regular basis!! God is good!!!

I've been making some other great connections to in regards to other opportunities but I will say more about those things at a later time....

Other than that, I've been enjoying some social events and just thriving in general. It always helps though, when you could love someone with your "hands tied":-) It just makes everything seem that much better and brighter!!! Hope you are all doing well!!!

A TO Z OF WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO.....

So, I've been away from the blog for at least a couple weeks. I 've been SO busy doing a million and one things and in fact I just got back to the US at around midnight last night. I finally have a moment to breathe so I figured I'd update this little blog of mine just in case I still have any followers:-/ I thought I'd try to make it fun by going through the alphabet and saying what I've been doing.....

A....Avatar. I was probably one of the last people to see this movie and I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi movies, but it was AWESOME (once I got used to nausea I was feeling from the 3-D)!! Two thumbs waaaay up!!

B....Bahamas. I just got back from my home town of Nassau, Bahamas last night. I had to speak at this Nutrition, Fitness & Sport Psychology seminar. It was a short trip but I had such a great time.

C....Congratulations to Chris Brown (not that Chris Brown - this one's from the Bahamas) on winning the men's 400m at the World Indoor Champs in Doha, Qatar last week. Congrats to Chandra Sturrup who at 38 yrs of age ran 7.16 in the 60m and finished 6th and big ups to David (Oliver) on his bronze and PR in the 60m hurdles. (Oh yeah, and that spread in Essence, Mr. Big Timer:-)

D....Dining out. I've been doing a whole lot of this. My new favorite spot is this Brazilian restaurant Bamboo, right here in Culver City.

E....Early bird. I've been getting up a lot earlier than when I was training. Didn't know that 7-8am was such a pleasant time of day.

F....Family. Just got to see my brother and parents last night and this morning. Can't say enough how important they are to me!

G....GOD is good!! He continues to bless me in so many ways and I am eternally thankful.

H....Haircut. I've been toying with the idea of getting a significant haircut....something above the shoulders, maybe even all the way to the "Halle Berry". Just can't decide exactly what to do:-/

I....I-pod. I FINALLY got the songs on my I-pod changed last week, which I hadn't done since 2008. Yeah, I know that's lame, but I don't know how to do it so I had to wait for someone to oblige me and now I'm in heaven:-)

J....Jogging. This is something I HAVEN'T been doing. I'm still in heavy physiotherapy sessions twice a week for 2 hrs and hopefully within the next couple weeks I will be able to start to jog....can't wait!

K....Karma. Is something I believe in. I think I've been putting a lot of good vibes out there so maybe that's why everything's been coming up roses lately.

L....LOVE. It is DEFINITELY in the air:-)

M....Making Moves. I'm supposed to have a meeting later this month with the pitching coach from the Los Angeles Angels about possibly doing some work with them in the areas of nutrition and stretching. Keep your fingers crossed!

N....Nervous. I'm a little bit nervous about the reality TV show that I'm going to be on that filmed in January for athletes learning how to be Sports Broadcasters. I've forgotten most of what I said and did and I'm gonna probably be mortified when it airs in June:-/

O....Outlawed! I am officially banned from buying any more shoes till June 1st. I've been on shoe buying binge lately and it has to stop! Now! (But my shoes are BAD! Not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good!)

P....Personal Training. I've begun doing some personal training and so far it's been going well and I'm having fun putting all these years of working out to good use.

Q....Queen. Been feeling like and been treated like one lately:-)

R....Reunited. I reunited with two high school friends when I went home to Nassau that I hadn't seen in the past 20 years. It was SO great to see them. It was just like old times!

S....Speeches. I given two recently. One on Saturday in San Diego at The Live Well Project for 100 underprivileged girls. The second in The Bahamas at that Seminar on Monday.

T....Tattoos. I've been thinking about getting one for the past couple years. Something to do with the 5 Olympics I've competed in and the 5 rings. I just can't figure out where and exactly how it should look....

U....Urban Safari Design - The interior design company that I co-own with my business partner Peggy. We just finished another commercial project, a nutrition club. Pictures to come at a later date.

V.....Velvet track suit. It's a NO-NO!!! I just met a guy wearing a brown one the other day and I could barely focus on the conversation. SMH!

W....Why Did I Get Married Too. The upcoming sequel to the first Tyler Perry movie of the same name. Can't wait to see it:-)

X....X-cited about all the possibilities that lie ahead this year for me.

Y....Yesterday I started reading this book called Diamond Ruff that's going to be made into a Feature Film. Very interesting so far. Wonder how it's going to end??

Z....Zero. The number of things I have to complain about right now! Life is good:-)


So that sums it up. What I've been up to in a nutshell. Busy as a bee, but lovin' every minute of it. Hope all is well with all of you!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Today is such a beautiful day! It's a day to celebrate friendship, it's a day to celebrate life and it's most definitely a day to celebrate love! I've always believed that love is something that we should show all throughout the year. Why wait for one special day to let the people in your life that matter know just how important they are to you? I try to make it my business to show my affection and appreciation all year long, but it is kinda fun to make that little extra effort on this one day.

One of my favourite quotes is "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." -Dr. Seuss

Who knew Dr. Seuss was so thoughtful, lol, but I couldn't agree with him more!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY everyone....it's gonna be a lovely day:-)

WHAT's HAPPENING?

Man, it's been about a week since I blogged last. I've been doing some work, having fun, and spending time with people that matter to me. It's been a bit of a whirlwind but I feel as if sometimes everything in your life happens for a reason and you end up in just the right place at just the right time.

I did finally get my cast off on Monday!!! Woohoo!!! I'm SO happy about that! After not being able to put my foot on the ground for 6 weeks, it's amazing how such a relatively small action could bring me that much joy, lol, albeit in a boot. The boot itself makes me feel as if I'm about to walk on the moon but at this point I'd wear anything on my foot as long as I was able to weight bear again. I've been using both crutches for the past few days but today marked the first day where I could use one for the most part.

My scar doesn't look too bad either. It's pretty long, but all things considered, it's healing rather well, at least in my opinion.


I think with some Mederma and cocoa butter, it will hardly be visible by the time all is said and done.

I've been out to dinner a couple times at two great restaurants, one Italian and a steakhouse. On Wednesday, I did something that I've never done before, thanks to the generosity of a good friend of mine. My BFF Peggy and I were treated to a day at a spa. We went to this place called Burke Williams - the Torrance location. We had facials, massages and pedicures and it was AWESOME and I have soft skin and pretty pink toes to prove it:-) I had NO idea that I was missing such luxury and I, Ms. Low Maintenance, will definitely go back at some point.

I saw the movie Precious and now I understand what all the Oscar buzz is about. It was moving and funny and sad and powerful and touching and uplifting and emotional all at once. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and go see it.

I went to the bookstore and bought the Andre Agassi biography and am looking forward to reading it. Add to that a little shopping (bought a new pair of boots and a new purse), and a meeting for a new commercial interior design project that Urban Safari Design will be undertaking and this week has just flown by.

And I can't wait for the next one.....hope you all feel as blessed as I do.

THE SILVER LINING

Yesterday marked exactly five weeks since I had my surgery and if all goes according to plan, I should be getting my cast removed on Monday and getting a boot, which I will have to wear for another 6 weeks:-( To say that these weeks have not been trying and frustrating, at times humbling and other times aggravating, would be a great understatement. Anyone who knows me though knows that what I may lack in other areas, I definitely make up for in being able to make the best out of any situation. Maybe it's all my years of jumping and competing but I just seem to have an innate ability to not focus on the negatives and to just maintain a healthy optimism.

That ability has certainly been put to the test in these weeks. I did manage to still keep some portions of the schedule I had planned for myself prior to my injury and just refused to allow for too many moments of self-pity. For all the trouble it's been living in a 3 story apartment, having to go up and down the stairs every day, falling 3 times (twice very badly), I started thinking yesterday about all the blessings that I've also had during this time.

For obvious reasons, you are FORCED to just slow down figuratively and literally, and take a look at your life. I've been ripping and running for the better part of 15 plus years, never slowing down, never really looking around me to truly appreciate all that I've been blessed with. I began compiling in my mind all the things that I've come to realize and appreciate over the past 5 weeks. Here are my top 10 things, in no particular order:

1) Who knew that people were SO helpful?? Being on crutches has allowed me to see the best in people - I've had more doors opened for me, my gas pumped, errands ran, bags carried. If you think everyone around you is cynical, just break a leg or tear a tendon and get on some crutches, lol and you will see the true humanity of complete strangers.

2) I've met some REALLY outstanding people recently, just because I've been able to take the time to do a few more things socially - Events or outings I would have never gone to had I been on my usual busy/hectic training and travel schedule.

3) I've been reading some really good books.

4) I've had the chance to see my parents and my brother far more often than I normally would be able to just because I've had the time to.

5) I'm pretty sure I've caught up on all my beauty rest:-). When you train as hard as we do and travel all the time, your body just is completely over-extended and often exhausted and I am definitely rested lol.

6) I've been able to communicate/stay in touch with my friends a lot more frequently. Instead of just thinking I should call or talk to someone, I've just done it!

7) I think because I've been a pretty healthy person, I've taken for granted the fact that my body functions properly, arms, legs, mind, everything - when you're incapacitated yourself, you actually tend to realize just how many other people are in your same predicament, if not worse. The other day when I wasn't feeling too good because I had fallen, I saw this guy go by on crutches as well and was about to tell myself, yep there's another one just like me....and then I looked more closely and saw that he only had one leg! Whatever I was feeling vanished in an instant because the truth is, in a matter of weeks, I will be able to walk again. Not so for this guy. So....GET OVER IT Jackie!!

8) I've actually learned how to ask for help. I'm still working on this one. I like to be independent and feel that I get things done myself. Plus I hate bothering people, but I've become aware that there are simply times in your life when you just need help. Plain and simple. There are no awards being handed out for taking 30 minutes to get my laundry basket up the stairs myself to the laundry room when I could just as easily ask my roommate for help, particularly when she's told me to ask her for help whenever I need it. (Learned that one the hard way:-/)

9) I don't have to be going at 100miles an hour to be productive. I'm involved in some relatively new work and I've realized that I can be effective right here from my bed. Just have to think outside the box a little and that in and of itself is rewarding and beneficial in the long run.

10) I HAVE GREAT FRIENDS! They have been here for me in every way - in thought, in words and in deeds. And I have really seen that now more clearly than ever.

While I wouldn't want to have to go through this experience again....I have to admit that this cloud has had the most beautiful silver lining and I can't really ask for much more than that!!

RIDE OR DIE

Do any of you have a "ride or die" friend? Someone who you would do anything for and vice versa? Well for the past 8 days, my friend Joice has been here in LA visiting me. When we originally planned for her to come down, we had no idea that my Achilles surgery would have ended up being the day before her arrival. Once I found out, I made the offer to her to come at another time where she wouldn't be dealing with an invalid, but she said no, that she would be perfectly fine coming regardless.

To say that we had a lovely time would be an understatement...we had a really really good time! I cannot begin to express to her how much I appreciate her time, her friendship and her concern. Joice was the best caretaker a girl could ask for:-) I live in a 3 storey apartment and for a person taking Vicodin for several days, negotiating steps on crutches would not have probably been such a good idea. She did everything for me from making my breakfast nutrition shakes every morning, to driving us to and from everywhere we went, to carrying my bags for me, running errands with me, going to the dr with me, to getting things out of my closet that I couldn't necessarily reach. Joice you spoiled me and in fact you did SUCH a good job taking care of me that I haven't left the house since you left this morning because I think I've convinced myself that I need you:-/ (I think I was just going through withdrawals lol - I'll get out and go to church tomorrow).

She never complained about anything and really and truly showed me the depth and breadth of our friendship. I tried my best to show her a good time in spite of my incapacitation. We went to church, we went to The Comedy Store one night, we went shoe shopping (don't think a little surgery is gonna stop that!!), we went out to eat a bunch of times,we went to the nail salon for my 3rd ever pedicure, we went to Melrose Ave. AND we went to several drug and beauty supply stores.....Joice's all time favorite past time, lol.

Anyway, I just wanted her to know how much I appreciate the time she spent with me. It's something I'll always remember.The time flew by and my girl has gone and left me BUT since I will be in Atlanta next weekend, we"ll definitely be hooking up again.

Here are a few pics from our week together....

Ms. Joice herself


Me, Joice and my friend Kai


Me getting my pedicure


The end result...


Me trying on my new pair of shoes at the store (well one foot at least lol)


Joice doing the same


Close up shot of Joice's shoes (she didn't buy them, Boo!!:-/)


At a park in Culver City with my "leg weight" - this cast is SO heavy!!!!


Me and Joicie:-)


I miss you already my sister........

BLIND TO YOU

This is for all those of you who have haters out there....we all have them. Those people who just dislike you for no reason, just cause you're you, just cause you're doing well, doing your thing, livin' your life... and livin' it well. Call it jealousy, cause is self-dissatisfaction, call it whatever, it just is what it is....won't ever make or break my day. My mind goes back to a time earlier this year when this "anonymous" person did some shady stuff....still makes me SMH when you think of what a desperate person will do....You have to think if people were satisfied with their own lives, they wouldn't be worried about yours! Je suis toujours ici!

Anyway.....this is one of my favorite songs right now. It's by a reggae artist named Collie Buddz. He's a white guy from Bermuda and he is DOING IT!!! Yes, there are white Caribbean people:-) So for all the haters out there....I'm "Blind To You", lol....

(For all of you that know me personally, you know that I don't swear at all, so please excuse the cuss words in the song:-( I decided to post this you-tube version of the song with the words written even though they're not 100% correct for my friends who don't understand Patois (word for Jamaican slang), which is pretty much everyone lol.)




****Sidebar...I was just thinking....Do any of you know someone who can make your heart beat faster and slower at the same time? I do:-)****

MOVIE/WEEKEND REVIEW

This has turned out to be a pretty great weekend for me all around filled with fun and friends!

I just got back from church and it was awesome as usual. Pastor John and the Unity Choir held it down at First AME Church today!! The choir sang one of my favorite gospel songs right now Back II Eden by Donald Lawrence. LOVE IT!



Last night I went to see "The Hangover" a Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures. They then had to retrace their steps in order to find him. Let me just say it was HILARIOUS!!! I laughed so hard at times, my head and stomach hurt, lol!! Those of you who recommended it to me, thank you. I am yet to hear a bad review so if any of you are in the need for a good laugh then do yourself a favor and go check it out. I think the funniest part might have been when the credits were going up.

Here's a classic pic from the movie when the guys were on an elevator headed out to try to find out where their boy was.


The guy on the left of this picture, "fat Jesus" lol, pretty much stole the show! If ever there was a movie that exemplified the saying "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", then this would be it!!! Again, two thumbs way up!

Shout out to my girl Kelli White who came in town for the weekend. We've been friends for a long time now, and seen each other through a lot of ups and downs. Although we keep in touch, I hadn't seen her for quite some time.



We hit up The Comedy Union (thanks Chris), had lunch at Rush in Culver City, went shoe shopping (I actually didn't but anything - yeah, surprising I know), went to The Grove, The Beverly Center, and then breakfast this morning at this cute spot in Marina Del Ray. She was college roommates with Erica and so the three of us had a great time catching up!

Shout out to my girl Grace Usphaw, fellow long jumper, but she competes for the US and is several time US champion. She's getting ready for the upcoming US Nationals in Eugene (which I'm now pretty sure I'm going to) but she was in town for a couple days so I managed to catch up with her too on Friday morning.


This is a picture of us in Beijing last year in the Olympic Village.

Shout out to my new business partners-to-be. I would have never met these guy had I not gotten injured. I swear the Lord blesses you when you least expect it and everything happens for a reason! A lot of things are falling in place and I am very excited about what the future has in store for us. Sky's the limit! I spent the morning on Saturday day down in Newport Beach with them. More on that later though.

And last but not least, shout out to D.O., for kicking the weekend off to such a great start! I'm still smiling:-)

How did I manage to fit so much into these few days??? I think I need a rest but alas, that's not gonna happen cause I'm gearing up for my LAKERS to end this series TONIGHT!!! It's not gonna be easy and I concede we may end up back here in LA but sorry, Magic we don't wanna drag out the inevitable! Might as well make it Lakers in 5 baby!!! Woohoo!!

HAPPY and SAD

"In everything we do, our thoughts can help us succeed, or they can help us fail. Maintain a positive attitude!"

I've been a little bit restless over the past week or two as I try to figure out just exactly what to do with myself, my summer and my time. For the past 15 years, I have gotten up in the morning and headed to the track and done everything that I know how to push myself beyond the limits of my physical and mental capacity. And I've loved every single minute of it, the highs and the lows. Every minute.

Fast forward to 6 weeks ago, and my life as I've known it, came to a sudden and unexpected halt. And while I've made steady progress and my Achilles continues to get better each day as I do my physio, I still can't bear all of my weight on the ball of my foot and so I'm a ways away form returning to any sort of mobile exercise. For the time being, I have to be content with stepping up and down on a box, static lunges, leg raises, eccentric calf raises and trying to walk down a flight of stairs without putting both feet on each step. Exciting, I know!!

Add to that, the fact is that the track season is in full swing as can be evidenced by all the track meets on TV, my friends who are traveling the world, the fast times, the far jumps and the eyes that are all set on Berlin in August for the World Championships. I've qualified for and competed in the World Championships 9 consecutive times going all the way back to when I was a junior at Stanford and made my first Worlds team and ended up making my first finals, finishing 10th.

I would give my right arm right now to just have the chance of making it, but that's not an option. So that makes me sad. In the past couple of weeks, Puma has continued to send my usual shipment of equipment



included in which is the SWEETEST pair of long jump spikes I've EVER had.



Alas, I won't be wearing them any time soon. And that makes me sad:-(

All of this being said, I cannot deny the fact that my career has been so fulfilling and beautiful and exciting and thrilling and awesome and if I never stepped foot on another track competitively, I could live with that . That makes me happy. I have some of the BEST people in my life who, no matter what ANYONE tries to do, remain constant and special and I love them and that makes me happy:-) The Truth remains, and I think my injury has really revealed just how important my friends and family are as they have all been here for me in every way.

So, I'm not sure if I will be heading to Eugene to watch my people do their thing at the US Trials for the upcoming World Champs, but if I can't, my heart and thoughts and good wishes will most definitely be there with everyone. Some opportunities that I'm pursuing might preclude me from making it there, but time and schedule permitting, I'll wish my good lucks in person very soon anyway;-) Everything happens for a reason and for as much as I would love to be contending for wins and records and personal bests, I'm doing my best to make peace with the fact that I can do that off the track too, just in a different way. And that makes me happy!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

THIS ROLLER COASTER WE CALL LIFE

Where shall I begin?

So I traveled this past Thursday to Greensboro, NC to compete in my first competition of the outdoor season. It was the perfect scenario really. I love the track at NC A&T. (I'm still trying to figure out how come such an awesome track is at this school.) I love competing there and I was looking forward to seeing everyone again. They all came in on Friday morning and I definitely got to spend some QT:-)

Well, apart from one or two things, that's about where everything began unraveling. First of all, my luggage got lost. Now every professional track and field athlete knows better than to not put their competition clothes and spikes in their hand luggage but for some reason, I forgot. Never even crossed my mind to be honest. The only thing in my backpack were some flip flops, my laptop and a toiletry bag.

Suffice to say, one trip to the airport later ($30 in a cab each way), one trip to the mall to buy replacement tennis shoes, one trip to Walgreens to buy replacement undies:( and several phone calls to Northwest, my bag never showed up until Saturday night, after the meet. Of course it would.

Turns out that my teammate from The Bahamas, Chandra Sturrup was coming to the meet so I asked her to bring me some Bahamas team uniform clothing which she did, plus a pair of long jump spikes, since we wear the same size. Having gotten everything sorted out, I headed out to the track feeling pretty excited.

Warmup went well and I got on to the runway to do some run-throughs to get ready for the start of the competition. On my second run-up, I hit the foul board which was not securely in place and it moved significantly, twisting my foot into a very awkward position, throwing me into the sand. I wasn't sure what had happened. I know that my calf was hurting and that the board had thrown me way off balance. Before I knew it, the athletic trainers were at the pit helping me out of the sand and my day effectively was OVER!

I was checked out by a doctor who confirmed the trainer's suspicion that I had torn or partially torn my Achilles tendon. She put me in a temporary cast and gave me some crutches and that was that. I cried my eyes out for at least an hour and as you can imagine, I was/am DEVASTATED!!! The prognosis for this type of injury is not good at all and takes months to heal. In cases of complete tears, surgery is the only option, so I guess we'll see....

Surprisingly, it doesn't hurt at all which is kinda weird because Achilles tears are supposed to be very painful, especially if it is a complete tear so I'm not sure what is going on. I flew back to LA yesterday and with the crutches, etc that was an ordeal in and of itself and I am going to get an MRI either today or tomorrow. My two immediate major obstacles are a) I live in a 3 story apt. and my bedroom is on the ground floor and the kitchen and living room are on the second floor. That should be loads of fun, crutching it up and down the stairs every day....NOT, lol! and b)I'm not sure if I can drive. Now that would really be a problem if I can't. I'm gonna test that out today.

I will say that my friends so far have stepped all the way up and have shown me a whole lotta love and care and concern. I know I always talk about the importance of friendship on this blog and for sure right now, I'm definitely going to need them to get through this. I'm not depressed or anything (I've told myself that that is not allowed) and I'm trying my best to keep my chin up somehow. I'm sure I'm gonna have my moments and I'm not sure how much blogging I will be doing, although it might be therapeutic in some sort of way. Please keep me in your thoughts and pray to God for my heart, my mind and my recovery.

LIFE's TOO SHORT......

As I'm typing, I'm sending out a message to an old friend of mine. Something happened in the past and that "something" caused us to go our separate ways and for some reason today, with Valentine's Day right around the corner, I've just decided that enough is enough and I'm over being hurt and upset. I could just carry this burden around with me for years to come, but why? Life is too short! It actually takes MORE work to be upset with someone than it does to just make amends.

I know Valentine's Day is supposed to be for couples and married folk but in my opinion, it really should be for friends, or family, or lovers or spouses or whomever you love or care about. At least that's how I see it. There's no special time or day designation where your love should mean more or less. I REALLY try to show the people that matter to me ALL the time how I feel, whether it be with a text, a smile, a joke, a word of encouragement, or a phone call - whatever they need.

It's not always reciprocated but then again, that's not the reason why I show my love. It's just in my nature I think. I do it because I want to. I do it because that's who I am and I hope that in some way I can brighten that person's day. Sometimes it's been enough. Sometimes it hasn't. You can't control that. You can only keep smilin', keep shinin' and let your friends, family and loved ones know just how much they matter!

Take A Chance

There's a quote I read once and I liked it so much that I had it framed and it sits in a prominent place in my apartment where I can see it every day. Sometimes I think people, myself included, are too afraid to put themselves out there, to take risks, to let themselves be vulnerable every once in a while.

This whole blogging experience has been a huge risk because at the end of the day, there are no guarantees. I chose to title my blog "5th Time's The Charm", yet it has ended up being something of an unresolved issue for me personally. So I did compete in the Olympics for a fifth time, but it was certainly not "the charm" that I had envisioned for myself.

Yet, I was willing enough to put it out there, that that was my dream and my goal and even though things didn't turn out the way that I might have hoped, in some ways it has forced me to appreciate everything that I have encountered along the way. Not to evaluate my life solely in terms of achievements, trivial or monumental, important as they may be, but instead allowing myself to be fulfilled by the experiences that I've had, the friends that I've made and the challenges that I've overcome.

The ride continues to be outstanding and in some respects maybe "the charm" has been in the doing all along and my willingness to take a chance on myself and only now have I begun to fully acknowledge, understand and cherish that. So maybe it was a charm after all...

That being said, here's that quote:

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom
Only a person who risks is free.

--Anonymous Chicago Teacher

GRATITUDE

You know we all go through difficult times in our lives and every once in a while we think we're just never gonna make it whether that cause be family issues, heartbreak, finances, failure on the track or whatever the case might be. Somehow, some way though, you seem to always make it through though. You always make it through!!

My business partner and I currently have a client for whom we are changing her half bathroom downstairs to a full bathroom to accommodate her eldest son who is handicapped. He is 6 years old and he has to remain on a ventilator. In addition to having cerebral palsy, he has is both blind and deaf. You would think under these circumstances, his parents would be overwhelmed and distraught and feeling sorry for themselves and who wouldn't understand that, right?

To the contrary, I have to say, I have NEVER been more impressed, inspired and moved by the spirit and the heart that his parents display. Always upbeat, always smiling, always getting on with the business of life......

They have two younger sons, 4 and 3 years old and these boys are so happy and loving. Last night, their mother was saying she doesn't understand why Governor Palin makes such a big deal about having a baby with special needs and I couldn't understand why she was saying that. Then, she said when people ask her how can she be so courageous given her son's disabilities, she says, "I'm not courageous! I'm a mother. I don't get special bonus points for taking care of my child, regardless of his condition. That's my job!"

I thought about what she said and I have to tell you, I was even more impressed by her character and her genuineness because I had never thought about it like that. So the next time I wanna walk around feeling sorry for myself that I didn't jump far enough, or that I'm under the weather, or someone hurt my feelings, I'm gonna think of my client and just dust myself and keep on keeping on! I have SO much to be grateful for and I don't want to ever waste another moment worrying about the small stuff or even the big stuff. Life is just waaaay too short for that!