Saturday, May 25, 2013

Rainy Days





Actual rain clouds, as opposed to the figurative ones I mentioned in my last post, are much more difficult to push away. And, try as I might not to let the rain affect my mood, it's been difficult this week. We're going on a full week of nothing but cloudy and rainy days here in central NH.


I don't really have much to say, other than I'm in a bit of a funk. I'm reaching for positives here, but what I've come up with is that this funk is different than those I've come up against in the past in that I recognize that I'm in a funk, I've identified the reason for it, and I'm fighting it. I may be struggling, but I'm fighting my damndest. And that counts for something!

I've recently learned that ...



So        ...         let's dance, D&A!



Friday, May 3, 2013

The Ripple Effect



Oh my goodness, it's been almost a month since I posted!

The reason is a good one, though. Don't worry, I'm not giving up already - quite the opposite, actually! One of my goals with the Positivity Initiative has been to fill my free time with enriching activities. When an opportunity presents itself to do something I enjoy, now I immediately accept (as long as I have enough time to plan for it, and it fits into my schedule, of course!), rather than allowing myself to talk myself out of it. I tend to overthink myself into not doing fun things, for reasons as ridiculous as I won't have time to watch tv tonight if I do that. Really? How pathetic is that?

What I've been up to the last few weeks that's been keeping me from blogging:
  • I joined a gym!


 Not just any gym, but Fun Intelligent Training in Concord, NH! I signed up for 2 classes a week (Bootcamp, Barbell Bootcamp, or Kickboxing), and I haven't missed a class since I started on April 9th. I even like it! Although I thought I was going to die at first, now I feel great, both physically and mentally!

  • Dan and I took an Indian cuisine cooking lesson.
        




  • Dan and I rode our bicycles to a friend's house for a Magic the Gathering nerd-fest.







  • I made this:


         And this:



  • I planted flowers for Earth Day, and they're starting to sprout!



  • I joined a ShapeUp team at work.
  • I threw a cocktail party. And turned 30!


                                    



It's amazing how having a more positive outlook in general has opened me up to more and more opportunities to enjoy life. It's like a ripple effect - because I'm full of positive energy, I have more physical energy to do the things I enjoy. I'm more motivated to get fit, eat healthier, work on my personal life goals, even communicate more effectively. I'm just happier!

Don't get me wrong - life isn't all of a sudden full of sunshine and rainbows. But the sunshiny days are more and more frequent now-a-days. There are far fewer rainy days, just an occasional passing shower. And when it does start to rain, it's easier to push those rain clouds away and allow the sun to shine back through.