Freedom in Creativity

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.  ~ Thomas Merton

Time passes by so quickly and I've been so delinquent in my writing habit -- I'd like to try and get more in the practice again before the end of 2012, so here goes.

   

In November we returned home from our annual visit to Festival of the Masters that is always held in Downtown Disney in Orlando.  As always, we find it inspiring to attend this event and witness all the creativity displayed by the many artists showcasing their works there.  This year was no disappointment.

My own creation at the hands-on exhibit sponsored by Michael's

This year the Festival fell over the Veteran's Day weekend.  Of course, this holiday is a time to honor and thank the veterans who proudly served to fight for the freedoms we often take for granted.  It seems to me that the timing of this year's Festival was very appropriate.  In my humble opinion, artistic expression is one of those many freedoms we have been blessed with being able to enjoy.  And isn't it common that the artist himself can find freedom in exercising their very art?

I was reminded of that phenomenon this year while talking to a few of the Festival's artists whose work caught our eye the most.  Royal Woods showed that keen curiosity as he demonstrated to the crowd how his intricate wooden puzzle boxes work when he said, "I woke up in the middle of the night one night and asked myself, 'Self, do drawers always HAVE to be square?'"  He went on to say he hasn't built a square drawer since then and prided himself in showing off the complexities built into his beautiful woodwork creations.

       

Last year we purchased a beautiful purple heart canary-wood drum from Michael and Joah Thiele from Hardwood Music and were pleased to see them at the Festival again this year.  It's always inspiring to hear how the father-son duo jointly custom-build these beautiful wooden musical instruments.  As I was intently admiring the beautiful coffee table drum furniture piece they had made, Joah told me about a new manufacturing process his father started using this year.  It essentially allows them to put any type of wood on the face of the furniture face while still using the type of wood underneath that generates such a rich, melodious sound when played.  The musical coffee table of theirs is a true work of art I'd love to be able to afford some day.  I can easily imagine the fun and enjoyment we'd have creating our own melodies depending on whatever mood we found ourselves in.

We were thankful to start this special weekend taking in the "La Nouba" show at Cirque du Soleil.  It truly was a treat to forget reality for a short period of time and totally be lost in the unique and acrobatic performances.  It's hard not to want to learn to do something new and creative of your own after seeing all this talent of others.  I have a strange urge to look into realizing a crazy dream of mine now to one day try to be a trapeze artist and gracefully fly through the air.  (Those of you who know me well, are probably laughing hysterically at that comment!)

    

I truly am grateful for the sacrifices others have made so that I may freely enjoy creative venues such as what is displayed each year at the Festival of the Masters.  I may not enjoy or appreciate every form of art I see there, but I'm thankful that we are free to express ourselves in however creativity speaks to us.  I'm also thankful for my own energy levels being replenished when I enjoy and take time to appreciate what others have done and created.

Mission Accomplished!

I apologize right off... this is going to be a long blog post with a lot of pictures.  I just can't help it though.  Sunday, April 22nd was such a great day and I have so much joy to share!

A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace. ~ Ovid

My 1st racing bib and my finisher's medal

I've taken somewhat of a hiatus in writing for the past several months.  First there were the tax returns to get done for the business and complex personal returns... compounded by more responsibilities at work and just trying to keep up with everything in general.  On top of everything, I tried to remain diligent in my running training, knowing I was committed to run the Iron Girl race in Clearwater Beach, FL on April 22nd.  It didn't help when certain co-workers scoffed at my training time, telling me I was running slow.  It was always so easy to try and make excuses why I couldn't train well either... too many meetings throwing me off schedule, the increasing Florida heat, spring allergies not letting me breathe deep enough... you name it... I could make an excuse.

Mini-me bobble-head that Hubby surprised me with for encouragement

But then the first major reminder hit me smack between the eyes over our anniversary weekend on March 3rd when my precious husband of a soul-mate surprised me with this bobble-head rendition of me.  He had diligently been taking notice of me and the efforts I had been making in my training over the past year... right down to the use of my Garmin training watch he originally bought me Christmas before last,  just as something to help me along my fitness goals.  I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting when I signed up for the Athleta Iron Girl event in Clearwater.  I guess I was looking for something just a little more external to really hold me accountable to try to improve myself... not really believing I was capable of even finishing such an endeavor to be honest.

But race day quickly approached us.  There was no backing out of it for me. The certainty of that began to sync in with me with every reminder about the event coming up and the pressure from my training not going very well.  After all, I felt slow and sluggish, with a painful kink in my neck and a stitch in my side the week before that made it uncomfortable to breathe deeply.  Then again, was that another excuse just bubbling up in my mind?

So, what was my excuse after all this?  Nothing really held a candle to it.  After all... I AM A CANCER SURVIVOR and I was invited to run as part of Team Courage as a cancer survivor.  Had I really forgotten what that really meant?  It was just melanoma, but NO... there's not a day that goes by that I don't count my lucky stars to be alive!!

The excitement was incredible watching the 1/2 marathoners start their race.

So, my training over the past few weeks had been extremely challenging.  It's hard to believe this event was already on my doorstep to start.  Now that it's a week in my rear-view mirror, it's even more difficult to comprehend.  I had so much fear and trepidation going into it.  After all, I had never done anything like this and if my last training times had anything to predict about it, I wouldn't even be able to continuously run the route.  In fact, I set the goal for myself that I would be happy if I finished (ideally) if I could run the 5k route continuously without stopping, or if I could finish the route in less than 35 minutes.  Surely I was healthy enough to accomplish one of those objectives!!

Clearwater Memorial Causeway bridge .. yep, we ran up and over that!

On race day, the excitement was incredible.  I couldn't believe Hubby was able to get me up out of bed early enough to make it to the start line.   I'm NOT a morning person, so the 7:30 start-time was definitely a challenge.  And then, I had no idea there would be another 2500 ladies running the same 5k route with me... no wonder there were so many people around!  The hardest part for me was the time just before the 1/2-marathoners started and my start-time... the time where Hubby left me to drive over to park at the finish line to wait for me and we had to be apart for a little while  Although he kept sending me text pictures of what the finished line looked like, I was just so unnerved without him being by my side.

But then, it was time to funnel myself into the chute and get this run started.  All this time of training and trying, the time to show was now.  I ended up in probably the back 1/4th of the runners starting out, so it took me a while to get to the starting line after the race kicked off... there were just soooooo many people!  But, I kept making my way forward, and I kept passing more and more ladies as I kept running the route.  Actually the crowd helped me keep my pace at a pace that was appropriate for me.  I ended up finished the route in 33 minutes and  50 seconds... and I only had to stop once at the top of Clearwater Memorial Causeway bridge when I took a puff off my asthma inhaler.  Hubby was waiting for me at the finish line, but bless his heart he missed seeing me cross since there were so many of us.  Still, I'll never forget it... the good Lord helped me see him right off as I crossed the line and I was able to sidle up to him and touch his hand as he looked for me.  The look on his face with recognition and relief is something I'll remember forever.  I'm so very thankful for all the people who have encouraged me to go after this objective along this endeavor along the way, especially my husband.

Hubby found me after I crossed the finish line at Clearwater Beach!

After the race, we walked to the Sandpearl to enjoy the amenities and just to hang out.  We started to notice a group of people piling up a mound of sand.  You know, in Pinellas County, we tend to convey messages in the form of sand sculptures.  I suppose this is what all that activity turned out to mean.

After the race we hung out in the members' loft at the Sandpearl.  The rain poured down right after we got settled in our hide-a-way.  It led to great conversation time about all I had seen along the way (including the mother/daughter team dressed as Wonder Woman to all the great ladies I saw along the way), as well as the great people who stopped to cheer us along as we ran the route.  I was very grateful to my friends and family following up on my progress.

Chatting afterwards with all my friends and family who were sending me such encouraging words!

So, this past week has been a very long one with a lot of stress.  Thinking back on it, I still can't believe that I did this major milestone.  I've caught myself thinking back to several moments along the way and continued to draw strength and encouragement from it.  I know that I wouldn't be able to have done this without my incredibly supportive spouse who is my best friend.  I'm so blessed to have had such support as I've prepared to take on this challenge!

Me with the best coach ever...and also the love of my life!

There was no one I'd rather have shared this moment of accomplishment with though.  I'm definitely feeling a lot of confidence that I didn't feel before and am feeling strangely confident in areas I felt insecure before.  Even with the little bit of training I got in this past week, I even got to the point of just running to enjoy running... with this beautiful springtime Florida weather, how could I not?!  Feeling strong and positive about the world around me does indeed help me to feel more like an Iron Girl!

I am Iron Girl!!  :-)

A Life-long Obsession With Water

I believe I have had a life-long obsession with water.  From the babbling rivers and streams of the Appalachian mountains and the tranquil lakes of Minnesota I knew growing up, to the beautiful Gulf Coast shores of Western Central Florida I enjoy so much today as an adult -- it's no small wonder that water brings me such joy.

Air moves us; Fire transforms us; Water shapes us; Earth heals us. ~ Wiccan 

Clearwater Beach, Florida and another amazing sunset

Today Hubby and I spent some time at the beach at our favorite hangout at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater.  It's become our favorite Sunday thing-to-do... church-time at our Chapel by the Sea, and then time at the beach after service.  We've missed our usual routine the past few weeks, so today was nice to get back in our normal swing.

Sitting there today, soaking up the sunshine, made me think about how much I LOVE being close to water.  It had to have started from the time I was a toddler.  My mom loves to tell me the story of any time I'd get so excited when we'd pass a river or lake on our travels... "Mom, look at the waaaa-ttteeeee!!!!!!"  I just couldn't seem to be distracted from my fascination from whatever body of water we just passed.  And then there were my daydreams I'd fancy to myself when we'd rent the beach house in Emerald Isle, NC with the family each year... full of romantic moonlight strolls down the beach with my man...  What a wonderful realization that my best day-dreams are now a reality in the loving relationship I share with my husband.  I'm such a lucky, lucky girl!

But it has made me think even more about my fascination with water.  It is one of the classic elements.  Does "water" fit me though?  I'd say as I read more, that's a resounding "YES".. it sure explains a lot about me! Ironically, I took one of those crazy online tests and found my "classic element" was indeed "water"... Hubby's element was "earth", so no wonder we LOVE being close to the beach!

So find out what your classic element is -- wind, earth, water or fire?

Through Ups and Downs Keep Pressing On

So far 2012 is off to a great start for us already and I find myself making the usual updates to my health and fitness goals (among other things I hope to achieve and enjoy in the coming year).  As I look back on progress made I'm quickly reminded I've had a lot of ups and downs along the way, but am thrilled that overall positive trends continue. 

I've been on an intense wellness journey over the past 3 years especially.  Through diligent efforts of trying to loosely adhere to a Weight Watchers type of diet program on my own, combined with regular aerobic and exercise and strength training -- along with tremendous support and encouragement from my husband, I'm thrilled to be back to the weight I was back in my early college days.  Often people comment to me shock and surprise at how much weight I've managed to lose, especially those who haven't seen me in a long time or those who have just met me.  On more than one occasion lately it seems like those individuals may think these results came to me easily or quickly.  I can assure you they have not!

Food brings me great joy.  I LOVE to eat and I enjoy so many types of foods.  My husband is the best cook ever and I could eat my weight over and over enjoying all the unique and wonderful creations he comes up with.  I can't say that I wake up any day overly excited about getting in a great work-out either.   It's so easy to make excuses and let the exercise slide.  As I've been going through this wellness journey over the past several years, I've charted my weight (shown above) as a reminder to watch the overall trend and keep myself going in the right direction.  As you can see, it's not been a straight line of progress... there have been ups and downs throughout.  Clear trends also show me that my weakest point always comes at the end of the year... of course, right around the time of holidays when there's really so many  indulgences to enjoy.  If I were to go back and chart 2008, I'd see a similar pattern, although my year-end weight ended up higher than where I started the year.  How discouraging to have put in so much hard work to lose a good amount of weight and then to see it all (and then some) gained back again!  So, the overall trend-lines serve as good motivation just to keep pressing on.

So, I'm back at the effort again even now in 2012, although my goals are changing somewhat now... beginning to shift into more of a maintenance mode after losing just a bit more weight, training hard to run my first 5k race at the end of April (Athleta Iron Girl - 4/22/12 in Clearwater Beach), and striving more and more to achieve a sustainable balance in life in general.  Along the way I hope to keep encouraging those I meet to keep pursuing their own individual goals and not give up.

Size-10-me in my size-18 jeans in early 2011

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. ~Anonymous

When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ~Anonymous  

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.  ~Newt Gingrich