June 9, 1982. 1:07 PM. On this day, at this time, yours truly entered the world. My birth, as with every child that is born, changed the lives of my family forever. I grew up an average kid. Playing with friends, T-Ball, school. That was life in my suburban home town of North Huntingdon, PA. Flash forward from my birth to almost 10 years to the day. Another change took place. This pivotal time in my life shower me and hopefully my family and friends just how strong of a S.O.B. I really am. Illness changes you....positively and negatively. Mentally and physically. This ordeal forced everybody who knew me to adjust and change themselves to accommodate the 'new' me. And while my family was readjusting, so was I and it wasn't easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I just kept on living. What choice did I have? As I grew older, I continued to change as thing usually happen. My natural instinct in life is to roll with the punches; to embrace life for the beautiful mystery that it is.Do you notice a theme here? A year ago, I was days away from turning 30. A crucial moment in a person's life where they suddenly realize that they are a full-fledged adult. I dreaded this birthday and everyone that I knew had heard that very line from me. Maybe because I don't feel thirty; more like 22 (Enter Taylor Swift!) I'm really a big kid inside. I'm naturally curious about things, ask A LOT of questions and find joy in the simplicity of life special moments. It's very humbling, honestly. I know people around me who attract drama from all facets of life. I think there are those who actually enjoy it! It gives them a purpose to complain to people and turn the focus on themselves. Instead of enjoying dramatics, why not read or exercise? Find a hobby?! The sad part is is that drama never really goes away, no matter how old you get or how put together you are. Life is just one big high school campus and everything we do is one big popularity contest. Going back to me at 30 now!
Over the past year, I've had a few firsts. I got my ass on a plane for my BFF's wedding in Puerto Rico of all places! No. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be and I have some great memories from that experience that will last forever. I also drove three hours to Central PA for another close friends' wedding this past October. This probably sounds stupid to you all but I hate long car rides so I don't put myself into those situations. Dumb, I know. With good, also comes the bad. Upon turning 30, I experienced my first ever bout of nerve pain, vertigo and a panic attack! I'm doing A-OK now but at the time of the panic attack, it was scary to say the least. The nerve pain isn't life threatening, just annoying. And the vertigo, I only had one instance of it and never had it again. SO needless to say, the Schess is still going strong!Flash forward to this week and rounding out my 30th year. I'm beginning a year long Personal Training certification course to be certified as a NASM Personal Trainer. I am super excited about this new endeavor. Not only will I be reviewing traditional class instruction from a teacher, I'll also be working out and training 'clients', who are my fellow classmates. I'm going to embrace this tremendous experience 100% and I think this is sort of God's way of pointing me in the right direction. I've failed the ACE-PT exam three times before while studying for it on my own, so having a hands-on experience is going to help me a great deal. Of course, I'll be posting updates on my Tumblr blog. (http://schugarsfitnessjourney.tumblr.com)
Speaking of death, I blogged a while ago about 25 facts you might not know about me. In that entry, I stated my number one fear was death. Well, although the fear is still ironically very much alive in me, it's not as much as before. It all started about two months ago and I was flipping through channels and stopped on "Touched By An Angel". I don't remember the context of the episode but I do remember what Valerie Bertinelli's character said. For people not familiar with the show, Valerie's character, Gloria, is a newly created angel. She is an angel that was created for the 21-st century and has read every book every written in the universe. She summed up death very simply: "Death. What most people see as an ending is really just a change in matter and form." I couldn't believe how something so simplistic was so powerful for me. But it has actually made me feel better about it. But hopefully, I won't be faced with that prospect for a LOOOOONG time!!This entry has been about changes in my life that affect me, but what about you?? I hear it all the time...."I'd like to change BUT I just don't have the time" or "I have more important things to worry about". Excuses like these sometimes are legit but sometimes they can also be masks for our own personal fears. If the end result of you changing is a more positive one than where you are now...what are you afraid of? To quote my favorite Dr. Seuss book:
"Congratulations! Today is your day!
You're off to great places, you're up and away!
You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes,
and you can steer yourself in any way that you choose.
Congratulations, today is your day.
The world outside is waiting, so get on your way!"
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