OH.MY.GOD! I'm DOING it!

This is supposed to be the entry where I share with you who I am and why I'm doing this. I would rather just jump in. While it's interesting that I come am the oldest in a large family, left corporate America earlier this year, relocated from MN to CO a couple of weeks ago and still don't know where I'm living, I couldn't even tell you what the story is there. I'm on a journey called life and it's new. I'm generally a planner but given that I am not great at plan B, I'm stretching this muscle. I'm going to figure out what life requires and I'm going to do my best to navigate it. It likely will not be graceful. It will not always be pretty. It should allow for some entertainment and through this journey, I'm hoping to learn to laugh at myself a bit more.

The other day (my third in Colorado) I was asked to demonstrate head stands in yoga class. I had that initial thought of, "Yay! He picked me!" to "WTH!? Why did he pick me!?" I don't think I've done an unassisted headstand since I was 6!! So obviously, I played it cool. (I'm so not cool.) With his instruction and spotting, I did what was asked and I did not embarrass myself. #winning

I've suddenly reached this point - this point where I look at all those things that other people were doing in life that were SO cool and I realize that this IS my life! It's like I blinked and stepped in to someone else's world. Climbing mountains, solo travel, staying in hostels, figuring out life as it happens....I never even DREAMED of doing these things because it was so far outside of my comfort zone. I didn't dream about them because they were never going to happen! I set goals for things that were attainable. They involved job applications or annual reviews, race training plans, and a budget on mint.com. 

I now hike mountains and sometimes I lead. (Climbing will come later.) I am flying in to SFO tomorrow afternoon for what was supposed to be a fun couple of days with a girlfriend before we met up with the rest of our Ragnar Relay team for the race in Napa this weekend. Life happened. Plans changed. I am still flying in to SFO tomorrow but I am staying in a hostel (my first!) and exploring the city for 3 days on my own. My hostel is not booked but I have researched a couple and plan to make my selection on the flight tomorrow. THIS IS MY LIFE!  Now, remember....I am the oldest child. I have been mostly responsible up until this point but this news will likely send my mom in to a small panic attack when she reads this and my cell phone will likely ring. Truthfully, I've had several of my own minor panic attacks over this whole situation but my roomie has stayed in hostels all over the world and she assures me she has yet to have a miserable time, contract an infectious disease in the shared showers, or be taken hostage by fellow travelers so I'm staying positive. 

This is already much longer than I anticipated but I'm hoping you'll bear with me as I embark on this journey of life in a new way, write from stream of consciousness, and experience the highs and lows of transition and growing in to who I was meant to become. 

Keep your heart brave & your imagination wild!

Love,

Carrie