Love the Process

This morning, after my first couple of clients, I took a break and pulled over to watch the sunrise. I'd already been awake, moving, and coherent for several hours.  I sat in My Sailor's warm car with a cup of my favorite Holiday Tea (it's freaking amazing, if you're a tea buff and want to try it, you can buy it here) and I couldn't help soak in the wave of gratitude as Christmas music played on the radio.

I'm so busy lately, that one day mashes into the next pretty quickly. It's an amazing life, filled with the incredibly rewarding experiences with some truly inspiring people. I don't regret a single 3:30 am wake up call or 7pm evening. In fact, there is very little I regret in my life - and that, I'm well aware, is a choice.

As my favorite holiday (Christmas) is right around the corner, we know it'll be a bit of a skinny one this year, but I'm actually looking forward to it more than I can remember in recent years. This is the first year in recent memory that I haven't been able to hit a Disney park over the Holidays.

 

The Ultimate in Christmas Light Awesomeness

  In some ways, forgoing that tradition makes me a little extra homesick for California, but at the same time, the thought of curling up with My Sailor and the furkids and watching some Disney Christmas movies is incredibly appealing.

That is, if we can make the time. And we're working on hammering that out. It's likely to be a constant tweaking and retweaking of schedules as time goes by.

It's been a big year for us - and not everything I touched turned out. I mean, we expected to be parents by now, but the adoption plans have been postponed until sometime next summer (at earliest).  My path to becoming TrainerGirl at the local Y's had a few more bumps than I expected, but it paid off in spades and I truly love my job. I work harder than I ever have, and I work longer days than I can remember. But I wouldn't miss a minute of it. Seriously.  Best job ever.

The added accountability from my job has given me an entirely new appreciation for my support crew. From My Sailor, who looks out for me in every way, to my fitness friends and my coach, they are a near constant source of encouragement. I truly couldn't ask for a better 'family' away from home.

And don't even get me started on the amazing folks that fill my client roster. Their goals range from increased fitness to the Highland Games, and I couldn't ask for a more inspirational group of people to cross paths with every day.

Add all that to living in one of the most beautiful places on the planet (and there is no convincing me otherwise) and I really can't think of a single thing wrapped under the tree that would make or break my holiday.

Sure, I may need 2 naps to get through any given day, and I may be singing more to the tunes of Barry Manilow than Whitney Houston these days, and those cold commutes to Tacoma can feel awfully long (at last until I can get the heat in my car fixed), but man - what an amazing year it's been!  On my birthday last year, I set the goal to compete this year to earn more street cred.

Though I haven't been able to do every single competition that crossed my path, I've been able to PR my 5k twice in the same year, and my lifts more times than I can count. I'm an official resident of the 300 club now, and I'm continuing to get stronger.



I'm currently in a competition - it's 'mission accomplished' on that front.


I've taken some big trips (Florida, California, Hawaii) and I've swam with sharks.

I'm living the adventurous lifestyle I've always wanted.

I know I still have some holiday shopping to do. (I may not need anything under the tree for Christmas, but My Sailor deserves a goodie or two.)  I know I still have a house to decorate and cards to mail out. And I'm currently in a deload cycle for my lifts, which just makes me itching to get on heavy weights again. (I'm mildly convinced my current programming is an attempt by my coach to make me look like a weakling in the gym - it's a good rest for my muscles and, ya know, it keeps me humble.)

But no matter how things roll out on the actual day, I'm loving the process of getting into the holiday spirit - even as the time flies by too fast. 

So this sunrise (and likely lack of sleep) reminded me that when you love the process, you love the result. Lesson learned.