Phoenix rising

To say  that the past year has been a roller coaster in an understatement.
I lost my job and it took me a long-time to find another long-term one. I am thankful for my time as a substitute teacher, but it was definitely a draining experience. Not only that, but it was also a humbling, embarrassing, and humiliating experience. Over-qualified is a hurtful word and every rejection feels like a smack in the face.

My entire life suffered...my self-worth, my fitness, even my creativity. The blog went by the wayside as did so much else. Even six months into my new job, I am still struggling back to the surface. 

Not that I have been idle. Far from it. 

I did run the half-marathon that

 I thought that I couldn't. Huh.

I turned 41 and actually enjoyed it.

  

I directed the hardest and arguably the best thing that ever done, King Lear.

I guess all that angst does actually pay off sometimes, albeit in  strange ways.

Lately, I have really been struggling to get back to the things that I do enjoy and relish. Exercise has fallen off the radar, but I registered for the same half-marathon today and tomorrow starts a wellness challenge at work. It will be difficult for me to begin with but I am really hoping to self-motivate. I bought a FitBit to track my progress and keep me accountable. I will let you know how that works out...

I have tried to also kick start my craftiness.. I have been working on this afghan for a good long while and decided that it was tome to start blocking squares since I only have two colors left to complete.

I guess that you could say that I cheated, since I am using acrylic yarn and am blocking using chopsticks/knitting needles and Styrofoam.

And I am getting back into big healthy cooking again...finally. The shamrock frittata from SkinnyTaste seemed appropriate.

Thanks for all who have stood with me this past year. I am back. I am here to stay.