In like a lion

I have no idea what happened to the month of February (and my "regular" blog posts) but I can assure you, if you're keeping track, that Forty for 40 is still in full swing despite my lack of reporting (thank you to the handful of you who noticed and have gently reminded me that I'm overdue for an update!)

February was not a great month for me as far as my fitness goals are concerned--unfortunately, it was a little too easy to sleep in some mornings when it was cold and windy out, and I felt like hibernating rather than sweating. Happily, I feel like I've pushed past that--this morning, I noticed how much lighter the sky is at 5:45 AM, which makes me want to be out and about (ok, so I wouldn't mind sleeping an extra hour, but it's certainly easier to get up and moving when it's not pitch black and 20 degrees outside!) Getting in a hard workout at the gym this morning (Tabatas, of all things...if you don't know what they are, here's an article that explains them better than I could). And I'm getting the urge to go running...which is a good thing, since my first 5K will be here before I know it!

In the meantime, I've been spending a lot of time meeting new people--I've actually lost count, but I must be close to 40 already (even if I only count people I meet in places other than through my job). It's a wonderful feeling, for someone who has always been reserved bordering on shy, to find that once I've challenged myself to be more open, I actually ENJOY it. I'm finding that I can work past the fear of rejection, which in the past would have led me to talk my way out of lots of fun things, such as this past weekend, where I overnighted in Freeport with a group of wonderful women who I only knew casually, or not at all, through knitting. A year ago, I would never have gone through with it--but this year, even with the last minute knot in my stomach at the thought of staying in close quarters with "strangers", I forged ahead and had the best time, and now I have a dozen new friends to show for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, indeed.

I've completed my training to become a mentor through the LearningWorks program here in Portland, toward my goal of volunteering at least 40 hours for an organization that's important to me. I'll be matched, hopefully this month, with an immigrant (either adult or adolescent) who needs help learning English, understanding the city and just sharing cultural experiences. I'm nervous, but really excited about this opportunity....stay tuned for more news once I get matched up.

Finally, I've started on my reading list. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was reading Correlli's Mandolin. For about 6 weeks, I kept plodding along, a few pages at a time, because, well...it's on the list. And then one day, it dawned on me: I don't have to finish this book just to check it off my list. Perhaps the most valuable lesson I've learned so far--having goals written down is great, and valuable--but sometimes it's just time to move on. Sounds silly, but it was so liberating to me to acknowledge that sometimes trying is enough; Forty for 40 is, above all else, supposed to be FUN. No one is keeping score; no one will think I failed because I only read 39 books (or even 30). I guess you CAN teach a 39 year old dog new tricks after all.

As always, I'm grateful to you for reading this, and for being part of this adventure with me. Peace and love to you all.