December 7, 2010

Reverb10: Community

December 7 – Community.

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I’ve written about CrossFit many times before. There are many things I love about it, but quite honestly, the aspect that I dig the most is the community. The CrossFit shop that I go to, CrossFit Roots, is made up of all sorts of people, brought together by a desire to accomplish small victories every time we show up.

There’s something about going through a tortuous workout together and coming through the other side. Panting, hearing other athletes cheering each other on and giving congratulations on a squat well done. Watching someone lift more than they thought they could or crank out an intense set of pull-ups. It’s inspiring and pushes you to work harder.

In fact, some of our workouts are partner or team-based. So you’re actually depending on others to complete what needs to get done. We support one another and help each other through the challenges, no matter how ugly it gets.

(And let’s not forget that we like to drink together as well. What’s a community without happy hours, social outings and potlucks?)

This feeling…of enduring something physically intense with other people…is quite similar to the feeling one gets being part of a team. When I played my (only) championship season of ultimate frisbee, there was a bond and community that was created from the experience of giving it your all on the field. Knowing that others are suffering alongside you and are hurtling themselves towards the same goal.

That’s what I feel at CrossFit every time I’m there.

And I look forward to more of it in 2011.

But that could just be the endorphins talking.

December 5, 2010

Reverb10: Letting go

December 5 – Let Go.

What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

Backpacking the Colorado Trail, 2000

I spent most of the day letting this prompt marinate in the back of my head. There has been a lot of letting go this year, in many different capacities, and this is one subject that needed serious time for reflection.

Although it’s taken all day, I realize that I’ve let go of the past this year. Well, one particular aspect of it, anyway. My ex-husband.

When people first learn that I was married before, I often hear the same thing.

“I didn’t know that about you.”

Honestly, why would you? My first marriage was pre-Twitter, pre-Facebook, pre-blogging, pre-Internet me and it’s not a fact that I often include in my bio nor something I’ve discussed much here. In fact, I’m quite thankful that social networking wasn’t a part of my life when I was going through my divorce. It forced me to deal with my troubles offline. The old-fashioned way.

Today I realized that I haven’t seen or spoken to my ex-husband at all this year…which may not seem like a big accomplishment, but actually is considering Boulder’s not a very big town.

But even more important is that I didn’t have any desire to contact him. We’ve both moved on, remarried, and are in much better places than we were back in the day. It’s been five and a half years since my divorce. I can honestly say that I’ve let my ex-husband go and with him, any feelings of shame or anger I’ve been carrying around about that experience in my life.

My ex-husband taught me everything I know about long-distance backpacking and for that, I was always be grateful. But the past has become heavy and the time’s come to ditch some of that weight.

It feels good. Especially with the future kicking  me in the gut.

Quite literally.

I’m taking part in Reverb10, a time to reflect on the year that has past and manifest for the upcoming year. If you’re interested in participating, you can find out more about the project here.

December 3, 2010

Reverb10: One Moment

I’m taking part in Reverb10, a time to reflect on the year that has past and manifest for the upcoming year. If you’re interested in participating, you can find out more about the project here.

December 3 Moment.

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year.

Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

flower in focus
Was it the moment that I lost myself in the zen of skiing fresh powder on a bluebird day, zooming through trees and feeling my body carve effortless turns?

Was it the moment that I found myself scuba-diving a few feet away from a manna ray and a sea tortoise, floating along 60 meters underwater and discovering how much life I’d been missing?

Was it the moment that I stepped up on stage at Ignite Boulder 8 and made 800+ people in the Boulder Theater laugh at me with a story (complete with pictures) from my awkward teenage years?

Was it the moment when I sat in front of a campfire at 11,000 feet, looking up at an impossibly starry sky and basking in the glow of love, whiskey and friendship?

Nope. All the above moments were quite magical, but there’s one that stands out above the rest.

In a typical-looking medical examining room, I experienced a moment I’ll never forget. I was laying on a typical-looking examining table, looking at my husband sitting next to me. The nurse rubbed a cold and slimy gel on my stomach and rolled a small machine over. She began tracing a wand over my belly and at first, all we heard was a monotone static-like sound.

Then…there it was.

The moment when my husband and I heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Knowing that there was something living inside me, something that we had created together, was the most alive I’ve felt this year.

*Although, to be honest, that skiing was really amazing.

**And no, not all of my Reverb10 posts will be about my pregnancy. At least, I hope not.

December 1, 2010

Reverb10: One Word

I participated in the #Best09 challenge that Gwen organized last year and really enjoyed the retrospective nature of the writing activity. A year later and I’m looking back, with many others, during #reverb10…a time to reflect on the year that has past and manifest for the upcoming year. Plus, it’s pretty obvious from the date of my last post that I needed a little kick in the tookus.

December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

In both the literal and figurative sense of the word, I’ve grown a lot this past year. From undertaking a nutritional challenge that involved eating Paleo to running my fastest 10k, there was physical growth happening left and right. I accepted a new job, spent two weeks peacefully disconnected from the rest of the world on my honeymoon and began the process of simplifying my life in preparation for the arrival of our first child.

Of course, let’s not forget the most obvious growth of all…that my belly just keeps getting bigger.

I’m not sure what the word for 2011 will be but plan to stew on that one for a bit longer. When I’m not on cold meds (as I am now) and have given it more thought, I will be sure to update y’all.

I’m open to suggestions. What was the one word that best summed up your past year?