Finding Me Again and How Distance Helped me Grow 2
Who Am I?
I honestly wondered when I looked in the mirror who I actually was after all. I had spent years in school getting my master and my doctorate and teaching. Teaching my own children at home was something I loved. Coaching volleyball and softball, being a cheer mom and a dance mom, and 4-H leader for quite some time and Girl Scout leader and trainer the whole time, made for a lot of activity! A full-time student and a full-time mom and I loved it. I was lost though. The reality is I forgot to take care of me. I was spending all my time taking care of everyone else.
When It Hit
The minute I returned home and the house was emptier than usual I figured out that I was missing more than my kid. I had one at home, and she was extremely busy being a teenager. Who was that person in the mirror? When had I aged? How was that possible?
I felt the insecurity most when I had my kid needing something in Hawaii that I could not help her with at all. She was experiencing new things, and I knew she needs to go through this. But there are complex issues when your kid is in a place that you can’t get to right away. You find yourself monitoring the news stations and the weather because it is so different there than at home. The threat of weather on an island and the inability for the people to do much other than taking cover were real.
One Big Help
A significant support that I had was connecting with another mom who had a daughter at UH Manoa also that lived close to us. She knew what I was going through because she experienced it too. She understood everything about having a child that far away so it was always understood. We celebrated the Hawaiian culture together and shared experiences the kids were having there.
The Biggest Change I Made
I decided at one moment that I would start to get me back to being me. My metabolism had slowed with age, and I was heavier than ever before, and out of shape. The goal was getting back to being active, being healthy, and getting in movement with a purpose every day. My biggest goal was gaining back my confidence and becoming empowered again in my life instead of feeling empty.
Enter personal development into my life! I hesitated at first. I do a tremendous amount of reading in the classes I teach and the research that I do. Reading to gain perspective really brought about change in me. In turn, I also was able to start helping others on their own health, fitness, and wellness journey and that, in fact, filled me with more confidence and empowered me to want to continue to improve me.
My View of Reading P.D.
I did fight it, but now I am a huge fan. In fact, I have been known to send books to people and share quotes from the books to give people insight to brighten their day.
Know Your Mountain!
I truly believe in the concept that you need to know your mountain. I need to feel those people around me and acknowledge how they contribute to me being me. I, in turn, work hard to be there for others.
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