Current song: Woodkid - Iron (if you haven't heard it yet, go do so immediately)
Wow, it's been a while since I wrote a new blog post. It's amazing how fast time can pass you by. As the title suggests, I'm sitting out on the porch right now, as I do almost every morning, and was suddenly inspired to write again. This won't be my usual witty commentary on life, nor a TILT or SDS (though those will be coming soon). But I'll just give a little update on my life, for those who I haven't spoken to in a while *coughJencough*.
The saying is definitely true that time flies while you're having fun. This will probably go down as one of the best summers I've ever had, and I didn't even need to go on any fancy, expensive vacation.
My Clevelander readers (and the majority of America, really) can attest to how hot it has been the past couple of weeks. But surprisingly, I have never spent more time outside since back when I was a kid. It's partly thanks to the fact that I officially have 2 strong and healthy knees, and I'm enjoying getting out and using them! And my new knees go hand in hand with my new healthier life choices; aka, becoming a vegetarian and adopting much better eating habits, and routinely going to the gym every other day. Plus with my brand new (and completely gorgeous) bicycle, I've been riding through the metropark every evening. Just me, my headphones, and nature.
So I have been much healthier both body and mind, and my mood has greatly reflected this. Spending time with my amazing friends at least 5 times a week has helped, of course. There have been times in my life where I've felt lonely and friendless, but this is one of those lengths of time where the opposite is the case, and I feel truly blessed by the sheer number of close people I have in my life, and how often they ask to spend time with me.
I've been feeling so uplifted and at peace lately, that I've even started being friendly to and accepting of someone who I used to truly hate. In the past, just thinking about this person would get me upset and angry, let alone having any contact with them. But I'm tired of fighting and feeling angry and letting myself get so low. Life is too short to hold grudges and be upset with people. It's time to let the past be past and just live in the moment with people. Treat every interaction like it's a clean slate.
...Okay, so much for no life commentary. Back to my updates.
So I'm done with physical therapy after this week, and I'm feeling great. I can bend my knee, put weight on it while bent, climb and descend stairs, get down and up off the floor, walk long distances, ride a bike, and even jog a tiny bit. Soon I'll be able to start my top 3 knee shoulds:
- Become a runner - Not really the professional marathon type, but just being able to run a distance longer than 10 feet. Ever since middle school, I haven't been able to run much at all for constant fear of a dislocation. Well now that's all a thing of the past. As soon as I'm strong enough, I'm going to start building my running endurance.
- Become a yoga-fanatic - I love everything about yoga.. from the calm meditation, to the positive mental effects, to the increased body elasticity, to the colorful mats. But again, thanks to my old lady knees, it was never much of an option. So, as soon as my scar is healed enough to kneel on, I'm signing up for my first class.
- Become the next Sasha Cohen - Okay, maybe not quite at her level.. but gosh darnit, I'm going to finally learn how to ice skate. My mom is terrified for me, which basically just gives me more motivation. This should will be accomplished this coming winter!
Aside from new knees and a healthier body, I've also gotten a ton more things accomplished this summer. I'm officially enrolled back at school, with all my classes scheduled, and my major finally declared. I'm actually really excited to start back up this fall. I also did some major cleaning in the house this summer, involving hands and knees scrubbing, and throwing a ton of useless things away. Between my mom and I, our house is looking spectacular. Which was why we decided to have a party this summer - another accomplishment since we'd been wanting to have one for a while - and that turned out fabulously. And on top of all this, I signed up to start some great volunteering around Cleveland again. All in all, I've gotten a lot done the past couple months, all while just staying at home.
The summer is already nearing an end, and as much fun as it has been, I'm not sad to see it go. With my new knees and my new start at school, this autumn is certainly going to be a fresh change of seasons, and a new beginning.
