Bitter Sweet

Sydney Harbor near the Opera House.
February 2012

My body feels like a semi-truck ran over it. A nagging exhaustion forces me to yawn every ten minutes. The  constant fluttering of my eyelids urges me to lay down for a nap. But I avoid the temptation as it would only add to the confusion of my body clock. I know jet-lag has mercilessly taken hold of my body.

I'm back in Chicago, adjusting to the rhythms of the American city dweller. My mood, beyond my blood shot eyes, is bitter sweet. It was hard to board the plane to depart Australia. It was hard to leave a place where summer weather prevails, indulgence was a constant theme, creating memories with an old college friend was without question, and intercultural exchanges were a daily occurrence. 

 On the flip side of the coin, coming home has its perks. It means sleeping in my own bed, real life cuddles from my boyfriend {instead of managing time zone sensitive Skype dates}, and planning meet-ups with friends I left behind in the windy city. It also means working towards new goals-- as my resolutions list for 2012 still remains lengthy.

As I adjust back to the central time zone, Underlined and Bold will begin to swell with photos and reflections about Australia. I will also go back to posting about running, my Chicago shenanigans, and "Picks to Ponder". So if any of  those topics are of interest to you, you're in luck!

 But for now I lay in bed, pinching my cheeks in disbelief of my good fortune; the fortune to travel, and the fortune to have a wonderful place to call home. 

Cheers!

-Abigail


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Bold in 2012.

The great goggle search ::: Sports Authority ::: January 2, 2012

On January 2nd I jumped feet first into my resolutions list. 

Yes, I am that girl who writes up a three page word document full of goals for the new year. It might be dorky, but last year I typed a detailed resolutions list for the first time since I was a pre-adolescent. I found the experience empowering, as it gave me a keen sense of purpose and focus that I had not anticipated. The success of my 2011 list, prompted me to spend last week joyfully filling up another word document. I titled it, "2012". 

This brings us back to January 2nd. 

As the second day of the year arrived, I was armed with my list ready to go. I was ready to act boldly. Try something new. Face a fear. Tackle a bear. So I went swimming! 

I joined a gym in August. Each week I've been using the elliptical, attending spin class, climbing the Stair Master, and looking through the glass windows of the pool area with longing. I know how to swim. But I've never swam laps for exercise using free style form. Afraid of embarrassing myself, I've avoided the pool despite my yearning to jump in.

I knew I was being silly, but I let the fear take over for months.

On January 2nd, I recruited Chris to help me get over my fear. We headed to Sports Authority, where I bought cute pink goggles and a blue swim cap to match my Speedo.

With a small financial investment in swim gear, and Chris waiting in the third lane; I finally jumped into the pool. The experience was exhilarating. I practiced breast stroke with ease, and began experimenting with free style. My free style wasn't the greatest, but the cool therapeutic nature of the water quickly blocked any feelings of embarrassment.

I felt free. 

Lighter. 

Fear no longer choking the life out of actions.

And the possible judgement of others no longer consumed my thoughts.

Later, I flipped open my lab top. I placed a strike line through the words, "swim at least once at the gym". My first resolution of the year completed.

I grinned with pride.

I added another underneath it. 

"Swim often. @ least four times per month."

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Cheers to facing fears and being bold in 2012!

-Abigail

What resolutions are you diving into right away this year? How do you plan to act boldly in 2012? I would love to know, so please leave comments below!!

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