One Step at a Time

Oh, Monday. You are brutal sometimes, yeah?

Let me preface this post by saying I love my job. I really, really do--the schedule, materials, challenges, creativity options, etc. etc. etc. are all awesome overall. But sometimes, dammit, it's hard.

Building semester syllabi and schedules is hard. And, while some people feel jazzed and challenged by this stage in planning, I hate it. I feel rushed and stressed, with too many ideas and not enough organization. I am constantly prone to second-guessing myself, and that habit is never more crippling than right before a new semester kicks off.

Later today, I'll go to the gym and cross train. Then, C & the dogs will meet me outside the gym and we'll go for a walk around Spanish Town. And then, C & I will go over a friend's house for an impromptu David Bowie wake/Labyrinth viewing. And all those things will be lovely.

Until then, though, I have two more hours of building, building, building these courses.

And so I'm taking them like we approach runs: one step at a time.

Phoenix Rising

Hello, world! Welcome to my kind-of-brand-new-but-really-more-recycled blog, Rachel Running. I originally created a Rachel Running blog to document my grand move from New Jersey to Flagstaff, AZ, over five years ago, but heartache and harassment led me to erase that blog--and many memories therein--from my life. In the meanwhile, I halfheartedly started another blog, but my heart wasn't in it and so it sits, gathering dust. I also moved far away from Flagstaff, started a new job and chapter of my life, and have lately been feeling the itch to document this wonderful, ridiculous ride. I missed Rachel Running, too, but wasn't sure I had an occasion to bring it back.

Fast forward to the end of 2015, where, within about a 10 days of each other, I had oracle and tarot readings that insisted I start writing again in order to best align myself with new transitions. "Well," I thought, "I guess I should pick up writing again." Coincidentally, I received a new journal for Christmas, and, unrelated (or so I thought), joined the 2,016 in 2016 running challenge.

The final confluence of events took place this morning, when I visited the 2,016 in 2016 group to post about my very first Sunday morning run in months (I've been injured...more about that at a later time) and saw a call for running bloggers. A fellow group member posted, looking for running buddies who blog their tales.

On my run this morning, I passed a sign that read "Follow your Heart." And so here I am, a phoenix rising, in so many ways. I am running. I am writing. And, God willing, I will follow my heart path.

Welcome to my journey. I can't wait to see where it leads.