"E" Day - the result 01:38:34 on Wednesday, April 29 2009

I screwed my eyes up tightly and sent an arrow prayer out as I saw the email, that would reveal the results, ping into my inbox.  I was entirely Al of little Faith.  Failed.  Definitely failed.  Must have failed.  Can't possibly have got 80% or more, as required to pass.  Sods law I'd probably get 79.9% infact, just to make it doubly worse...

... 89%.  Woo hooooo!!! 

that'll make me Al the Relieved then.  Phew.

Al

inspiration 01:47:08 on Friday, April 24 2009

Where do you find yours?  My inspiration comes from many places.  To name the first few that jump out at me when I ask myself the question,

Music.  I always have music playing in the cottage or in the car.  Different types have different effect - be that it motivates me - stirs me - uplifts me - grounds me - focuses me - relaxes me.

People.  Those I who I hold close in my heart, they are my world, they make my world, they are what life is all about.

The countryside and world around me - the landscapes, the architecture, the land, the sea, the sky, the creatures. And the weather!

Movement.  Be that my own movement, or that which I observe.  It generates energy, freedom, wellbeing, life. 

Your turn!

Al

"E" Day 01:36:02 on Friday, April 24 2009

It's got to be done - I've been in student mode this week and tomorrow I have got to get on and do my online Anatomy and Physiology Exam.  Wish me luck reader!  I am impossibly behind schedule. I did test assignments for the 4 modules and got scores ranging from 80% to 100% - that's the good news!  The bad news is that I then did a mock exam - and got 70% - which is a FAIL  - so I am very nervous!  I need to do a bit more mugging up in the morning and then I simply can't put it off any longer - and will be praying that the Gods are looking in my favour. 

The bank holiday weekend is fast approaching and that is when I head back to Portsmouth together with my kind volunteer / "guinea pig" for the Gym Instructor Practical Assessment.  I have a 40 page portfolio to put together, and practice to do, between now and then...... I think I am going to be busy over the next week. 

Amidst my angst about all of it, one friend imparted some wise words to me - so simple, but not something that many of us often do - "Just think you can only do one thing at a time.  Whatever it is gets your full attention." 

Multi-tasking has it's advantages - but (note to self) it's not the be all and end all - far from it.  Sometimes less is so much more.

Al

Happy Easter 01:47:27 on Sunday, April 12 2009

Well - where do I start?  It's bee a while - apologies Reader!  I have wanted, so much, to write, but it just hasn't been in me to put the words down. 

Nothing revolutionary has been going on (not such a bad thing!) but plenty else.  I had a horrible few days last week with an inflammation in my jaw that had both me and the dentist squirming in our respective seats as nothing would dull the pain as he went in with phial after phial of anaesthetic, and then the drill and all sorts of other paraphernalia.  Ouch.  My car decided to play tricks too, have you ever met a car suffering from hypochondria?  No, me neither, ‘til now.  Turns out all is well after all.  Phew. 

I headed down to Portsmouth on Thursday night last week, for the three day Gym Instructor Training that is required for my Pilates Diploma.  The B&B was warm and comfortable and great value for money (birchwood.uk.com) and on Friday morning I arrived in good time at Roco, to meet the other students on the course.  Very quickly we seemed to bond well as a group and worked well together, we all had different backgrounds and experience and all had something of our own to bring to the workshop.  It was hard work, for sure, but fun too.  Put me in front of a few hundred teenagers and I will stand up and speak no problem.  But this was an entirely different scene, and learning how to teach someone to use the gym effectively and being professional and working out what to say and what not to say and where to stand and what to do (and all in the right order!) was - is - a new challenge and I have a lot of practice to do - and a huge portfolio to put together, in readiness for the assessment in 3 weeks time.

All in all a good weekend, with good people, and I am glad to be on the course - even if I feel somewhat "off course" at the moment, wondering how I am going to manage my time effectively to study, and practice, and work, and get everything done.  I won't necessarily meet the others again during training as we are all doing different variations, over different timelines, and our training weekends probably won't coincide - but a few of us exchanged contact details and will speak again for sure.

So yes, I feel like I am juggling several balls in the air at the moment, with questionable success.  Springback has much to do - as always.  We spring - back and forth - and we keep facing forward

I have felt the effects of working last weekend - I've been tired this week Reader, really tired!  I've had some glimpses of me-time here and there amidst the paperwork and meetings - a beautiful dog walk (the result of which was that Billy was banished to the bath, as he smelt yee-uch, but subsequently became soft and velvety) and I've had split second moments of pottering in the garden, cutting the grass and tidying borders.  I've been to yoga and Pilates, a saving grace - my body thanks me when I do.  In the last couple of yoga classes, we've been doing  some deep breathing  in particular, during the relaxation section... I am conscious of my progress.  When I first practised yoga a few years ago I struggled greatly with breath - deep breathing made me feel uncomfortable, tetchy and cross.  With practice, progress and time, this has changed, despite myself, and I am glad of that, and it is no longer an irritation to me, it is indeed a benefit. However, it is now an exercise that brings emotion to the surface, fragile feelings sometimes.  This is only a good thing, it shows that I am "letting go and letting be" but it in our busy daily lives it tends to be the way that we (I) don't give ourselves that space to let go, we opt instead to put things in boxes look the other way.  Thank you yoga, I guess, for reminding me and giving me the space to breathe, and just be, and be okay about that.

And now we are amidst a "long weekend" over Easter.  Reader I wish you a Happy Easter, wherever you are and however you might be spending this time.  I hope to catch up with friends, catch up with study, and catch up with sleep.  Oh, and do a bit of catch-up blogging too, I hope!  Did you see the Pro Anorexia documentary a couple of nights ago?  I did, I'll be blogging about that anon, I expect...

Al

 

quiet... not 01:59:22 on Monday, April 6 2009

Apologies for my silence of late.  I will back shortly.  Life's happenings have made it a very busy - noisy - period of time, what with ills (ouch!), work (hmm), trips (okay) and training (brainache but great!). I promise you that I will be back soon, very soon.  And you will hear all about just what has been going on.

Walk tall, one and all,

Al