Take A Step Back.

My workout today was supposed to be a 5k run outside. As soon as I was able to get my Garmin to find the satellite I was off. I ran for all of 0.60 miles before I realized it just was not happening today. There is a fine line between pushing past your mental block and listening to your body. And after yesterday's hour long legs weight session, I knew this was not in my head.(Breakfast: 1/2 C oats, 1/2 packet Justin's almond butter, slivered almonds, sprinkle of flax meal)
So I started walking. I walked along my normal route, and then took a road not yet discovered and ended up on Massachusetts Avenue. At this point, I made a change. I took out my headphones (gasp!) and began to take in the sights and sounds around me.(Lunch: Spinach, 1 can Tuna in water, 1/4 avocado, green pepper, corn, black beans, roasted chickpeas, tomato, hummus, balsamic vinaigrette).
I walked past the U.S. Naval Observatory, the Washington National Cathedral, and countless embassies. I saw some kids playing a pick up game of soccer, and old couple sitting on a bench, a really cool statue of Winston Churchill outside of the British Embassy, and a puppy playing in a stream as I walked home through Rock Creek Park (which, btw, I have yet to find sketchy).(Lunch: Served with an unpictured Pita with 1 Laughing Cow wedge.)
I spent a solid hour today completely in my own head. No distractions except the sights around me and my own breathe. I thought about a lot of things, my upcoming trip to Strasbourg in particular, and had one of those aha! moments when you just take a step back and look at the life you lead.(Snack: 1/2 apple because I was so full from the salad! {seems hypocritical to be stuffed from a salad, but it actually happened})
My circumstances are particularly fortunate. I have never been a position to want for something without thinking there was some way I would eventually attain it. My parents told me, as so many do, that I could do anything I wanted with my life. I took that to heart, worked hard, and ended up at my dream university.(Workout Stats: 4.25 miles in 1 hr. 8 minutes...it was leisurely :))
My circumstances are particularly fortunate. I have never been a position to want for something without thinking there was some way I would eventually attain it. My parents told me, as so many do, that I could do anything I wanted with my life.
(Dinner: 1 cup plain greek yogurt, 1tbsp agave nectar, 4 strawberries, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup English granola)
I left everything and everyone I knew to move across the country. It was the scariest and simultaneously most liberating experience of my entire life. Every day since my parents left me in upstate New York and headed back to Arkansas has been about me. It sounds selfish, I assume, yet I believe that there is a point in everyone's life that it should be all about you. I took that to heart, worked hard, and ended up at my dream university. (Dinner amended: 1/2 C Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, 1/2 C puffed wheat, all smushed together!)
Mine is certainly now. This freedom will not last forever, of that I am sure. It is time for me to take care of me, so that I will be better able to serve others. That encompasses all things, from taking care of my body through health and nutrition, studying hard and succeeding in school, traveling Europe on a whim, and treating others with the kindness and respect they deserve. These are my priorities right now. Today, I strive to accomplish this by being the best version of me.


This is just a snippet of what went through my head today as I strolled through Washington, D.C. for one of the last times. It has been quite the journey thus far and I know how fortunate I am for these experiences. Yet the time is coming to move on...and I cannot wait for the next chapter to begin.
~Jenn