Easy Livin.: August 2012

"There is not one big cosmic meaning for all, there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person."

-Anais Nin

Oops. The fact that I didn't even remember the name of this blog is shameful enough. Oh, ya know, it's only been FIVE MONTHS. Fail. Let's see if I can sum up those five months quickly (don't laugh, mother, I know you are!). In March my gorgeous sister came out to visit!! I was SO excited, words cannot even describe. I wish I could have taken her all over CO and gone on fun road trips, but of course I couldn't get time off work and time was limited. We still managed to make it out to Red Rocks, Boulder, and Garden of the Gods. In April I found a new place to move with some great girls from REI that are more my age. Sadly it didn't end well with my old roommate and between work and all of the drama going on with the last roommate I was ready for May to come. In fact, my sanity depended on it. So in May I got to go home for a whole week (yeehaw!) and go to Sunset with the family and see my best friend get married. In June I finally went on THE bike ride. Ya know, the one that puts life back on track. The bike ride that wakes up your soul and says "Hell yes! Welcome back!". I went with my buddy Dave on a Friday night and we camped out on top of Squaw Mountain so we could get up and meet his friends for a nice Saturday morning ride up the mountain. This would be my first mountain climb on the bike and I was scared out of my mind! It didn't help that we camped on top of the mountain, because that just meant we had to drive up it and then drive down it in the morning to meet his buddies. Y'all, that mountain was freakin' ridiculous. RE-DIC-U-LUS. It was 20 miles uphill....up.hill. I don't even like hills! I can't climb a damn hill, let alone a mountain!! So we wake up and I am pacing. I am shaking. I am sweating and having mini panic attacks. I am surprised I didn't put myself in cardiac arrest even before getting in the saddle! But I calmed myself down and told myself I could do this. Slow and steady wins the race. I told them to just leave me alone and let me do my thing and that's what happened. I don't care anymore that I can't keep up with people, I just care about finishing and I know that if I do my thing I can finish. The best part about 20 miles up, is 20 miles down. But going down a mountain can get a little scary, especially on the switchbacks and going 30+ mph down. By the time we got back to the cars I couldn't stop smiling. I felt on top of the world. I freakin' did it, y'all! I did it! And so it began. Not even a week later I was going through Copper Mountain up Vail Pass. Then I attempted Lookout Mountain, which succeeded in kicking my ass, so I did it again the next weekend. Last weekend I went with Dave and his buddies up Deer Creek Canyon and then up High Grade Rd (note the street name, it should go ahead and just say "Ass Kicking Rd"). It succeeded in doing just that, so I did it again today. I'm not very good at going up hill and I'm definitely not fast, but I'm addicted. Last weekend my lungs hurt for two days after climbing up High Grade, but today went better.

Yesterday marked the day I got hit by the car one year prior. It was a big day for me, despite what some may think. Some people think it's a bad day to remember, but to me it means something special. It was one of the biggest life changes I've probably ever had and definitely one of the biggest challenges and obstacles I've ever had to endure. A few weeks ago I couldn't fall asleep and I dragged out my journal and just started reading through it. It was good for me because I think most days I forget the pain I went through. Not physical pain, but mental and emotional. I was a freakin' mess! My life was a disaster at that point. I had no job, no home, no income, I had a broken hand, and I couldn't walk. So yesterday I got to reflect and see how far I've come in that one year. I have gone through a lot this year and I hope it has made me a better and stronger person. I think the tricky thing about your 20s, is it's all full of unknowns. It's scary at first, but now I kinda love it. It's exciting and scary! Who the hell knows what I'll be doing a year from now, or where I'll be, or who I'll be surrounded by! The possibilities are endless, but you only live one life, so never ever stop livin'. As for me lately, I've been trying to cross things off my bucket list. I have my first half marathon next weekend. 13.1 miles. Holy shit. I've always wanted to do a half marathon, but was always too chicken to sign up for one. I decided to celebrate my one year anniversary of the accident, I would run a half to prove to myself that nothing can stop me from achieving my goals but myself. So next Sunday I will be able to cross it off my bucket list. I also started a pottery class. I've been wanting to learn how to throw pots for years now and I finally said "why am I not doing this?". At first I said because I can't afford it. And then I said, screw that, you only live once, Dana. Do it because you want to and because you can. Make it happen. So I have now crossed that off the bucket list as well. So this year has overall been one hell of a year for me! I've crossed many things off my bucket list! I moved out west. check. Biked up a mountain. check. I will run my first half next weekend. check. I am taking pottery classes. check. What's next?! I don't know. But I do know that I am determined to live my life and love every second of it.