78 Reflections Upon 2009 - Exercise, Hair and Friends

EXERCISE
When I switched jobs in 2009 from Company A to Company B, I went from a 9-story building to a 4-story building. My job at Company A had me attending meetings on other floors regularly, so it was common for me to walk up and down three stories of stairs at a time several times a day or week. By the end of my time there I was walking down all nine stories at the end of the day and beginning to walk up as many stories as I could in the mornings before I got too tired. It was great!

But Company B has a locked door on the third floor so I can't walk up the stairs in the morning. If I do I can't exit onto the floor where I work.

Company B has a parking garage, though, and on the mornings when I arrive 15-20 minutes early and don't have work that needs an early start, I will spend the first part of the day walking around the parking garage. We have security guards who patrol the garage regularly, and it's on a side of town where I feel safe, so I'm aware of my surroundings but not especially nervous when I walk in the parking garage.

As a result of my early morning walks, I'm beginning to learn that gloves on a cold day are a smart thing to wear, as are hats. I have debated with myself whether carrying a peppermint mocha from Starbucks while walking counts as exercise or not, and decided the second time I did it that it does.

The parking garage and office building have a pleasant view of downtown Austin, with lots of trees between us and the buildings downtown. The other morning the city was enshrouded in fog from Town Lake (now called Ladybird Lake) to the north side of town. The south side where I was, however, had clear skies. So I walked along the top level of the parking garage and saw this thick, beautiful mist caressing the city. It made me feel good to be alive.

That gratitude about life never leaves me. Nor does the gratitude over having eyebrows, eye lashes, and hair.

HAIR
In 2009 I had my hair cut short again. In 2007 and 2008 short hair reminded me of the strength I gained after surviving breast cancer. I kept it short then to honor that ferocity and determination to live. In 2008/2009 I felt like I had reached a certain level of healing from the trauma that accompanied cancer and its aftermath. I grew my hair back to its layers and shoulder length, which felt long to me. Having long hair once again was symbolic to me as I no longer needed it short to prove to the world that I was strong.

Then in the fall of 2009 I got tired of the long hair and wanted it short again. The length of hair lost all connection with cancer. I just liked the ease of care and the perception I'd developed of short hair looking professional. It was another step along the path of healing, actually, that I could view my hair length as something entirely wrapped up in personal preference and with no lingering connections to anything cancer-related.

After going far too long between cuts, I just had it trimmed yesterday back to the short and sassy style. Ah, freedom!

FRIENDS
In 2009 I made a point to reconnect with some of my friends I don't ordinarily see. Life is too short to have regrets over never seeing people who are important to you, so I've been reaching out as schedules allow, and initiating lunches and get togethers. A certain richness of life has returned as I've been a part of creating new happy memories with people I care about. It's fun. It's emotionally healthy. It's a practice I plan on continuing in 2010.

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