Weigh in Whatday?

You may have noticed the lack of the promised Weigh in Monday this week - I haven't been able to make it to Weight Watchers. My mom is out of the country and my dad is sick, so I'm barely even able to get to my house this week, much less a WW meeting. I miss my house y'all. 

Hopefully I can get to a meeting next week, but I highly doubt it. So I'm just going to call April a wash on Weigh in Monday and WW. I'm going to keep eating well, keep walking and hopefully get in for a freaking workout this week (I have not been in to see Mandy since mid-March which hurts - I loved my bootcamp and wish I could be back in it). 

I can't wait until this God-forsaken month is over!

Looking Past Limits

How do you get your groove back when your faith is shaken and you don't know who to be or how to be. (Hat tip to Ed Schipul for sharing this awesome video)

Learning to sail my ship

I recently came across a great quote from Louisa May Alcott and it hit me like a freight train.

"I'm not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my ship."

Mind. Blown.

Right now in my life, I'm lost at sea. I realize that sounds a bit ridiculous, but it's true. I'm panicked about what to do next and unsure of what my past experience means. We're in strange times my friends.

In the first few months of 2011, I have closed a small business, taken a month "off"; and taken/then quit an amazing opportunity. I've started a new "get well" job as a part-time office manager for an awesome company run by some of my favorite people in the world/located on my street. I can bring my dog to work and wear flip flops.

But the planner in me wants to know what's next. What's the plot? Where does this story lead?

The pragmatist in me says slow the hell down and take stock before leaping off into anything new. On the one hand, I want to jump into a full time, "holy cow you're a productive member of society again!" type of job with benefits and a salary. On the other, I don't want to blow another great opportunity because I'm not ready or it's not the right fit.

"The fastest way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Gandhi

The solution is to incubate for a bit and just stay busy being helpful to other people. I can help this company I'm working for by keeping their business running smoothly and taking those peripheral items (you know, all the little things you don't have time to do; the ones that drove me NUTS as a business owner) off their plate. I can help people through AniMeals and through the Friendly Visitor program. I can be useful right now to other people, instead of focusing solely on myself and my career and my, my, my.

I've swung up on the trapeze and let go, unsure of where my hands will find the next bar. But that's ok. I'm learning to sail my ship in uncharted territories. My first stop is the island of "shut the hell up Sarah and stop whining!" The second is to a place where I'm useful to others.

Storms be damned!

My New Sew Weekly Post is Up!

My new Sew Weekly post is up! Check out what I looked like as a kid and judge my mom for dressing me and Devon in drapes!

Weigh in Monday - 4/11/11

This is a less legit Weigh in Monday than normal because I haven't set foot in a Weight Watchers meeting in a month. One whole month guys! I need to get it together!

I have been weighing myself at home each week and found that I have lost 4 pounds the week of the Great 2-Day Internship Disaster of 2011. Stress is a helluva thing.

So I'm going to count this as a reset from all my hedonism in March and go back to WW next weekend to get my real stats back! Tune in next Monday for a "for real" Weigh in Monday!

Quitter.

I'm a quitter. I quit my awesome internship at Schipul. I lasted two days.

The work was really interesting and the people were incredible, but at this point in my life I know myself very well and know when something isn't the right fit for me.

After running Sew Crafty for 3 years and internalizing a ton of stress at the cost of my relationships, body and general well being, I know now that I need to find something where stress isn't a big factor. Recovering addicts call this a "get well" job - something that doesn't involve a ton of stress/responsibility, but does give you the opportunity to feel good about a hard day's work. These are things I wish I would have found out before I committed to the job.

I will absolutely continue to be a HUGE fan of Schipul. After a peek behind the curtain, I can tell you three things:

1. Schipul clients are incredibly lucky. Those people work very, very hard for their clients. They care - and they care a lot. Every client - from small to large - gets the love and attention they deserve. I'm not surprised that this company is so successful. 
2. The people are total bad asses. Every person I met or worked with was incredibly smart, talented and warm - Schipul has the best people on their team. And those MOFOs work hard. On top of being hard workers, they're also funny, weird and help the heck out of anyone who has a question. 
3. Ed Schipul is a genius. I'm not throwing this term out lightly - the man knows his stuff backwards and forwards. Being in a meeting or a training with him is like getting hit by a freight train (in a good way). I only spent two days there and he managed to knock the BS out of my brain/give me a web marketing superpower. In two days folks. 

Time will tell if I will regret this decision, but I feel lucky to have a strong enough sense of myself to know when to fold 'em and walk away. I'm richer for the experience, no matter how short.

We only get one life and after spending three difficult years putting myself through the ringer, I need a break.