Kninja Knitter

As much as the end of the month prompts reflection on how, if any, my behaviors have changed in the short term, a birthday prompts so much more reflection on changes over the past year, few years, and one’s lifetime. April is my birthday month, and I generally enjoy celebrating all month long. Given the shifts in my priorties this year, I haven’t done a great deal of celebrating. Still, I’ve been looking back and appreciating how far I’ve come.

This wasn’t just a usual birthday this month. While my age doesn’t end in a zero, it does hold some significance. As a friend pointed out, I’m now eligible to receive early retirement benefits from my employer. This doesn’t mean I’m retiring anytime soon, but just knowing that I could if I wanted to is…alarming! When I turned fifty, just five years ago (yeah, do the math, lol), I embarked on a grand travel adventure, making my way around the globe to a whole different hemisphere and more, spending a couple of weeks in Australia and New Zealand. That was my last big adventure up to this point, as the economy didn’t fare too well after that. And there was a pandemic which halted nearly all travel. There are plenty of adventures in my future, but they’ll have to wait.

It was immediately after my birthday last year that I began my journey to boost my physical fitness. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed recognizing how far I’ve come in that year. In late April last year, I attended my first two classes at OrangeTheory Fitness. This was a big challenge for me as it’s been many years since I took a fitness class of any kind. I vaguely remember taking some aerobics classes in the mid-90s, and I did exactly one Zoomba class over ten years ago. Still, I know enough about myself to recognize that I need someone to push me in order for me to get the benefits of exercise beyond simply walking.

Those first two classes were not exactly fun, but I didn’t hate them. And I pushed through when they got hard, especially on the treadmill. A year later, I’ve improved by leaps and bounds. The effects of my perseverance and persistence are apparent to me, both in my physical appearance (down over twenty pounds) and in my physical condition. In recent classes, I’ve handled 30 and 35 pound weights as well as a pair of 25 pound dumbbells.

The OTF benchmarks are a great way for me to document my progress on the treadmill and rower. But there are other ways, too. When I donated blood in March, the nurse remarked that my blood pressure was outstanding. And getting a routine physical, my doctor noted that it’s quite obvious that my heart is in good condition. I’ll be getting another DEXA scan soon which will give me even more specifics about the improvements I’ve made this past year.

I’ll be participating in the Capital City Quarter Marathon soon. This will be the third time I’m taking on this distance, but it’s the first time I’ll do it among the masses in downtown Columbus. My previous times give me a feel for what I can achieve, and of course, I’m striving to improve on those times! My goal will be to complete it in under two hours since I did it in 2:04:16 a year ago.

The one sad note for this month was getting the news that my aunt and godmother, who was also my matron of honor 30+ years ago, passed away. We used to be very close, but the relationship suffered terribly after her second divorce. I last spoke with her after my mother (her sister) died, but she was unable to make the trip to the funeral.

And my final not-so-happy note is that my knitting mojo has taken an unauthorized leave of absence. While I made the conscious decision to dial down acquiring yarn, there’s still plenty of stash here to keep my fingers busy for many years to come. And yet, I have no desire to touch the yarn. At all. It’s a little unnerving, and very frustrating. I’m staying plenty busy, but I haven’t made the progress I wanted to on, well, anything. 😒

Still, knit on.