I Passed!
I passed the Group Fitness Instructor exam! I read, studied, and took the exam in just under three months. I can’t describe how great it feels to have gotten that out the way. Not that I had a negative experience, it was quite positive! And I did thoroughly enjoy the subject matter, but I spent several weeknights and weekends reading and preparing for for test. A weight has been lifted and I have time to myself again! I’m proud of myself for making the GFI certification a priority. It’s another reminder that we are capable to make time for things that matter to us whether that’s a phone call to a friend or a personal goal.
Regrets
There are a handful of questions I like to ask my geriatric patients after we’ve warmed up to each other. My favorite one: do you have any regrets? The answer is always no. It makes me wonder how someone can reach the age of 93 and have zero regrets. Were they saints? Did they always do the right things? Were they just lucky throughout their entire lives? There’s a chance that some patients really do regret nothing at all, but I don’t believe that’s the case. My honest thoughts? I don’t think they can remember their regrets.
A quick google search defines regret as sad, repentance, or disappointment over something that happened. I would place “I wish I could have,” “I should have,” “I didn’t get to,” and other similar phrases all under the regret umbrella. Putting it like that, I do have several regrets.
The one that’s weighing on me now is pushing my residents too hard. What I see as encouragement, motivation, and a won’t-take-no-for-an-answer kind of attitude can easily be misconstrued as pushy when you’re over the age of 75. A few weeks ago on a Friday one gentleman (and half my caseload) was tired and not in the mood for therapy. I tried to change his mind but he wasn’t having it. He was feeling down, but not more than his baseline pessimistic self. I let him be and told him I’d be back for him the following week. I returned Monday only to find out my sweet man had passed over the weekend.
As you can imagine, I was sad. I also had this gut wrenching feeling of regret. I so badly wish I could go back and be more sympathetic to my patient’s situation. The outcome would not have changed, but I also have no idea what it’s like to be in pain at that age. The least I could have done was hear him out.
So this is me telling you, don’t be me! Be mindful of your actions and words because they all matter.
One Year
On a much lighter note, I’m one year injury free! Last year around summer time I took an instructors cue to “leave it all on the treadmill,” which resulted in both a personal PR and a 4 month long ankle injury. I couldn’t run, I couldn’t jump, and it was crummy feeling like I was capable of so much more but just could not perform even if I wanted to. I wore an ankle brace for several months and slowly ramped up my exercise to something challenging. Here I am one year later and feeling great! I even ran my fastest mile ever at 6:20. I was breathless running that mile. I truly don’t think I can top that, but here’s to trying and staying injury free one more year while doing it!
Another Year!!!
Happy FIVE year blogiversary to me!
Whether it’s your first time reading or you’ve visited the blog before, thank you! If you don’t recall, I started this blog in grad school. I was a student wearing really boring student-like clothes and this was an entire place dedicated to things I’d wear if I weren’t at school. Its remained the same to some extent, where I still get to showcase whatever I wear when I’m not wearing scrubs from 9-5. I don’t write blog posts dedicated to one outfit or one trend the way I had tried in the past. I prefer to write about travel, my dogs, and Five Things now. A resolution I made for myself this year was to write more for the blog. With the new addition of the Five Things series, I’m happy to say I’ve kept that promise to myself!
I am so proud of this space. It’s one I have recommitted to over and over again over the last five years even if my viewership or following didn’t grow the way I once thought it would. I have stayed here regardless of numbers and trends and I believe that’s something worth celebrating! I appreciate you!
Something New
I shot a gun for the first time ever. For background, my interest in guns is minimal if at all. It took me a long time to figure out that I’m more of a world peace kind of girl. That, and being a vegetarian and cruelty-free consumer doesn’t really leave any room for a tool that can be potentially violent. However, my boyfriend has recently taken interest in guns and if he’s going to be hanging out at the shooting range I’d at least like to experience what he is from time to time.
It’s nothing like the movies. Ha! I’m pretty sure I’ve seen JLo or Jennifer Garner with leading roles with guns. It’s a story of a woman who had never shot a gun before but then she needs to defend herself and she shoots a guy on the first try. How unrealistic! I could barely load the magazine with ammunition, I didn’t know how to hold the pistol, and I quickly tired out after shooting a few bullets. I don’t see myself returning to the shooting range anytime soon, but I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to try something new.
Thank you for keeping up with me! See you next time.
XO, Vivian