New year, New me (and it's not even New Years!)

Woke up this morning a bit early to call Vera at the Guadalupe Center to see what time she wanted us to come in. Preparing for the After-School Program (which starts the 18th-so excited!) requires a ton of tasks be completed-assembling binders, filing papers, making copies, making name tags, sorting the radios, etc. etc. So Clarissa and I have been going in a few days now, to help with the office work. I woke up to a text from her, instead, telling me we weren't needed until the afternoon. Which was great, because I so was not ready to leave my bed (lazy, I know).

So I slept a bit more, then Clarissa woke me up to do a workout video with her. Now the lazy part of me wanted to stay in my bed, but the smarter, more motivated part of me said "Sure!" and shot out of bed to go workout. Now, we did this video a few days ago, and my thighs are STILL killing me from it (can you say out of shape?) but I'm really excited to try and make some changes this year. I want to workout more, eat healthier (which I so totally have been doing-tons of veggies and organic stuff!), and just become overall healthier-emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. I think coming to Immokalee is a great opportunity for that.

I'm somewhere new. Away from my old surroundings, old lifestyle. It's a chance to, honestly, start my life over...or at least turn the page into a new chapter. I, thankfully, live with a great group of girls who are on the same page in terms of being healthy, eating right, and being pysically active. So I'm thankful for that. Feeling better about myself will ultimately help me, but not only me, but the people I come across and interact with on a day to day basis.

The great thing about new beginnings is they can start whenever the heck we feel motivated to create them. It doesn't just need to be January 1st. Why not start right now? September 6th, 2012?! What's stopping you, other than yourself?

Some other things I wanted to share though, are things I've really been learning while being down here, away from everything and everyone I know....the importance of friendships, relationships with family, keeping in touch with people when you aren't seeing them...at the core, creating and maintaining good, strong, healthy relationships with people. If you don't, they will crumble. You know that friend you've been meaning to call lately, but have just been to busy? Call them. Don't wait. You may not even know the joy you can bring to a person simply by taking a minute to call (or even text) them, to let  them know you are thinking about them. I took a walk yesterday around my neighborhood. And I called my grandma. And it was awesome. I spoke with her a few weeks ago when I moved down here, and honestly nothing ground breaking has really happened in between then, but I wanted to call her and we chatted for about 40 minutes. The joy it brought her, and the comfort it brought me to connect with family, was amazing.

Keeping in contact with Mom has been important, of course, as well as my sorority sisters (who let me just say have been AMAZING with keeping up with me, checking in on me, seeing how I've been and offering their support...I have felt so much love and empowerment from these girls, and I cannot express enough in words how thankful I am for them-not a day has gone by that I haven't heard from at least one sister, but most days more!). But honestly, keeping up with people has been priority for me. I've been trying so hard not to take relationships and people for granted-you never know when they can be gone.

Okay, I'm super tired. I started falling asleep hours ago. I have really been noticing and learning alot about Immokalee from the people here, and what I am surrounded with. It opens my eyes. Makes me appreciate things, my life, and privilege more. It's moving. It really is. And I'm going to blog about it tomorrow.

So stay tuned...

(And honestly, it means SO much to me that you are still reading this blog...I know a lot of it is rambling, but I hope it's interesting rambling at least...Thanks for hangin' in there, I promise you the "meat" of it all will come soon. :)