personal best

For the past 10 weeks, I have been participating with the Personal Best program at Kaiser, which encourages employees to achieve their "Personal Best" by engaging in at least 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days or more each week. It culminated with a 5K/Half Marathon this past weekend in Golden Gate Park. My sister and I walked the 5K; we would have ran, but my sister got sick the night before and could only manage to walk the 3.1 miles, and doing so took us almost an hour and a half. Though it wasn't what we were hoping for, I'm very happy to say we stuck with it and finished it, regardless of how long it took. Because that's the truth of the matter, isn't it? Our outcomes are important, so we shouldn't feel the need to rush the journey there.

I'm also happy to say that I committed to this program in its entirety. I even surprised myself with how much more I was willing to do to achieve my own "Personal Best." Very rarely did I settle for the minimum 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. More often than not, I exceeded that standard, and by doing so, I achieved multiple goals in this short amount of time. I lost about 10 pounds, reduced my stress, built muscle, increased my flexibility, gained confidence... The list goes on. To mark the end of the program, Kaiser hosted a rally this past Tuesday that featured our regional president as a speaker and walk leader around Lake Merritt. At the rally, the founders of the program read some select comments participants anonymously submitted via an online survey that was emailed to us the week prior. Mine was one of the comments; I talked about how easily I learned to integrate physical activity into my lifestyle and the numerous benefits I experienced after choosing to do so. At the mention of my weight loss, all the rally-goers cheered for my accomplishment. It was really inspiring to know that my employer and fellow employees were so supportive of my personal goals and accomplishments. As I soaked in the applause, I felt this huge challenge that I've been facing for almost two years now shrink into something truly manageable. And that, friends, is an incredible feeling.

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Work continues to be great. I reached 6 months today, and the day was spent quite appropriately to commemorate the occasion. I worked overtime, traveling out to Stockton to do a teacher orientation in preparation for the arrival of PEACE Signs at an elementary school. My orientations have been steadily improving as I've become more comfortable with the PEACE Signs program and my own public speaking skills. It's one of those things I've been slowly taking over as more and more responsibility gets handed my way, such as the facilitation of Family Night events and the production of the quarterly newsletter. Due to staff changes in the past few weeks, I have recently become the second most senior employee in my position, among the currently employed four Booking Coordinators. So instead of me asking the questions, I now have to provide the answers. A little scary, but if my co-workers believe I can do it, then I guess I really can.

Looking back to just a year ago, I never would have thought I'd end up here. I couldn't imagine finding a job that incorporated everything I love and am good at. It's really amazing to think of all the places life can take you when you open your eyes and look at all the roads that lie ahead.

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With summer musical auditions quickly approaching, I've taken the time I have off from performing and devoted it to auditions preparation. In addition to the two dance classes I am currently taking (musical theatre and tap), I will be taking a master class on auditioning starting next week. The class will cover topics such as song selection, procedure, and staging. It should be really enlightening, considering that I've never even spoken to an auditor outside of an audition. I hope to pick up some valuable tips and get cast in at least a supporting role this summer. If I don't get the chance to do some serious singing soon, I think I might just drop dead from withdrawal.

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Something New Sundays have officially been reinstated. If you want to do something new on a Sunday, you know who to call.