Hi from the Land of I Don't Know!

I apologize for my unexplained absences, my impromptu hiatus, my complete and utter disappearing act for the last several months (I can't bear to look at the date of my last post for fear I will drown in the waves of guilt that I'm just barely surfing on right now). Anyway ... I want to hear all about what's up with you. But I will start with what's up with me ... as usual ... and hope that the one or two of you still out there will drop me a comment.

To keep from going on and on, I'm going to do this in a list.

The Top 10 Things I Did (and Did Not Do) on My Summer Vacation

1. I did not have a summer vacation.
2. I uprooted my family and moved them ... with the bare minimum possessions (flat-screen TV, running shoes, assorted Transformers and various other pieces of molded plastic that pass for toys for Johnny, an IPod shuffle loaded with my husband's favorite Johnny Cash tunes) ... into an APARTMENT in Nashville. I have not lived in an apartment in 25 years. Nothing against apartments, but I feel like I'm in an alternate universe.
3. I did not sell my house in Birmingham (yet), a major source of consternation.
4. I rediscovered how much I love cycling thanks to the parks and the Natchez Trace near my APARTMENT.
5. I put out the first issue ... a sneak preview mini version ... of my new magazine, Spry. And I am in the process, right now, of putting out the REAL first issue, which will be published the second week of September.
6. I realized that all that fear I've been working so hard to banish--that self-doubt, that perfectionism, that all-or-nothing thinking--was just waiting here, under the surface, for the smallest opening to emerge. And that it has the potential of undoing this dream ... the dream of having my own magazine, of making the most of a platform where I can spread the message of positive, inspirational healthy living to 9 million people (!). BUT ONLY IF I LET IT.
7. I got lost going to and from work almost every day for three weeks after I moved to Nashville. (And still do, some days.)
8. I re-experienced the power of It's Not an Option. As in ... INO to give up and go home, to Bham. INO to let my perfectionism close my mind to input and criticism. INO to not speak my mind when I need to, seek clarity when things are fuzzy, push the issue, ask questions, risk looking like the fool or the bitch or the trouble-maker.
9. I reconnected with my husband. This move has not been easy, no, but it is bringing us together in a way that we really needed. We're talking more than ever, cooperating more than ever. We're more of a team than we have been in a long time.
10. I figured out how important friends are in my life ... my "running friends" in Birmingham, in particular. I miss my little group so much ... even though I was barely coherent during our 5 a.m. runs, they were always there for me, a great sounding board. I am not the easiest person to get close to ... I am always holding a piece of myself back--a bigger piece with some people than with others. So it is not easy for me to replace friends. All I can do now is be myself, let my true self shine, with all of its flaws and imperfections, and see what (and who) that brings to me.

So ... that's what's up with me. The short version, anyway.

I do want you to know that I am launching Spryliving.com, a companion site to Spry magazine. It is up and running in betaish form right now. I would LOVE it if my FFG friends would follow me there. One of the things I'm trying to do with Spry is help people achieve good health for a good life--health, as you all surely know, is not an end in itself. It's what allows us to reach for what we really want in life--it's the platform from which we can spring forward, take a leap of faith, and chase the dreams that we've always had inside.

On the site, we're launching something called the Dream It, Do It Diary. Here's the idea: You sign up, and choose a dream: have you always wanted to play guitar? Do ballet? Take a trip to the Andes? Walk a 5K? Lose a bit of weight? Anyway, choose from the menu of dream categories, and you'll have your own little diary on the site. You'll be able to update daily (if not more often) and get comments from others who share your dream.

I'm counting on you guys to make the Dream It Do It Diary break all kinds of traffic records!

I promise I will post soon ... see you on Spryliving.com.

Lisa D