An inspiration for change

I don’t know what it is about Arizona, but I’ve always been inspired to be a healthier, better person here. And it naturally seems to happen, even without much effort on my part. For example, my skin is more clear and even-toned here, even after a few days; I’ll go out with minimal makeup, just because I don’t feel like I need it…not true in Wisconsin. My hair—which, by the way, I was able to dry in about ten minutes by taking a ride in the convertible—has more volume and holds its curl better, likely because of the lack of humidity that usually weighs down my massive amounts of hair. I’ve also started healthier habits, working out in the gym 3-4 times per week, drinking more water, and eating more salads and veggie-heavy stir fry meals. Again, I’m not sure why, exactly, I feel so inspired to change my life habits here. Maybe it’s the fact that the sun is out 95% of the time, which makes me feel more energized. Maybe it’s because there is a healthier vibe in general in Arizona, especially among the people I meet. Maybe it’s purely the idea of being in a new place and having a fresh start to “do things right this time.” Last summer (2010), I was in the best shape of my life after spending six weeks here. My goal is to return to that level of fitness.

Despite starting some great life habits, yesterday was the first day that I started to feel really lonely for my friends back home. There is a lot of change going on there too: Friends are moving, starting school again, dealing with various challenging life circumstances…it’s tough for me not to be close to them during these times. I am going to have to learn how to be a good friend, a quality support, from afar.

I’ll end this entry with a photo of my car, which I affectionately titled, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” It arrived at nearly 1:00 AM (yes, you read that right) on Thursday morning, and it felt kinda seedy doing the exchange of the vehicle and cashier’s check in the Safeway parking lot in the middle of the night…but my Escape and all the contents inside came through without an issue. You know, beyond having the times of pick-up and delivery changed five times. :-)

                                     
Random Observation #2: (I’ll make this one about driving, since I just talked about my car.) In Wisconsin, the green arrow for the left-turn lane typically lights up first, before the traffic is signaled to go straight. In Arizona, the traffic goes straight for a minute or so, stops, and then the green arrow lights up to end the cycle.