Gratitude Check-in: New training regimen, on-going supports.

Well, time is marching on, as they say, and it is a mere eight weeks until my proposed departure date(!)  There is very much to be grateful for these day, I notice.  (This is not only due to the imminent (albeit temporary) renunciation of some of my favorite comforts.)

First - a big thank you! to Sarah, the excellent trainer I have been working with at 24 Hour Fitness, who took on my project of preparation for this journey, and gave me many very helpful suggestions (some of them obvious, as in 'duh - why didn't I think of that myself!?'), so that I can use the next weeks as effectively as possible.

Another big thank you! to my employers Joye and Tony, at Inzana Ranch and Produce, who, when I confessed that I would be away for the rest of this year after March, zeroed right in on ways they could be supportive.

Then there are the many friends who have contributed to my fund-raising efforts, both directly and via offers of gainful employment!  I have enjoyed donated bodywork, synchronicity in planning, and a whole lot of moral support.

But I reserve the biggest thank you! for my sister Annie, who despite initial reservations about this business, has been a wholehearted champion of the various causes coming into play here.

Sometimes I feel exhilarated and energized; sometimes I feel terrified.  But, in any case, my love and appreciation are boundless!

Sarah, turning up the heat in my training regimen!

My co-worker Roberta, at our VA Hospital Wednesday Farmers' Market.

Sister Annie in 'gratitude context' - Thanksgiving day dinner!