I received my first client payment yesterday. My husband recommended framing the check, but we really need the money. I was surprised at how excited it made me. I promptly made my client file, adhering to my new color label and file numbering system (thanks, Hal Davis).
I have also decided that it would be a good time to go ahead with other life improvements. After three pairs of pants wouldn’t comfortably button yesterday, I called a friend who’s a regular at the gym and enlisted her motivational help. I can handle the food restrictions, but I lack the self-discipline to exercise. I was one of the lucky ones, breezing through life eating whatever I wanted, shunning the notion to work out, and staying slim nonetheless. Well, things have changed. I turned 30 over a week ago, and my metabolism just ain’t what it used to be. So, I just joined the local Y. I am determined not to become a fat soccer mom.
Which brings me to other news: my five-year-old daughter just started soccer. We bought her shorts, socks, shin guards and cleats this past weekend. She put them on and really looked like a tiny soccer player – no experience required. We went to her first practice and she jumped right in without hesitation. When the coach asked her if she knew how to dribble, she picked up the ball and started bouncing it basketball-style. During the 3-on-3 scrimmage, she called out excitedly to her teammate as she ran around the field, sometimes to the ball, sometimes with no apparent destination. It was adorable.
Her little sister watched the whole thing, eager to join in. Having just turned two, she has experienced a language explosion. Seemingly overnight, she went from a babbling toddler to a wordsmith. She was calling to her sister, asking for the ball, and commenting on our surroundings. When I picked her up at daycare yesterday, they said she had been telling them, “My mommy’s coming.”
All of these occurrences have really lifted my spirits. My babies are growing up, which saddens me just a little, only because I’d keep them little as long as I could, but otherwise it’s such an amazing thing to watch. My business prospects excite me, even though they’re slim as I get my new solo practice off the ground. My family is happy and supportive, which goes a long way, and my dog is slowly losing her urge to chew up the corners of the house and entire contents of the backyard. See, it doesn’t take that much to inject a little overall happiness. Life is good.
