How far you've come

Remember How far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You may not be where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be” Rick Warren

It's exactly how I feel at the realization of how different this day is from this same day 9 years ago when I first came to Atlanta.

Time flies that’s for sure, and it’s also a clear sign that everything in this life is temporary including life itself. 9 years ago we drove 13 hrs from Dallas, TX with an old Pontiac on tow and a half empty u-haul truck but full of dreams and hopes.

Atlanta welcomed us with many opportunities and the warm embrace of friends that would soon become family. Here I met Yoga as a student, got an Emory certificate in management, became pilates and yoga teacher, got my first owned house and squeezed my baby boy Lance puppy-ness…

Here, also, I went through the biggest heartbreak since leaving my family and hometown, a divorce…

I remember this time like falling into a deep hole crashing bones, spirit, dreams and all. I remember looking up and saying “ I wont never make it back up” and, as many of you may have experienced, when “it rain, it pours”, so later when I was pulled away from my long time yoga community it felt like falling deeper down the hole and farther away from light…

When we encounter these situations, it feels like as if life decided to make it even harder and keeps throwing a couple more of painful jabs just to test our true strength and willingness, we feel so frustrated, desperate, and sad.

The power to re-surfacing, though, lays in the understanding that everything is temporary, and that there is a reason for it, patience is key and self love is a must

Flash forward to today, I look back at how far I’ve come…I didn’t keep many of the things that came in the truck neither few of the things that came later and most definitively many things are different now in my life, but I keep the experiences, the love, the lessons learned and an open heart. In the last couple of years I’ve traveled the world exploring 8 countries, 5 of them totally new but more importantly, I’ve been blessed with the love and support of loved ones, I’ve met incredible people who love and accept me for who I am and I have the respect and warmth of my yoga community. This made stronger and richer in spirit.

Yes, I may not be where I want to be just yet, but I am where I need to be for now. Yes, I am a different person now, but the true essence remains.  I let go of the guilt and raise my cup to the best yet to come.

Thank you for these 9 years Atlanta, proud to call you home.