Hiking in Washington State
Oh boy. I’m on a plane back to ATL from Seattle. My fiance’ and I just spent about 5 days driving, hiking, eating, walking and climbing. Maybe I was the only one who climbed, but I had to stay entertained somehow. Going into this trip I had a lot of anxiety about leaving my every day routine. I think I have had this trait since I was a child. I’m not sure what caused it but it hasn’t gotten a lot better in my adult life.
Where I worked before opening my studio highly frowned upon taking vacations. There was no time off structure in place, there was no plan for compensation when taking time off, I was on salary (so they could pay me below minimum wage) so I had to work VERY hard to “earn” time off.
Fast forward unto now and I felt that very heavily before leaving. “How is the gym going to be while I’m gone?” and “what is Parent A going to think of me after taking this time off?” were questions that demolitioned into my head in the weeks and days leading up to boarding our plane to go halfway across the country.
At the same time, I am reading “The 4-Hour Workweek” again after almost a decade since I first opened it. My life has changed so much since the day I first bought it so long ago. I thought it would be fun to read it again with a new perspective. While it is old and some of the practical tools are a bit outdated, the message is very poignant to me. I can work less, and make more money, while being happier.
Was I right to be so nervous?
I will probably make a whole new log about this but a few answers to my questions from before. Was I justified to be scared and nervous about leaving? No. The gym was fine. A new student signed up while I was gone in fact. I landed in Seattle with a text complimenting how inviting the gym was and that they wanted to sign up. WHILE I WASN’T THERE?? How could this be?!
Surely the magical glue that drives Karate RX (me) Needs to be in attendance for anything meaningful to happen. (Apparently not). My coaches are good at their jobs apparently (all those years of training and giving feedback paid off?) I’m going to butcher this quote but the thought that “A person’s capabilities expands 4x when you entrust them with more responsibility” rang in my ear because I had read it last week in The 4-Hour Workweek. Definitely food for future thought. (A person did quit while I was gone, but that would have happened if I was there too.) A lot to think about and COMMUNICATE about.
RV Life
Anyway, back to my trip. I got so many steps on this vacation and drank so much soda. It would be funny if my body wasn’t hurting so bad. I had stomach issues (lactose intolerance confirmed), body soreness, less sleep than usual and I only got to workout at a gym twice during the whole trip. My routine was nonexistent and the only semblance of normal I had was my pre-workout that I brought ON THE PLANE lol. We hopped between RV’s and stayed on the road to different destinations. She did a very good job of planning this trip, so we got very little downtime, which was a pro and a con. We visited the home of Twilight - Forks, Washington. I loved how simple and small this town was. I can definitely see myself living here in the event I have to fake my death.
Aura
This trip had a few more highlights for me. Hiking to me is walking with extra steps but I won’t deny it felt cool to do a handstand on the side of a cliff, I climbed some big rocks, I enjoyed seeing my fiance’ so happy. I managed the gyms’ workouts, checked my emails, and Slack to communicate with my head coach. I actually had chances to do some deep work for the gym and myself that I wouldn’t have done otherwise. Riding back in this airplane I am working on this website to expand my horizons a bit and design a life I will enjoy and be more fulfilled with. I love teaching karate and being a part of my students lives, but I am getting a bit bored and feel plateaued at times. There is only so much time in the day and my life.
I’m going to actively pursue my passions and not let my fear of others opinions hold me back.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this please leave a comment down below! If you want to see more, you can find me on instagram @average_ninja.