What I Learned From My Blast From the Past
This past weekend I took an epic trip down memory lane!
SIXTEEEN years since having seen her last (🤯) , I reunited with my university roommate and dear friend on her 72-hour pit stop in Taipei. You can imagine the stories recounted, Taiwanese snacks devoured, and tears shed from laughing so hard we could barely breathe!
While pouring together over old photos and mementos from what feels like a lifetime ago -- what is literally half a world away -- I caught myself scanning the images in search of recognizable signs of present-day me.
University Kathleen could never have conceived of this life I'm living and dancing up in Taipei.
🤔 Was the girl in the photos actually much braver back then than I was giving myself credit for?
🤔 Would she have believed she'd carve out her own life abroad and get to this point in her own health journey? (Yay for the power of dance!)
🤔 And, are Present & Future Katie really so sure she's not going to be filled with regret someday for having taken this less traditional path, anyway?
But with each memory rehashed , joke remembered, and Taipei friend my roomie effortlessly connected with, these seemingly fragmented versions of myself came together. True friends have that ability to make it feel like no time has passed precisely because their presence ties together the core threads that run through the tapestries of our lives--threads made up of our deepest values, truest selves, and quirkiest quirks.
So, while I focus a lot on growth and change in these newsletters, this week I'm celebrating that which stays the same!
Because when it comes to making decisions about health, how often does it feel like your past, present, and future selves are disjointed or at odds? We may feel like a slave to the "bad" habits from our past, battle with in-the-moment decision making and instant gratification, or see our future self as some far-off stranger who forever waits until tomorrow to get started.
Creating an emotional connection between these sides of ourselves, through activities like visualization and journaling or even sharing with friends, can help us make choices right NOW which are more aligned to our values.
Can we see in ourselves the little girl who ran circles on the playground, then danced on college bars(😅,) and who wants to be able to someday groove late into life amongst other grannies all as one, singular, yet complex and evolving person? And might connecting to the past, present, and future versions of ourselves remind us of the importance of caring for our own wellness in this very moment?
Share your thoughts with me!
As always, here to help you find ways to joyfully move whatever stage of life or your fitness journey you are in!
Keep moving!
xx,
Katie