A return writing, running, dancing

Well, I've been on a bit hiatus from writing.  Not by choice, but more by the increased amount of craziness in my life right now, which has been impinging on my time to blog, but also to take class.  It's ironic how when jobs pick up, and I'm doing more teaching and choreographing, it impedes my personal time to myself to dance.  I guess you just can't have it all.  I'm looking forward to February, when I head to Israel for Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company's five month apprenticeship/training program.  I'm so incredibly excited to get back to dancing hard-core and studying intimately with a company, in a place where I can be focused on nothing but this art.  I'm nervous for many reasons, like leaving home, leaving my friends and missing things and opportunities here.  I will miss my fantastic jobs that I have been lucky enough to obtain here.  But ultimately, I'm excited, and ready to dance.

One inspirational thing I did recently...I ran the Hot Chocolate 5K in Chicago last Saturday, and it was surprisingly fun and inspirational.  I only began running about two years ago (I always used to hate it!), and have done one other 5K over a year ago.  This race was at 7:40am on a chilly fall morning in Grant Park in Chicago.  I woke up at about 5:15 and drove to my friend's apartment when it was still dark, and I was wondering the whole time, "What...am I DOING?"  It was still dark when we went into the underground parking garage, but when we came up, the dawn was just breaking.  The clouds looked like mountains, it was the craziest sight.  The race went through the park and Museum Campus, and when we came around the east side of the Aquarium and saw the view of the misty lake, less than an hour after sunrise, and the Planetarium in the distance, it was truly a sight to behold.  The gorgeous views and crisp air inspired me, and even though I'm not much of a runner, I was able to keep a steady pace and finish in a time I was happy with.

Running is a truly beautiful sport, and the simple motion is pure physicality and grace.  I really appreciated what a body can do in this moment, and it felt good to be alive on that fall morning.  I ran through AthletiCo Physical Therapy, where I work, and the charity we chose was Cry For Justice, which aides children who have been abused by sex trafficking.  Many other charities were benefitted by various teams, and I heard that the races combined (5K and a 15K) had around 20,000 participants.  What a wonderful thing, to get a bunch of people together to run for a cause in beautiful Chicago!  Plus, we had chocolate fondue and hot chocolate at the finish line.  What a perfect idea!

The only downside was catching a terrible cold afterwards....suggestion to anyone who reads this: Make sure you get enough sleep (not just the night before, but don't be depriving yourself for weeks before, like I was) and dress in layers to throw on afterwards so you're not freezing in your sweaty clothing afterwards!  I learned my lesson...But it was worth it.  I could tell I was going to get sick eventually.  But this feeling of inspiration that kept me on a high for the rest of the weekend...you can't take that away.