Me, myself and the Olympics

The Olympics just finished last night and life can return to normal, where I don't stay up 'til midnight to watch the end of primetime sports. While I tend to cry pretty easily, this year I seeemed more emotional and I think it's because I connected with the Olympians in a way I hadn't in the past. They spend their entire lives training for this big event - some get only 10 seconds to decide if all that hard work will pay out. For me, it seems like my entire life (academically at least) was leading up to this big test in July. I had worked and studied and prayed. I had thought time had moved so slowly and then that it was going to fast. And then the big day was here. I took my test and unlike the Olympians, had to wait 7 slow days to find the results. And one single word, "passed," became a life changing moment. The joy, excitement and relief all occurred instantaneously. I had become a licensed PT, a doctor of PT. I had achieved my dream and believe that moment is similar to the announcement of the gold medal for the fab five or Missy Franklin's 4 gold and 1 bronze medals.

And for most Olympians, their time in London does not mark the end just as my passing did not mark the end, but allowed for a new beginning, the beginning of me as a physical therapist.

This beginning, like all beginnings, is stressful. I haven't done it before, so I don't naturally know how to do it. I will be working with kids as an independent contractor for a local school. To do this, I have had to purchase personal liability insurance (fairly easy step) and then listen to the advice of professors and an attorney to decide how to protect our personal assets. I made my choice (it seemed pretty easy) and then found out there are at least 5 different steps involved after making the decision. Some days I feel like I have figured out what I need to, but mainly it seems like I research one thing and then discover I have 3 more things to do. My time at home has been mainly spent in front of a computer researching whatever I can find online (aside from the times when I need to take Coco on a walk). I'm ready just to start this new chapter of working and skip the prologue of how I'm able to work. But in the end, when  I can look after hopefully never being sued, I can say that this beginning has led to a wonderful ending. Right now I'm just in the spot where time is moving ever so slowly.