I've noticed the last few weeks that I've been using the word "magic" to describe the events of my life: there's magic happening in the classes I'm teaching, yoga is magic, the points system for WW seems to be magic--it seems to be my word of choice lately. So, like the nerdy English major that I am, I turned to the Oxford English Dictionary for the definition of magic. Look what I found:
Magic, adj, 2a: "Producing surprising or remarkable results, like those attributed to magic (freq. in magic touch); effecting or permitting change, success, etc., as if by magic. Also: enchanting, delightful."
Effecting or permitting change as if by magic.
Now, I know there is science behind WW, and I understand how and why it works. Likewise, I know what's happening in my classroom is a combination of how I created the courses and my students' willingness to learn. So, why am I stuck on the word? Maybe, because I am in control of my life, but all of these other elements have to work together for life to be enjoyable: I can't make my students like class, and I can't make my body perform do whatever it does to lose weight. Sure, I can pick cool readings and assignments for my students, and of course I exercise regularly and eat healthy. But when it comes down to it, I have to have faith in the process. My effort, faith in the process, and getting the desired results = magic to me.
So, this is where the "Don't Stop Believing" half of my title comes in. I've become absolutely obsessed with Glee. The last episode of season one features a medley of Journey songs. No joke: for the last 3 weeks, I've been singing "Don't Stop Believing" every day, all day. It's stuck in my head.
Two days ago, after I just finished telling a friend that magic was happening in my class, I listened to the Glee version of "Don't Stop Believing." I was on the treadmill, completing my last mile of a tempo run when the song came on, and I started sprinting. I envisioned crossing the finish line of my first half marathon with my sister, and I got chills.
See? Magic. Changes are happening in my life that create balance, peace, happiness, and just enough struggle.
The Journey song is, after all, about living life--not just watching it happen to other people: Living just to find emotion.
What is a day without feeling any emotion: happiness, frustration, anger, accomplishment . . . any emotion at all? I've become much more attuned to my emotions since I've been physically active and eating healthy; I can identify what I'm feeling and why--that's pretty powerful.
"Katie, why are you going for your 3rd 3 Musketeers?"
"Because . . . I've watched 3 episodes of The X-Files while grading quizzes."
"Katie, turn of the TV, get off the couch, and go for a walk."
Conversations like that prior to my weight loss journey were nonexistent. Do I always listen to that voice? Of course not. But it's there, and I acknowledge it.
I'll finish with one last thought. I've been asked why I want to run so far, why I want to lose weight, why I've quit drinking. Thanks to "Don't Stop Believing," I can now articulate the answer:
Working hard to get my fill,
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice,
Just one more time.
I don't want to ever get to the point in my life where I'd pay anything to go back. I want to start living now, every day, with no chance of regret in the future. If that means giving up a beer on Friday nights because I have to run in the morning, so be it. Because you know what? To me, nothing feels better than the magic that happens when I'm physically, emotionally, and mentally balanced.
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