When One Door Opens...

In my last post I mentioned that I would be starting a new challenge in my life. This new challenge is something that I've been dreaming about since the age of 21, yet never pursued until now. I have always loved writing and dreamed of having my work published, but didn't see that as a possibility. I discovered too late (or so I thought) that I should have studied journalism in college, but at 21 and less than a year away from earning my degree, I wasn't about to start over. In the past year I've thought a lot about that dream. One of the reasons that I started blogging was to provide myself with an opportunity to share my writing with others. Although I would not be compensated, I concluded that I could "earn" feedback from others. If my writing was well received, perhaps I could ponder the idea of taking the next step.

As I mentioned in the post on Wednesday, the older I get, the less concerned I am about taking risks, viewing failures as a learning tool and finding joy in the knowledge that I persisted when quitting would have been an easy option. A few weeks ago, I gathered that new found outlook and took a risk. I e-mailed a sample of my writing to the editor of a local newspaper, along with a pitch for an idea I had for a weekly column. Within a few hours, he replied. He was willing to give me the chance to write a monthly column with the knowledge that if it wasn't a real crowd-pleaser, it wouldn't make the cut. I gladly accepted the challenge. As a matter of fact, I welcomed the challenge and look forward to rising to the occasion.

As the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens. In my case, when one door opens, another must close. Writing the column is the door that opened, but sadly, writing this blog is the door that will close-at least partially. I plan to write weekly posts through the month of August, but when September rolls around, I will be devoting more of my free time to not only the column, but pursuing other opportunities to write professionally. I will periodically write updates and plan to stay in touch with the many that have read my blog and left thoughtful comments over the past eight months.

I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know many of you better through your comments, from reading your blogs and, in some cases, by developing an online friendship through e-mail. This blog has been a wonderful opportunity to learn and develop an understanding of the struggles that others face not only with their fitness, but also with life's many ups and downs. I will truly miss writing Fitness: A Journey, Not a Destination.