It's been a while since I've updated "As the Rose Wilts", and lots has happened in the past few months. I guess the most significant change has been that, as of August 31st, I was "separated" from my job of over ten years, due to a merger/acquisition and re-organization. Gotta love the new jargon. "Separated". Makes it sound like I was married to my job. Then again, in many ways, I was! So, forget about a "separation", let's just consider me officially "divorced". I mean, it's not like the job and I are going to reconcile and get back together anytime soon, right? I've even gotten "alimony", in the form of a severance package! It was an amicable "divorce", and I'm free to find another and wed again, should I so choose. Right now, though, I'm enjoying being "single again", except for the dating thing. Now I have to go through the job application process. If having a job is like being married, and leaving one after ten years is akin to getting divorced, then looking for a new job is like taking out a personal ad and going out on a series of blind dates in the hopes of finding "the right one". I shudder at the thought!

However, being unemployed has allowed me to have some fantastic adventures, like flying out to Park City, Utah to be personally trained as a North Star Life Coach by author and monthly O Magazine columnist, Martha Beck and her team, Stacey and Kim. I also went hot air ballooning for the first time.

I've also decided that now is the time for me to get serious about getting all this extra weight off. The key motivating factor in this took place during my North Star Life Coach training. We had a visit from John, a really good personal trainer, and I volunteered to be the first "guinea pig". Long story short, something about that day changed me, and got me motivated to go back to the gym and start working on my eating issues. I've been going to the gym and working out for an hour four days a week for the past two weeks, and have started working with my therapist on my food issues. I'm keeping a food journal (don't worry, I won't bore you with tales of tofu), and working towards being more fit and healthy. So, stay tuned for future episodes of "As the Rose Wilts"!