I picked a topic for August before July ended. And I was determined to make it happen. Then, you know, life happened. And then it happened again. And again. It’s been an interesting month for sure. I can’t seem to get on steady ground but I survived the month.

I think August was all about staying flexible to what life threw at me. I pride myself in being pretty adaptable. Unless it’s going to kill me I can pretty much roll with the tide and be. Well, the tides changed often this month, the current was hella strong, the water was pretty cold, and all there was on the bottom was rocks. 

Oi. What. A. Month.

This month was all about the adventures I found while I hopscotched my way through the month. The first adventure was surviving another float down the river. It included a tear in our float, our float being caught up in a rapid strong enough to get it stuck (needless to say it’s still there in the river), and having to be forced to conquer my fear of water. Let me tell you, I HATE WATER. Ok, maybe mom was right, hate is a strong word. I don’t hate water. I just prefer to be able to touch the ground with my head above water. In this adventure I was promised an easy float and I had to adapt and find myself jumping in the river to protect myself from further injuries. Phew, I will always have those cherished memories!

Then there was the last game of the season. Where we played all out to conquer our losing streak. It was an amazing game. We communicated. We defended. We had offense. We laughed. We were in the lead. I wanted to go out with a bang that game because it was our last. A bang I did. Right into the shin where I sported a goose egg immediately, a shiner for weeks, and crutches to sport. I had wanted my last month of summer to be filled with adventure. I found my adventure on those crutches. All those adventures were priceless.

Those were just two of a series of unfortunate events. But, I made it. And that’s because I remained open, flexible and adaptable to the cards handed to me.

By being open, flexible and adaptable I was happier and more satisfied with my month. Sure, the events sidelined me in certain ways but I didn’t give up. I allowed the change to sweep me off my feet (literally) and found other ways to stand.

By being open, flexible and adaptable I proved I was all in and set myself up for success. I haven’t been on crutches since high school. And man, could I move on those things! I walked the streets of Portland. I BBQ partied like it was 1999. I climbed basement steps with ease. All with a smile.

Being open. Being flexible. Being adaptable.

Being open, flexible and adaptable means there is change in your life. Personal or professional. And my question to y’all is: why wouldn’t you want that? I mean, think about it…change allows for growth, it can bring on recognition, it can become a win-win for you. For me it helped me conquer fear, fired up my fighting spirit, and helped me become an innovative thinker on my feet.

So, what say you? What’s your flexibility? How low can you really go?

For the love of self I learned to welcome change with flexibility. xoxo