Shifting Lanes

Hello Again,

Have you ever sat still on a multi-lane highway with traffic back up for miles wondering whether you should shift lanes or stay put? Since I spend a significant part of my day driving, this dilemma comes up quite a bit. But, today's blog is not about traffic...it's about life.

I have an awesome cousin. Her name is Jonna. Jonna lives about five miles from my house. She is the only blood relative I have in the area. I love Jonna. My relationship with Jonna is like that of a sister...only closer. She and I went to high school together. She went to PT school in Buffalo, and I went to Troy. She created a private practice, and when I moved back to the area, I work at it. She is the most intelligent and personable woman I know. She has PT smarts and business smarts and people smarts. I admire her and look up to her very much. Well, yesterday, she told me that after almost twenty years in private practice she has decided to sell. She came to the conclusion that the business, and all that it requires, was too much for her and her family and it was time to "shift lanes." I've been there.

Four years ago, I "shifted lanes" too. I left my PT job in a school system after ten years. Making the decision was easy and hard. My job felt like I was sitting in traffic for a long time and I was feeling frustrated. In my job I "shifted lanes" occasionally by implementing different programs or going back to school to get more education. The end result though was that I still felt frustrated. I knew I couldn't sit in that lane much longer. Finally, I swallowed hard, listened to my heart and shifted into another lane on another highway. It was terrifying and liberating at the same time. Every time I worried or became fearful (and there were/are times like that) I breathed in, found the stillness within and kept driving.

Now, I do a little PT for the income and do writing for my heart. I have my first children's book coming out in the fall. I've a few more that I'm waiting to hear about from publishers. I've embarked on daily essay writing in this blog and I am working on a few other writing projects. This has been an adventure and one I'm glad I embarked upon.

Will Jonna survive her lane shift? Most definitely. Will she look back? Probably. But if I know her, she'll be elbow deep in something new and exciting very soon. I wish her the best...the very best. I am so proud of her. Who knows, maybe I'll see her shifting into my lane someday.

Jonna, I love ya.

Have Hope,
Donna