Things to ponder #50

Use your fear as a compass showing you where to go. You grow & become stronger as you face your fears -The Daily Love

let's do this...

Day 173 of this injury. I have PT tomorrow and am hoping to get a few more exercises to whip me and lil knee back into shape. Tuesday I start taking JK's full class, not just warmup (but still have to be careful as it's not "fly day" yet) and while I'm excited....I'm also a little nervous. I know I won't be at 100% yet but I'm taking it a day at a time and working as hard as I can!

<------ yes that is me at my aunt's house with a can of corn trying to roll out my i.t. band at christmas....and yes, for your viewing pleasure, I included a jazz hand :)

ummm....

is it January 22nd yet??????

"it's gonna be a HAPPY NEW YEAR!" -RENT

Well, after a short visit which turned into being stranded in San Francisco, I finally made it back home to NYC on January 1, 2011 at 7:30am! And what a way to ring in the new year...landing in the greatest city on earth - a city I am lucky enough to call HOME.

And today, January 3, 2011, I just got the greatest news in the entire world! My ortho surgeon gave me the thumbs up to start dancing full out as of January 22nd!!!

It's going to be a rough road ahead....getting back to where I was before, but I am excited for this next challenge. So, starting tomorrow, I begin with a PT session followed by Floor Barre...the next few weeks I will slowly be adding in more and more dance....I cannot tell you how excited I am to get moving! Bring on the next chapter cuz I am ready!!!

For all of you who have supported me, stayed by my side, shouted "yes you can!" etc.....there are no words for the love and gratitude I hold in my heart for you. For all those who didn't believe....I'm about to prove that you can come back from a major injury and be even better than you were before! :)

"If you believe you can get through an injury and fight back,

you can get through it."

-Courtney Kupets

LiL Knee

HOPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

LOVE,

LiL Knee

"This has been a year filled with ups and downs, life lessons, and joys, and WOW moments. I am blessed and SO looking forward to the new year and all it holds..." -JK

just another day....

My new motto starting right here, right now is WHAT IF IT'S POSSIBLE ....no more fear, no more negativity....only hope and faith and possibilities!!! and LOVE.

"Value who you are. Enjoy your uniqueness and don't compare yourself with others and put yourself down."

-Deepak Chopra

‎"Tears are the raindrops that soften the soil of the soul so the flower may grow and blossom!"

-Jennifer Gimenez

So it's been another day of PT at home and working hard to get back to the dance. I will say that with the holidays brings a little magic. Meaning, yes I do believe in Santa and yes I do believe in miracles and my christmas miracle came early today when I found out that my insurance company has given me 8 PT visits! I am so excited! I am slowly finding my way back to the dance.

I am learning how to stay in the moment and remembering that it is one day at a time and I don't have to worry about a year from now or a week from now. All I need to do is focus on the here and now. I am healing. I am getting better. I am going to dance again...and I can't wait!

Revving up for what's to come....

I haven't posted in a while because I am frustrated. I want to be healed already. I am sick of the routine of my life that has become work and PT and floor barre. Don't get me wrong, I am SOOOO grateful for the progress I am making but I have been feeling stuck. I miss being healthy. I miss dancing. I miss flipping and flying. I miss waking up and jumping out of bed because it was another day of dance. I miss the magic I used to have in my life. But I know that these feelings are all just part of my process. I AM healing. I AM getting back to dance...it's just slower at times than I would like. I haven't wanted to post anything because I felt like it was just going to be me complaining about how my knee hurts and I feel stuck, but then I read the post below and it totally inspired me and got me into a different mindset. So, thank you SJ!

So what does this mean? I am continuing my fight. I am continuing to keep my chin up and keep moving forward. I am not going to the Olympics in 2012 (well who knows...what if it's possible???) but I am excited for the new year and new opportunities that are arising. I am excited to get back into studio 5 and rehearsal. Most importantly, I'm excited to get back to my true love, my passion...DANCE.

THE JOURNEY TO LONDON 2012!

Hi Everyone!!

I know it has been FOREVER since I have blogged but I’m back and starting new.

These past six months have been absolutely life changing and chaotic, but I’ve enjoyed every crazy second! After two years of absence from my sport, I finally decided to return and it has been the best decision ever. Don’t get me wrong, these past two years have been absolutely amazing and have given me the opportunity to experience so many wonderful things, but I’ve missed who I was with gymnastics. I missed being the “athlete” and having that drive and day-to-day goal of bettering myself and making myself stronger. Gymnastics made me feel invincible and proud of the person I was and I noticed I’d lost that.

Getting back into the long hours of training has definitely been difficult and made me question my ability and strength, but it’s been 6 months now and seeing the incredible progress I’ve made still makes me believe that somewhere inside of me I still have “IT”. I’m working more hours in the gym now than ever before, pushing myself back into the gymnast I once was, and let me tell you it’s not easy. Overcoming the knee injury has definitely been a setback and has limited the intensity of training at times, but it’s coming along. I’m constantly battling body aches, mental fatigue, doubt and frustration, but it always seems like every time I hit that wall… I have a great day or practice and everything is back to normal. BTW, I actually just landed my first double layout on the hard surface today and that is a HUGE step for me J. I’m slowly working my way through skills and routines, piecing together what I, hopefully, will be competing in the next two years as I set my sights on 2012.

Another big step I just took in my comeback was returning to the Karolyi camp in Texas. WOW, was I a nervous wreck going into that one! It had been more than two years since I’d been there and I felt like a complete outsider. I wasn’t sure what to expect…if I was going to be up to par, where I would stand, or if I’d still be accepted and fit in!! Hahaha, I guess I’m just a little worry wart because it was actually an amazing experience. It was great seeing all of the National Team coaches again and of course all of the girls…but the moment that meant the most and will be something I never forget was how excited Martha was to see me there at camp and how comforting, supportive and genuinely happy she was for me. Some of the things she personally said to me (sorry guys, I have to keep it a secret) are things I will never ever forget and meant more to me then she will ever know. I was still her little “pumpkin” and I left feeling as if nothing had changed.

So, as the New Year approaches and I begin to set my sights on bigger dreams and goals, I encourage you to follow me on my journey. I’m not quite sure where it will end or what is to come, but I would love for you all to be right there with me as I share all of the fun little details.

Love, SJ