I was offered a job in Italy. Yup. Italy – be there for the next two years. And I turned it down. Yup – you read that right, I turned it down.
Why? Because of Chris. We’d agreed that in our relationship we wouldn’t “geo-bach” – which is to say, become a geographic bachelor aka someone who lives a significant distance away from their partner/family due to work reasons. My Dad has geo-batched for a large portion of my life. That is an incredible sacrifice that he made for my family. So I’m not going to leave at this point in our relationship and start geo-batching.
So I’m turning down an amazing job opportunity for the man I love. And I’m more than good with it.
But it’s kind of ironic that all of this comes at a point when I’ve been diagnosed with scoliosis of the lumbar spine. You see, from around June on, I’ve been experiencing crippling pain during and after long runs. I feel my back seize up, then my stomach and by the time the run is over, I’m curled up in a ball, unable to stand, walk, sit or eat. It really came to a head when I did the Army 10-Miler and couldn’t sit through breakfast with my best friend and her husband. i was in pain and I was mortified – seriously embarrassed.
So now I’ve been diagnosed, the treatment is yoga, pilates, crunches and swimming. Anything and everything aimed at strengthening my core so that I can walk upright, run again and do so without pain.
Also, my doctor has ruled out heels for work. Which has been a jolt to my system because I love a good sharp heel for work – it just looks so good with my business suits. But if not wearing heels means that I will be able to walk pain-free for a good portion of my life, I’m all for throwing the heels in the trashcan.
So this is the current status quo – no Italy, no running, more love and some yoga.