Better late than never

In the past couple of summers I have started taking my 'green thumb' outdoors. With the help of my friend I have been able to plant a few flowers and bushes outside to help bring some oomph to our yard. There is one flower that I really like, and although it says it's an annual, it returns every summer since I planted the seeds a few years ago. The cosmos start to grow in June and I don't get to see the pretty daisy-like bloom until late July! Granted, I'll get to see the pretty shades of pink and white flowers until October if there's no monsoonal winds (they even withstand a wet snowfall!), but still, waiting until late July or early August is hard when you want to see something thrive during the summer months.

I feel like the life cycle of my cosmos resembles my life, at least when we're talking about a career path.  When I found out I was pregnant with Jay in 2000, I was in my third year of college studying journalism.  My plan was to finish college, but when my counselor told me it would take me two years if I could get the classes I needed, I was over the college scene. That feeling was solidified the day I went to English class and could barely fit into my desk.

Then after Jay was born I decided to go to community college so I could get some kind of degree and get a decent job to help support our family.  Why I thought I'd enjoy computer science is beyond me, but that clearly didn't work out.  From there I worked as an administrative assistant for a few different offices, made a little money to keep us afloat while Babe got his feet on the ground in his new career, then became full-time at-home mom and pregnant with Nas.

For years I felt my job was to raise our babies at home, meanwhile I blogged about it. I loved blogging, I've always loved writing, and it gave me an outlet while I was home with two little ones. The thing about being an at-home mom, though, is that unless you keep having babies, the kids will leave you...well...at home! They both have been in school full-time since last school year so now it's time for Mama to really figure out what she wants to be when she grows up.

Recently I've become interested in nutrition and wanted to go to school to become a holistic nutritionist. But when I started working out and trying to get my sexy back, I found that molding the body is something I enjoy and maybe I could help someone else reach their goals! So now I am going to take six months of studying and learning about the human body and the business side of personal training so I can have a career of my own. And I can even dress the way I feel most comfortable! In a pair of NIKES! I'm not sure there's a more perfect career for me!

Much like the slow growing cosmos in our backyard, it took time for me to settle into what I believe God has called me to do with my life: help others get healthy. Not only that, I can use the gift He blessed me with and write about what I do every day. A marriage of two things I truly love. When it comes to working and having my own career, I may be a late bloomer, but I keep reminding myself: Better late than never.