Reformed Type-A

I am a reformed Type-A personality, or at least that’s how I like to think of myself. I decided my Type-Aness needed an overhaul when I discovered I had heart disease (HD). I started with cardiac rehab, changing my lifestyle one tiny step at a time. Once I got the basics down - exercise, stress management, and healthy eating, I began asking myself, “Okay, now what?”

Prior to HD, I was a retired academic. I was also writing a romantic suspense novel, the fourth novel actually, but who’s counting. :-) After HD, my life consisted of walking, walking, walking; yoga, yoga, yoga, and cooking heart healthy meals. Then, I thought, it was time to get back into the real world. But what did that mean? Was I suppose to dust off that last revision, polish it some more and send it out to yet another editor and agent? Did I want to face the stress that went along with all the rejection letters I got in return? The answer seemed clear at first, yet as my health returned and I watched and listened to all my Type-A friends go about their daily lives, I felt there was still more I needed to do.

So, I started rebuilding my life from scratch. In addition to exercise, yoga, and healthy eating, I took up an old hobby – creating stained glass windows. That was a wonderful addition to my life. I could stand at my table for hours, designing a window, cutting glass, framing it in lead, then cementing the window into a beautiful work of art. But as I continued, something nagged at me that there was still more I needed to do.

So, I started blogging. Those who write a blog know that it can be a very time-consuming prospect. I’ve enjoyed writing about how I transformed my life and hearing others respond. Yet, something continued to nag at me. Is this what I’m suppose to be doing now?

I enjoyed yoga so much, I became a yoga teacher. Working with others who are interested in finding peace with themselves through yoga is very rewarding. I’m now looking forward to expanding my teaching at different locations in the new year. But the question still lurked in the back of my mind. Is this what I’m suppose to be doing with my life?

In addition to teaching yoga, I’ve become a spokesperson for WomenHeart and go around to different organizations and talk to women about heart disease. This too is very rewarding.

Now, I look back at all the things going on in my life and I begin to wonder if I’m too scattered. Am I still that Type-A personality trying to do too many things?

For the past week, I’ve pondered that question, and a few days ago I met with some friends. They, too, have had to rebuild their lives after heart disease. They, too, dabble in a variety of activities. So we’ve decided to call ourselves the dabblers. I’ve come to the conclusion that dabbling is a good thing. It gives me the opportunity to live a happy, balanced life instead of concentrating all my energy in one area and in many cases stressing out when everything didn’t go exactly as planned. So, yes, I am a reformed Type-A personality. I do the things I enjoy every day. I smile more than I have in years. I give to others, and it comes back to me ten-fold.

Here’s to all the dabblers in this world.