Finding ‘wings’: Life after a 4-can-a-day Red Bull habit

As of today it’s been four months since I’ve had a Red Bull. To understand why the the 27th of December, 2012 is an important date to commemorate is to know the following:

• I’ve tried to give up my Red Bull habit more than 5 times since I started drinking them in 2006
• After 2006 my weight began to creep steadily upward to scale numbers I never imagined I’d see
• A conservative estimate of my annual Red Bull purchases comes to almost $3200
• My adult skin acne issues were becoming much like if not worse than my teenage skin issues
• The janitor at work who didn’t know me enough to tell me when I first started, would take out my garbage and tell my co-workers that he was afraid for my life upon seeing 3-4 empty cans
• More exhausted than ever, I don’t think that I ever felt the much ballyhooed ‘wings’ they promised

The last half of 2012 was a time of many transitions in my life. A time to stop just throwing things out into the world to see if anything stuck, and actually make some adult decisions about the direction of my life. I was coming to a place I hadn’t experienced. I celebrated an entire year of living in my own apartment. I had a new job that combined my love of writing and communications and my passion for community work. I was also beginning to balance out my social life with old friends and new alike. Yet, I was miserable in my own skin and uncomfortable with being out there in the world. My skin was at its worst and the jeans, already a size I never imagined ever having to purchase, were already uncomfortable and ill-fitting. It was time for a serious change. I’d already made so many external changes, it didn’t make sense not to make the internal changes I needed to enjoy them.

I won’t go into details about all of the changes, aside from the no red bulls. I think everyone has their own path even if they’re going to the same place (though I’m happy to share privately if anyone wants to contact me), and there is rarely a singular way to do things. I will tell you, however, that these days, though I still have a ways to go, I…

• Have much more energy than I’ve had the last 6 years or so
• I sometimes walk home from work just because
• I am so busy with work and social commitments that I gave up my cable TV
• My skin, even during PMS, is much more clearer than ever
• I just got a bike that I’ll be riding to and from work
• I can see my beautiful hourglass figure again

These days I work very hard but I also make time for a social life and spend my ‘me’ time doing things that I love, instead of sleeping. I will be celebrating 2 years in my apartment in the next few months, the longest I’ve lived anywhere since I was a kid, and maybe since I feel somewhat settled, I’ll actually start to furnish the place. I feel balanced and at peace; the days of my life being days of either high highs or low lows are now in the past. And maybe this peace and calm, and feeling of home have finally helped me find the illusive ‘wings.’