The Worst Idea... EVER

Another fantastic week interning at Hilton Head Health Institute! This week I was in the Lifestyle Management department so I attended a few lectures offered by the onsite psychologist. Obviously I can’t share what I heard or what people felt comfortable contributing to the discussions, but I can say that I admire each and every individual who allowed themselves to open up in such a vulnerable setting. Often times tears found their way to the corners of my eyes and was truly happy that these guests found their way to H3I. Everyone comes with a story and experiences that have molded them into who they are today.

At the end of the week a guest who has been at the institute for 3 weeks sat down with myself and the other interns to tell us about his experience here. He expressed his thanks and gratitude for our energy, motivation, support, and encouragement during his kick start to a longer, healthier life. His cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, measurements, and triglycerides are the lowest they’ve been in over 30 years and he couldn’t be happier about the results he’s already experienced. We couldn’t stop smiling at his excitement to get home and continue the healthy habits he’s learned here. Before we said goodbye, he said that we assisted in adding at least 10 more years to his life, and for that, he is eternally grateful. I’ve said it before, but I keep saying it to myself everyday; God couldn’t have blessed me with a more rewarding or fulfilling experience. I still can’t believe how much I learn every single day and all of the opportunities that arise even when I least expect them to.

As usual the weekend was a blast! It consisted of the usual dancing the nights away and spending the days at the beach or pool. I wish I had some spectacular story for you all but this weekend was relatively low key compared to the last 6. Although the weekend consisted of fun in the sun, it also brought a new experience I’ll never forget… in a bad way. I’m pretty sure we’ve all had bad ideas throughout our life but I can assure you I had the worst of them all this morning. Over the passed 7 weeks here I have been doing a lot of running outdoors. Not to point out the obvious, but the last 7 weeks were not in the month of June. Choosing to do any sort of physical activity outside during the summer, in the south, any time of day is by far the worst idea anyone could have. I stepped out into the morning sun (and immense heat) at 11am today. I set out on my usual 5.5 mile loop; out of the plantation, down to the beach, along the beach, and then back onto the plantation back to my villa. A route I’ve never had to stop to walk on forced me not only to slow down to a sorry excuse for a jog, but also to come to a slow walk not once, not twice, but three times before I reached my front door. Looking like I had just participated in a baseball throwing dunk contest at a carnival I finally returned home. Shaky hands reaching for my water bottle I decided that my days of running outside here are over. Why not get up early and run before 8am you might ask? Oh no reason, just because it is JUST AS HOT AND HUMID AT 5am AS IT IS ALLLLLLLLLL DAYYYYYYY LOOOOOOOONG!

Anyway, I am super psyched to return to Washington next weekend for graduation! I can’t wait to see my family and friends and take a million pictures of me and my friends GRADUATING COLLEGE! YAYYY!

I love and miss you all. I’m sorry I’m unable to spend more than 24 hours in Washington because I would love to see each and every one of you! But unfortunately I’m literally landing, driving to Ellensburg, graduating the next morning, and driving back to the airport to fly back to Hilton Head. However, I have already completed 7 of the 16 weeks so at this rate I’ll be home before we know it!

Keep in touch, I love hearing from everybody.