Tosca's Tsunami

Isn't this the funniest name for a shoe store...

Question: What do you do when a tsunami of work and deadlines hits you over the head and you discover on your first day back that a book you haven't even started writing is due in 3 weeks?

Answer: Realize you just went on vacation so stop whining! Enjoy the memories and dig in. Life is what is happening to you at this very moment! And it is both intense and fantastic all at once.

This is the conversation I have been having with myself since I have returned from The Arnold, Jamaica and the UK. Most of the month of March was spent away from home. In fact as I look at the calendar I see that I was only home for about 4 days. April is looking just as busy but the focus will be on writing that #$%@!^ book. Good thing the book has been living in my head for a long time and it is just a matter of getting the words down on paper (or on the computer in my case).

As easily as I could freak out, throw my hands up in the air and say "Forget it! Impossible!" I feel a sense of calm instead. What I find myself saying is, "Get on with it. This is your life and it's fun. You will get the job done because you can do it and you can ask for help too."

So as the memories of muscle from the Arnold, sand and sun from Jamaica and rain and rubber boots from London, England continue to live in photos and in my mind, I enjoy the richness of my life and consider myself blessed to be in the game at all. The constant in all of this is my training and eating. Although I have been all over the map lately I still managed to work out with weights in Columbus during the Arnold Expo. While I Jamaica I used their gym to lift weights and run and I used the beach to do beach runs and swim. The hotel I stayed in in London was amazing and I kept up with weights, cycling and running while there. Okay I veered a bit from the strictest Clean Eating - wine, cheese, bread and even desserts - I am back on track and getting ready for 3 photo shoots this month.

I would love to hear from you how you manage those seemingly overwhelming episodes in your life. How did you manage to keep your head on straight and your emotions in check while still trying to get the job done? What were your coping methods to deal with what life threw at you?

Can't wait to hear from you all!
Keep it tight everyone,
I love you all and am thrilled to back.
Tosca

P.S. In response to your queries:

We chose to have tea at the Dorchester because Robert is a Brit and that is his favorite place to do it right. The salmon finger sandwiches were outstanding! This was also the first time I had clotted cream on scones – now I have one more food that is a trigger food. How do you stop eating that?

As for the scarves the purple patterned one is from Fenwick’s in London. It is a new favorite.
The warm brown animal print scarf is an old favorite from Roberto Cavalli which I purchased in Las Vegas about 4 years ago. The zebra print scarf is from a cute shop in Kingston, Ontario called Cybill Scott. Can you tell I love scarves?