When my employment insurance finished in October 2017, I applied for a 12-week cannabis cultivation training program at a community college and was devastated that I was not selected for the first government-sponsored course.   For a few days after this disappointment, I considered the possibility of “restarting” my job as a teacher when the union called me for a construction site job in my area.

I showed up on site with a hammer, measuring tape, and a carpenter’s belt to start work as a general laborer – doing site clean-up, chopping  and removing ice, snow shoveling, sanding, tarping concrete slabs, clearing ice and snow from buildings, etc. The job was really awful and my entire body ached by the time my shift was over. As a result of this demanding, physical work I could barely walk by the time I got home, so running and exercising for enjoyment were out of the question.

The positive news is that I was laid off last week. After a week of doing absolutely nothing I am ready to “restart” a running and exercise routine. Running helps me make sense of everything around me, and it allows me the time to think about gardening, writing, planning small projects, studying French, and keeping up with social engagements and business.

Lastly, I suspect that with a break of more than 3 months from running, I will be doing a lot of “starting” and “restarting” as I slowly rebuild endurance, strength and think about “restarting” the application process for the next cannabis cultivation class.

To read more blog posts on the theme “restart” visit the Daily Post.