Rediscovering the Cello, Story of a Yo Yo Mama

When I was in the fourth grade, I began taking cello lessons. I played for 4 years and even played a solo for the PTA! About 6 years ago, I developed a burning desire to play the cello again. My first step was to start a fund to purchase my cello, as they aren't inexpensive.

In December 2002 I had diligently saved enough money, and with the excitement of a kid at Christmas, I headed to a shop that specializes in fine stringed instruments. To listen for exactly the tone I knew I wanted, one of the shop owners played a number of cellos for me. At this point I couldn't even remember the key signature of the strings! As I wrote the check for my "Celli", tears of joy ran down my face.

I found a wonderful instructor and quickly moved from "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to an advanced intermediate cellist. I had to give up the lessons after about 18 months, but I continue to practice daily, if at all possible. The sound is so beautiful! My next goal is to play the Bach Suites! - Janet, age 58

My First Triathlon

For the past 5 years or so, I have had a dream of becoming a competitive athlete again. As a child I spent every day engaged in some sport and was a pretty determined little athlete. But after graduating from high school, I was burnt out on sports and quit my college team after the first month of practice. Ever since then I've felt as if I'd lost a part of my identity...the 'jock' part of me. I missed the feeling of training to be 'excellent' at something, of working toward a tangible objective, and, most significantly, I missed the deep sense of self-esteem that comes from hard work and committment. So, this year I decided that I would set my dream of being a competetive athlete again in motion, with racing a triathlon as my goal.

First, I wrote down and articulated this goal to my friends. Then, I found a triathlon team in New York City. This was a critical step because it gave me the support, the technical know-how, and the accountability that forced me to do the training. The first day I joined the team for practice, I was terrified. But in only a few minutes, I began to feel like I was back in high school getting energy, encouragement, and some good healthy competition from my teammates. Low and behold, the workout was fun!

The best part of this experience, however, was having my boyfriend, friends, and family support me in achieving my goal. This picture is of my boyfriend and me after the race. I was so proud of myself and I had his love behind me the entire way - I couldn't have been happier (well, and I also knew that we were going to celebrate the finish with lots of friends later that night!). - Sasha, CabinetGirls.com