It’s My 40th Birthday
Today is a special day for me! It is my 40th Birthday! And it’s also my 20th anniversary of living in the USA. I suppose that technically means I’m becoming more ‘American’ than ‘Icelandic’.
On this day I’m reflecting on my life’s journey and I thought I’d share with my readers just how I came to be an Icelandic Nutrition and Wellness Coach living in Bethesda, Maryland.
Twenty years ago, I had finished secondary college in Iceland (the equivalent of 11th and 12th grade of high school and the two years of junior college), and chased an old boyfriend to Boulder, Colorado. I had recently retired from Icelandic Gymnastics, and planned to stay in Boulder for a semester or two at the most. In my mind I was headed back home to enroll in medical school as I have always been drawn to health and helping others.
My plans changed when I got an academic scholarship to a college in South Carolina to pursue pre-med and psychology. After a quick stop in Charlotte, North Carolina, I moved to Maryland where I’ve lived ever since. Aside from living in Colorado, the DC area has felt most ‘at home’ given the large international population.
I remember one day when it had been almost six years since I left Iceland for the 5-10 month journey to the US when my mom asked, “aren’t you ready to come home now?” Although I had always planned to go back to Iceland, I wasn’t quite ready. My work at the time was going well and I was also falling in love with a gentleman, Mark, I had just met. Mark grew up locally, is emotionally intelligent, and is a big health enthusiast.
As I spent more time with Mark, I slowly started getting back in touch with that part of me that was into fitness and being healthy. You see, I had become a little over-indulgent during those first few years in the US – not exercising, partying too much, gaining weight – but he helped me get back in touch with the wellness priorities in my life. Soon I realized that my career passion was not in the corporate world where I’d been working and reconnected with my love for healthy living.
After deciding to make a life with Mark in the US, I was at first scared at the idea of never living in Iceland again and raising a family in a new country. Thankfully I’ve stayed very close to my friends and family in Iceland despite the distance.
As I now reflect on my journey over the past 20 years, my path didn’t take me where I thought I was going, it took me to an even better place! I know now that I wouldn’t have survived the sleep deprivation of medical school, and conventional medicine wouldn’t have satisfied my interest in the power of the mind, body and spirit to heal and prevent illnesses through nutrition and lifestyle changes.
Integrative health is much more aligned with my beliefs. And yes, I sometimes dream about becoming an integrative medical doctor. Never too late, right? But I am thrilled that I left the corporate world after having my first son, 10 years ago, to pursue studies at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a Nutrition and Wellness coach.
And as far as living in the US vs. Iceland, I now get to have the best of both worlds. I get to live in the US with all its amazing opportunities, good weather, and abundance of local and seasonal food, and I can travel back to Iceland occasionally for work or to visit my family.
At 40, I feel more content with myself. Thanks to dedication to health and well-being, I feel more connected with my body and spirit than ever and welcome the journey of the years ahead. Some say the years between 40 and 60 are a woman’s time to blossom from a princess to a queen. I hope that’s me!