Life After Web

I did it. I went back to the gym.

Over the past year, I’ve been going very sporadically. An abs class here, a pilates class there. I even ran a nice pilates streak for a few weeks around mid-Spring. I had not, however, gone back to Power Flex (weights) or Kickboxing class in a long, long time.

You know how it is. Life gets hectic, the gym feels hard, and you think “not tonight, I’ll start up again next week.” Like that ever happens.

After being away from those classes for so long I was scared of not being able to keep up. I was scared of shaky legs like in the last Power Flex class I went to. I was scared of facing the regulars lest they scoff me for not being there.

Over the last few weeks I kept saying to myself “this is the week.” And then I didn’t go. The following week, I’d say the same thing. I even printed up the class calendar and highlighted the classes I thought would fit my schedule. And I didn’t go.

Tonight I went. Despite it being Monday. Despite the busy days I’ve had lately. And even though there was the beckoning safety of a pilates class, I went to Power Flex. Because I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of feeling weak when I lift heavy things.

I went to Power Flex. And I rocked it. Ok, maybe I wasn’t using 10 lb. weights like some of the regulars. And maybe I even put my 5 lb. weights down on the second set of lunges. But I did all the sets and I kept pace with the rest of the class. In fact, I think I did quite well with the upper body sets.

I came home feeling energetic. More importantly, I’m proud of myself for going back. Maybe this will boost my creative energy as well. And maybe it won’t be as hard to go to the next class.

What have you done for yourself lately?

My hammock

A strange thing happened to me on Saturday. I found myself on vacation.

I wasn’t on a tropical island. I hadn’t flown anywhere. No long drives. No crowds.

It all started when my husband and stepson left for baseball practice Saturday morning. With the house all to myself and the first sunshiny day in about three weeks, I planned out my morning. First weed the garden. Then work on my Week 2 exercises for Deb’s Creative Pathways course.

So I set to work in my garden, pulling weeds, tilling dirt, and watering the plants. It started to get hot outside, but I wasn’t ready to go in yet. I considered carrying one of the stiff chairs from my deck down to beneath the deck for a shady spot to rest. Then it dawned on me. We have a hammock.

I went to the basement, found the rolled-up hammock, carried it out, and hooked it up to two trees in my backyard. I brought out a tote of books, a notebook, and writing utensils and swayed in the breeze while answering the Week 2 questions. When I was done with that, I pulled out the novel I’m currently reading and sunk deliciously into its plot.

My neighbors were floating in their new pool while music played on their deck. I was far enough away from them to feel alone, yet near enough to enjoy the music and feel a sense of community. I listened to the sounds of splashing, felt the breeze mix with the heat, watched a few birds come and go.

That’s when I realized I felt like I was at a resort, far removed from the worries of daily chores. My hammock in the shade was like a poolside cabana. If only someone had come around to take my drink and snack order.

I spent several glorious hours on that non-vacation. In fact, the rest of my weekend was happier and more relaxed than it might otherwise have been.

Mental note: take more non-vacations. I wonder what other opportunities might present themselves.