"The most important thing she had learned over the years, was that there was no way to be a perfect mother - and a million ways to be a great one".
Jill Churchill
Stuart Smalley might be a character that got a few laughs, but in all seriousness, he did have some sage advice.
Your mind is VERY powerful.
Positive thoughts or negative thoughts. You may not always be able to control how your day goes... but you CAN control where your mind goes. You CAN decide what you give power to & train your mind to focus on the good.
When you're feeling the urge to allow other people's words or negative situations to take residency in your head, take a moment to acknowledge it & redirect your attention.
Here are some empowering affirmations that may help in your thought process...
My strength is greater than any struggle
I'm fearless
I'm getting stronger every day
I'm in awe of what my body is capable
I can do this
I was not made to give up
I am who I want to be
No one can make me feel inferior
I've discovered that I am fierce
I know my worth
I inspire others
I do not fear the fire... I am the fire
I choose what I become
I've decided that I'm good enough
I'm brave enough to climb any mountain
I wink at a challenge
I have the power to change my story
It's not their job to like me... it's mine
I use my failures as a stepping stone
I have the courage to say NO
I didn't write this list, but man do I LOVE it.
If you're the praying type and find strength in Bible verses, my favorite to fix my own thoughts is "She is clothed in strength & dignity and she laughs without fear of the future. " Proverbs 31:25
In fact, I asked Bryn to make something to hang on the wall for me so I could see it daily. She has great printing & handwriting...
Empowering affirmations, goals and positive thoughts can be even more effective if you keep them in daily sight.
Make a vision board.
Add a sticky note to your mirror.
Hang something on the refrigerator with a magnet.
Keep a daily affirmation journal.
Start a private board on Pinterest.
There are so many ways to create an avenue for positive images to take up more residency in your head, than to allow the chatter of toxic things meant to bring you down.
It will in fact bring you down. But YOU decide whether you allow it.
There's a fun high-energy song I do in Zumba... "Level Up" by Ciara. The lyrics are actually very empowering if you listen to them.
And well... just getting through that song at full throttle is pretty empowering too.
Do you shop online? I've been doing it for years. Like probably since I gave birth and realized it was easier to just sit at home and shop on my laptop than it was to get Bryn ready to go, load up the stroller & head through the mall.
Not that I'm lazy necessarily... or maybe I am... but really I feel like there's access to more stuff online than we have here in the Midwest.
Plus you can shop at any time of the day or night.
Annnnd you can do it in your sweats or pj's. With no makeup. Which almost sounds like my everyday workout look, but... I digress. If I'm not in the store, no one has to wonder if I took a shower.
If you're an online shopper, my guess is that you already know about EBATES, but on the rare chance that you don't, I'll share the love & the info.
I've apparently been a member since 2002... which sounds about right since Bryn was born in 2001.
EBATES gives a certain percentage back to you in cash for the amount you spend via qualifying stores. And there's A LOT of stores from which to choose.
Basically what you do is start off on their website & click a link to the store where you're about to shop.
No... not all stores can be accessed through EBATES, but I always check there first before I make a purchase somewhere. I just put the name of the store in the search link at the top of the page...
Let's say I was about to shop at Old Navy. I'd search for that store... and yes... I see they have an offer. Looks like they'll pay 8% cash back on your purchase price. They'll also show coupon codes if applicable on that page for an ever bigger discount you can apply as well.
Then I'd just click on the Old Navy 'SHOP NOW' link... and it will bring me to Old Navy's website, remembering that I used EBATES to get there...
This makes a big difference during the holidays... like Christmas for instance... when I'm doing a lot of online shopping. But outside of groceries & day-to-day errands, in all honesty, I really do most of my shopping online year-round.
I also realized that you can find links to travel sites like Expedia on there as well. Which was awesome considering I booked 2 trips through Expedia last year, so I got cash back on both of them. You get an email confirmation usually the next business day on every transaction you make. Most of the time it's within 24 hours of the purchase. Although in the case of Expedia, you're not credited until you actually take the trip...
I mean seriously, folks, if you're making purchases online you really should be on some kind of website that gives you cash back for doing it.
They send you a check 4 times a year... once every quarter. I think you have to have a minimum of $5 that you've earned in that quarter for them to issue a check, otherwise if it's less than that it will roll over to the next quarter. That's never been an issue for me... ahem.
If you notice the total in the upper right hand corner on the first & second image above, you can see that they've sent me $653.76 since 2002.
And imagine if you have a credit card that pays you cash back as well? Which I would guess many of us do.
Gotta maximize your spending! LOL
Granted I've done a lot of shopping that wasn't part of EBATES list of affiliated stores, but I do comparison shop with them first before making purchases when I can.
Today I shared a quick at-home workout on The Daily Bloom you can do simply by spelling out your name. Sounds quick & simple, but I can assure you, it will be challenging... especially if your name is spelled with more than just a few letters.
Use the chart below to spell out your name while doing the corresponding exercise for each letter...
For example, here's my first name:
D - 10 burpees
E - 60-second wall sit
A - 15 pushups
N - 10 pushups
A - 15 pushups
I suggest you further challenge yourself by doing the corresponding exercises that go along with your last name too! In my case that means:
B - 50 jumping jacks
O - 20 lunges
S - 30 bicycle crunches
T - 60-second wall sit
O - 20 lunges
N - 10 pushups
Yes, I did the whole thing before posting this. And YES, I'm officially over all the pushups. Only 50 of them to be exact, but who's counting.
This challenge isn't just for all the BADASS ladies, who by the way, got some pretty good air on those burpee tuck jumps we did in the above photo.
I'm challenging the guys to do this one as well.
Let me know how it goes!
Or perhaps you'd rather join me for Zumba30/The MIX30 at Bloom Fitness Studio 9:00am? I guarantee it will be a lot more fun, just sayin'.
Head over to The Daily Bloom for more inspiration & information to help make this your STRONGEST year yet!
Ok... first things first. For all those who didn't jump on that bandwagon over the weekend... I'll say it. You look the same as you did 10 years ago. You haven't aged a bit. Actually you look better than you did 10 years ago. And younger too, much younger!
Now then... let's move on to other fun snow-day activities... besides shoveling that is, but that's another story involving my lovely HOA.
Anyone else besides me binge on this Netflix series with Marie Kondo? I finally caved after hearing her name mentioned, not once, but twice over the weekend. So about 2 episodes in (and I watched 5 before I made myself go to bed) I started reorganizing my workout t-shirts drawer.
So technically I was also engaging in actual work, while sitting on my ass binge watching. So what if I could've choreographed something new for class instead during that 5-hour time frame? Minor detail.
To be perfectly honest, my house is pretty organized. Aside from a few "piles" I've created in random spots that never really move, most things have a place. And most places are fairly neat & tidy. My house may not always be CLEAN, but it usually appears that way anyway because I don't operate well when my surroundings are a mess.
In fact I don't operate well when anything about my life is a mess, so yeah, deep thoughts. LOL
Back to organizing though... as for my t-shirt drawer (and sadly that's not even all that I own in that drawer... the "holiday" stuff is elsewhere since they're seasonal), the t-shirts were folded of course, but the drawer was filled to the max. I'd say I mostly wore the stuff near the top of the folded piles too, while the rest of it just stayed buried at the bottom.
Until this particular folding technique...
Now I can see at a glance every single t-shirt I have, so it's easier to choose the one I want. I could probably get really OCD & organize them all by color, but I kind of like the randomness of it.
I started to make a giveaway pile with the ones I no longer wanted, but a friend suggested using my old t-shirts to make a quilt with Project Repat. SO... that's my next project! And it's also making it easier to part with some of my fav t-shirts that I've held onto for sentimental reasons... or frankly just because I liked the inspiring or sarcastic saying on it. If only I hadn't already got rid of many others when I reorganized last time. Apparently I don't have a YMCA shirt anymore either, so that will be the only job not represented, but the blanket will be special to me nonetheless.
The only problem is that I've cut up all my tees to wear as halters, so I'm not sure if I have enough room to work with on a lot them for cutting them down smaller per their specifications. I mean I know I can send a smaller than 12x12 portion, but they'll charge $5 extra for every square on which they have to add more fabric.
Do you happen to know someone who's local who makes these blankets?? I'll gladly give them the business instead!
Apparently more snow is on the way, so maybe that show will give you inspiration to organize & get rid of some things too. I, however, will be on a road trip for more volleyball.
An impending snowstorm ought to make it quite eventful... (insert big sigh & eye roll)
Happy 2019!!! Hope your year is off to a healthy start!
Mine began with a quick 3 night all-inclusive trip with Bryn to Cancun on New Year's Eve. We left our house at 4am that morning & were at the resort before 2:00 that afternoon. It was the most fun NYE I can remember having in my life. Honestly... between raising a child & frankly not wanting to do anything too crazy on NYE that would result in having to be out driving with the other crazies, we just never really did anything other than maybe go out to dinner. Even in my 20's... I just don't recall doing anything that made me excited to ring in a new year? So many laughs though & it was a memorable time for both of us!
It was a quick trip, but it was blast and also very relaxing.
A much needed change of scenery for both of us...
I made a little video of some of it... using a very old Zumba song of course... because I mean, duh, what other kind of music would work for a Mexico trip? LOL
It's always good to be home though, even if we might be getting a lot of snow this weekend.
Thankfully I don't do bread OR milk. Strictly chips & guac for this girl. LOL
I will say though, I'm glad to be back to a normal work week too. With Christmas Day & New Year's Day falling on a Tuesday, I've REALLY missed that night's classes.
Have I mentioned how much I love the month of January for classes too? The challenge is to figure out how to keep people coming back all year long, without resorting to kidnapping those who may have fallen off the wagon.
Speaking of classes though... LOTS of fun stuff ahead at Bloom Fitness Studio this year, including a new blog The Daily Bloom.Someone you know might be at the wheel. (ahem) Go check it out here! The website itself will be changing a bit soon too, as all the instructors had quite a photo session recently with head-shots & group pics & videos & lots of mayhem. This is just a snip from a video, but you get the idea of the size of our cool crew...
We're really excited about the new year & personally I have this feeling of excitement that I had when the studio first opened almost 3 years ago! Lots of momentum going into 2019 & hopefully others are feeling that along with us!
Our focus for January is NUTRITION.
Starting with SMALL changes in your diet & with your lifestyle is the key for big results.
One small way you can make a change is by removing soda or sugared drinks from your daily routine and adding MORE WATER!
If it's the caffeine &/or the sweetness you crave, I have an alternative for you. Spark has caffeine, but also added vitamins, minerals & nutrients. And although it tastes sweet, there's NO SUGAR!!
It's available in about 10 different flavors & comes in individual stick packs that you pour right into an 8-ounce bottle of water. OR it's also available in a canister size if you want more for your money.
It's helped many people kick the soda habit. It's even helped people replace their coffee addiction.
There's no nutrients in soda or coffee either, just sayin!
I usually have samples on me if you're local & ever want to try it for FREE!
Okie dokie... that's all for now. Probably ought to run to the grocery store just in case we really DO get this weather. Secretly crossing fingers that we get snowed in though.
Yes, I know, it's been awhile. So long in fact that even my phone prompted me with a message the other day.
Write a post. LOL
Gotta love it. And yes, I know Facebook, it's been since August to be exact. Insert big sigh...
So anyway....
I had a couple things in the last 2 weeks that have been sweet surprises. Words to me that were nice reminders of why I do what I do.
It's not that I needed the feedback to know why I do what I do, but it prompted a lot of writing, so I'm running with it & that's why I'm mentioning it.
One of those things was just a simple little note on a scrap piece of paper left by my boss/friend intended for me to see right before plugging my music in for class. It was timely too.
That's the thing about kindness sometimes. It's divinely guided. Also a good reminder for myself too, that if I'm feeling a nudge from the universe to say something nice to someone, there must be a reason they need to hear it at that moment.
The other was the kinds words on this cup I received from a friend who started taking my Zumba classes this year...
Here's the thing though... here's what I don't think the awesome people who take my classes fully understand.
THEY have changed MY life one song at a time over the years.
Literally. Every single time I walk into that classroom, no matter what kind of mood I'm in, whether I've just been bawling my eyes out moments before or not... I throw on my hat & smile!
And the minute the music starts, it's on like Donkey Kong. We're all in it together, leaving our lives at the door for that hour.
Trust me. I remember that. I know for certain we ALL need that hour, some more than others on ANY given day. It's my privilege to be there & it's my job to leave my life at the door, because everyone is counting on me to do that.
And while yes, it's me at the helm of this ship leading the way, it's a room full of energy and we all feed off of each other.
In fact, I walked in on a conversation after class between 2 regular Zumba attendees last night... one telling the other how she inspired her to work a little harder & get a little lower during class.
And that just about sums it up.
Each one of us in there inspires someone else, usually without any awareness of it at all. Your mere presence could be someone else's "why" they are there. "Why" they continue to come back. "Why" they work a little harder. "Why" they have fun. It's not just me. We're all a team.
I love it.
One of my prayers, especially when I'm struggling to be inspired or frankly just to show up at all, is... "Use me God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, & what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself."
It's a gift that I've been put into this role.
A gift that keeps on giving back to me in ways I can't even explain.
These last few years have been full of much happiness & so many blessings for which to be thankful for as always, but also some painful periods of growth.
Have you had some years like that? Like... Ok, God, I get it. I'm listening... I'm looking for the lessons. Can we carry on with something else now?
I'm heading into 2019 with a mindset that's ready to get back to my true authentic self though. The best version of ME that I can be.
I mean, what the hell. I'm 50 now & not getting any younger!
I just listened to a podcast with Rachel Hollis & Ed Mylett yesterday. You can also see the actual video here...
They mentioned so many things I wanted to remember, that I found myself quickly typing notes on my blog with intent to eventually publish something, since hey, it's only been a 4-month dry spell.
One of the things mentioned here & frankly it's not the first time I've heard it either... is to remember who you were before the world told you who you were. Before you were someone's wife. Before you were someone's mom. Before you were someone's employee.
Think back to who you were as a child. What were your interests? What were your goals? Your hobbies? Your dreams?
In answering that for myself, I know that for as long as I can remember, I've been taking photos & making scrapbooks. Some of my older ones were literally on construction paper tied up with string.
I doodled all the time. Drawing houses, clouds, animals, the sun, rainbows... I was always creating in some way.
In fact all those silly little things as I look back over more recent years of my scrapbook pages, STILL show up in the form of stickers/embellishments. I'm just drawn to it for whatever reason.
In addition to creating, I'd be the group leader of "shows" we'd put on in my basement. I'd come up with choreography & decide how the show would play out with my sister, our neighbor & me. Usually that meant I was the lead singer/dancer in front doing my thang... while those 2 were behind me doing cartwheels or something I suggested as backup. LOL
I mean is that not funny & ironic or is it just me? That little girl's interests have followed me to adulthood. I unknowingly made them come to fruition in my life.
I'm not sure everyone is able to say they've unknowingly had their authentic childhood interests follow them into adulthood.
And for me, none of those interests have provided a sustainable income, so I guess I've downplayed all of it... the scrapbooking & the Zumba.
Which brings up another topic covered in that podcast...
That we tend to have the mindset that if we can't attach monetary value to something, it doesn't matter.
But that's just it. It DOES matter. It DOES have VALUE. When you're doing something you were literally created to do... it has VALUE for YOU.
"Your creativity isn't frivolous... it's a vital part of who you are."
Does this mean it becomes your job? Not necessarily.
For me... the way I've made sense of all this lately... is that when I'm NOT doing those things I was created to do... I'm unknowingly & unintentionally in a more depressed state. I require more sleep. I end up wanting to just stay in bed longer. I get less accomplished.
And when you have a job that requires a LOT of physical energy, not to mention mental focus & clarity, where do you pull from if there are also other factors in your life that are pulling energy from you?
There's only so much energy.
So there you go. I have to be intentional in bringing back those things into my life that unknowingly energize me, including that creative side that has been stuffed underneath things/people/situations of the past couple years, that in fact did the opposite.
If you have a pulse, you have a purpose.
Find it. Think back. Who are you? Who were you?
None of us have it all figured out. But we can stop & think back to who we were as a naive child and start with that.
I challenge you to go there as we head into the new year.
I'm going there too & I'm running with it... no pun intended.
Although who knows, at some point I may just run another half marathon....
I always find it interesting & also very creepy when I've been shopping for a pair of shoes or something online & then that same pair of shoes shows up in my Facebook feed just taunting me. Like... remember me... the pair you wanted to put in your cart?
To my knowledge I don't have Facebook linked to anything else.
My Instagram posts are usually totally different content & don't feed into Facebook.
I don't sign in with Google or do any kind of crossover sign-ins like that.
I have the option of feeding my blog content through Facebook, but it doesn't automatically happen.
Aside from that... I don't understand how "Big Brother" watches my shopping habits or reading content. But it does seem that if I click on a link to read it on Facebook.... they just assume I must REALLY be interested in that topic & then it shows up tenfold.
So perhaps the fact that I mentioned my divorce in my last blog post, Facebook thinks I'm interested in all topics concerning divorce now. Which literally just made me laugh out loud.
Let's get one thing straight, Facebook, I'm not. Assuming you're listening, that is, & apparently you are.
However, since Facebook thinks divorce is of major concern to me... this particular link showed up in my feed & I'd love some opinions from people who are or have been divorced because I have to admit, it did get me thinking...
Although the legal dust has settled and you are officially “divorced,” you probably realize that your process is not quite complete. Things are still messy and unclear; that’s because you’ve not yet arrived at your final destination, your stabilized AFTERWARD. You are recovering from this life altering event, reassessing and rebuilding yourself as an independent person, and you realize you actually have limited resources. You have limited time, strength, mental space, and even material things. Often, this is the time you are looking for ways to free up your life even more, to rid yourself of unneeded baggage, to streamline. And so inevitably there comes this question. The one we ask you now: why are you holding on to all that stuff anyway?
Why are you holding onto all that stuff anyway?
Yes, there’s the emotional toil, the grief, the anger, the loss that must be contended with… but what about the symbols? Certainly ask yourself this question about your engagement ring or other things your ex may have given you. Why are you holding onto them? Pause for a moment before you answer. I encourage you to write down your answers so you can consider them. I know, because I myself had some very good answers that genuinely (well, sort of) held water:
Maybe my daughters would like the ring (but really, why would I send out that karmic message?)
It was kinda pretty (it wasn’t what I would have chosen, to be frank)
It was my “You Never Know” (I hadn’t hit that point yet where I’d have to hock my jewelry. Until I did.)
I have heard better reasons: “It was his grandmother’s, and she would want me to have it,” or “It was custom made, I love it.” Admittedly, that last one is rare.
It’s okay. Throughout history, jewelry has done this for us, for women. We’ve been given it, we’ve adored it, we’ve cherished it, it’s helped us cross borders. It’s a currency when we can’t access cash. It has literally saved our lives, liberated us, as we sewed it into our hems, kept it next to our hearts, swallowed it with hope.
If you don’t keep it, what could it do for you instead?
Wipe clean a credit card debt?
Be on a gondola float in Venice?
Buy a flight to see your oldest girlfriend?
Are you not sure?
Why not find out the real value of the stuff under the bed? By all means, hang onto it if you like, but do make that decision from an informed place, not one of mythology. Know the real value and cost of hanging onto something. With your jewelry, you can do it with Worthy, or with any GIA or IGI-certified jeweler for that matter. (But make sure s/he is certified.) I myself like the easy method of sending things off to the universe, to have them valued, a la Wor-thee, then I can decide what to do with it, and perhaps it circles back to me in the form of a check!
Here’s something I learned the hard way
While I am here, allow me to share the biggest thing I learned (— I did in fact sell my engagement ring and other trinkets for a worthy cause, the final semester of education of my daughter.) Here’s the deal. The truth is we tend to romanticize the value of these trinkets. We expect we’re going to get as much out of them as they cost in the first place. You won’t, I am sorry to say. The price you pay originally includes the design time and artistry that went into the piece. When you go to sell, they really only look at the value of the stones and metal themselves. The point is, you are probably not going to get what you think you are going to get for it. I just want you to mentally prepare yourself.
SEND
So if you find it difficult to give up, ask yourself what’s really going on.
Finding it hard to part with it? Think about it for a moment and you may realize it’s not just about the ring.
It’s about the loss. You are here in this place, reading this post for a reason. Forgive yourself. Love yourself! What we find working with women who struggle through this stuff is that you are probably hanging onto certain things, vestiges of another time, because you are in mourning. You are mourning the real loss of another lifetime or story you told yourself. Who you used to be. You have likely deferred dealing with these kinds of issues for good reasons, but now you are starting to lighten. You are starting to declutter, you want to live cleanly. You are choosing and purging. You are deciding how you will live going forth.
You are starting to believe there is real possibility for your life, you are operating now out of this place of inspired thinking. You realize carrying around hardware from an old chapter sounds heavy, when really it could be letting you move and groove and fly.
Get scrappy. Go creative. Not just with jewelry, but with papers, files, events, recyclables, and the questionable people in your life; start choosing only what is worth keeping. I have never heard a woman say she regretted offloading the things that were weighing her down.
So I guess that's my question. If you're divorced, have you sold your ring(s)? And why or why not?
I don't need the money to pay bills. But doing something to make me happy like taking a trip is probably what made me think otherwise. Or maybe even doing something to my house, like building another dressing room closet since well... that did make me pretty happy at one time.
A girl does need a place to put all those online shoe purchases, Mr Facebook stalker.
And what would I ever do with the ring it if I kept it? It's gorgeous & I still love it, and yes there's sentimental value, but I obviously can't wear it anymore & haven't worn it in over 3 years... so what purpose does it serve now?
Hit me with your opinions on this.
And side-note... no, I'm not actually contemplating sending my ring "off to the universe" to get valued... I'd use my own jeweler thankyouverymuch.
I mean... I'm an idiot sometimes, but not quite to THAT level.
Goodness. So much to say. So much to get caught up on.
And while I don't need to go into detail on everything... I can hit some bullet points of life around here lately...
I had an amazing trip recently with Bryn. Our first trip ever with just the 2 of us... aside from 1 volleyball tournament earlier this year to Nashville that was more of a road trip. This trip involved flying to another country... Mexico... and when we do it, we do it right.
All-inclusive. And we enjoyed every single second of it. Even the part where we had a cancelled connecting flight on the way home and also both ended up with some stupid stomach parasite... mine escalating to a fever & a 10-day antibiotic prescription. Two antibiotics to be exact, but who's counting. Insert big sigh. No regrets though. We had a blast & I'd do it again in a freakin heartbeat. I mean, the trip was full of guacamole til we busted, Zumba at the pool & IN the pool... it couldn't have been better. We're already talking about doing another trip next summer as her graduation gift. Maybe not to Cancun again & hopefully without the parasite as well!
And yes.... she's a senior. Her first last day of high school was on Wednesday. Insert another big sigh. School is off to a good start. She's on the varsity volleyball team again... middle hitter... and also has a job working as a server at a local retirement/nursing home. I'm very proud of her, as I'm sure you all know. She's not perfect, who is?, and we get along sometimes like sisters, but she keeps me sane & laughing, which is really all that matters!
Additionally, Bob & I are now divorced. The actual settlement day that happened this past week was emotional to say the least, and coincidentally also happened on Bryn's last first day of high school.
Nothing between us happened overnight. Not our decision to separate. Not the actual filing which happened literally a year ago this month. And not the actual signing of papers. It was a journey, to say the least. But it does bring a sense of closure with it.
What I do know to be true is that I've known him for half my life so I don't take any of this lightly & I don't think he does either. He'll always be a part of my life. We will always be co-parenting & I'm very glad we are still on amicable terms with each other. It matters for all 3 of us.
In today's day & age of social media you wonder... am I supposed to update my status as divorced now? Or single? Or do I really have to have a title? I think we all feel like we have some kind of title or branding of who we are & quite honestly... does it really describe us or is it society's description of who we are?
I'm happy to say though that in the midst of everything... something made me decide to attend another group fitness training over the weekend & I left it being on a "high" I haven't felt in awhile. So it was the perfect ending to an emotional week.
I had started this blog post a couple weeks ago in anticipation of the training and had started writing about the whole story of how I ended up teaching Zumba 7 years ago in the first place, because trust me... it was NOT a goal at all to teach... I liked being a student & that was it! But I deleted it all & will save it for another day.
Since then though... I've added on the following certifications/licenses. All of the trainings have had their crazy stories, some of which I've shared on this blog:
Zumba Toning
Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) Group Fitness Instructor
Les Mills Body Pump
The CRT Method
Can I just say though that THIS training on Saturday was by far, the most unpredictably FUN training I've ever attended! I mean... it spoke to my soul in ways that I just can't describe. But I'll sum it up as saying it was almost 9 hours of dancing &/or learning to dance better with a format that is near & dear to my heart.
The MIX by Piloxing is a commercial dance format. Essentially that means, any kind of dance EXCEPT Latin since basically Zumba has got that covered already. And quite honestly, all the stuff we do in Zumba besides the Latin is what speaks to my soul the loudest, so this is a good fit for me.
Learning all the new choreography (which is repetitive just like Zumba), not to mention the verbal cueing that needs to happen while on a mic will be a whole different beast, but I'm practicing & memorizing as much as I can. We'll see where this leads, but I'm a happy camper to say the least!
Quite honestly, there's no way it couldn't be fun. Our instructor is a very dear friend who is also my boss & one badass on the dance floor. In fact, she's so good she's a Master Trainer & in their promotional video. Check it out...
And with that, it's Monday, which means I'm headed off to take her class tonight & commit some more of all this to my ever-fading memory!
Music is so powerful... the feelings it creates... the memories it brings back... it's always been such a huge part of my life. Music was always playing in our home growing up. Even had my own Donny & Marie 45-record player in my room before I could afford to buy a decent stereo. Columbia House addict anyone?? Why yes, I do have a penny. If that doesn't show my age, I don't know what does.
It's still very important in the job that I do. Music can make or break an experience for someone, especially in a fitness class.
But I felt compelled to quickly write & share this video I saw on Facebook.
Funny how a 20-minute video can literally make you smile the entire time, laugh out loud & even cry not once but TWICE while you're watching it. First... because they sang Blackbird, which we played at my sister's funeral, and then again toward the end when they sang Hey Jude... because that song always reminds me of an entire house full of people who had gathered after my best friend's mom's funeral years ago, all singing that song together in honor of her mom, Judy.
If the Beatles didn't play some role in your life with memories... well... you must just be young. Although just like they mention in the video... their songs are still relevant today.
So.... Bryn got her wisdom teeth removed yesterday. As per her request ahead of time, I videoed the drive home which, by the way, was hilarious. I mean... hard not laugh hilarious. Poor baby.
I tried to avoid laughing in the car because I didn't want to start her crying again like she did in the recovery room. Her dad & I were both there for the 30-minute surgery. When we got called back into the recovery room, we were hit with a LOT of follow-up care recovery info. I imagine we were both nervous about her condition & trying to listen as intently as possible, both hoping that between the 2 of our can't-remember-shit-diseased brains, we'd get the info correct. So the nurse ends all of the info with something like... just drop off the prescriptions, go get a milkshake or a smoothie while you wait & then give her the meds when she gets home... any questions?
Bob says... "Uh sorry, I guess I got hung-up on the smoothie part & didn't hear what you said after that."
So I burst out laughing & say, "He must be hungry."
At which point, Bryn got mad & shook her head & started crying.
So I'm like... oh my gosh that can't be good for her mouth & teeth... we're just being idiots & she's 3-sheets to the wind & doesn't get the humor in ANY of this. Nor does she understand our being overwhelmed with too much info (it wasn't quite as short & sweet as I depicted above), so I say... "oh, sweetie, it's ok... everything is ok" & the nurse says... "don't worry this is a totally normal response to be crying."
So... let's just say it was really difficult to not laugh during this video, even though I did a couple times. And there's a 2nd video too which took place after I got back in the car with the smoothies, but it's really just more of the same hilariousness so I won't bore you with both.
And as a side-note since you'll likely wonder who the hell he is... "Cleetus McDuffy" is a character in a stupid funny YouTube video we watched when she was a lot younger & I was in the thick of my scrapbooking life. The husband of a well-known scrapbooker made a mockery type video of the craziness that went on in the scrapbooking world back in the day. It was hilariously on point & I think it's even more hilarious that he came to mind in Bryn's brain somehow yesterday.
Anyhoo... she's doing well so far & is totally back to "normal" now. Just about as normal as her mother...
Happy Friday & hope you have a GREAT weekend! XOXO
Rising above & refusing to engage is usually what I feel serves my energy in the best way possible.
Call it ignoring, call it moving on with positivity over conflict, call it I'm getting way too old for this... call it whatever you want. Not everything requires a response.
Some can create conflict where there is none. Some will use social media to air every little grievance in their life.
Just because someone is sharing their words to those who will listen either in person or on social media, doesn't mean their story is THE story though.
Just because other parties involved DON'T speak up to defend or refute, doesn't mean they don't have a story too.
In my own case, I may just end up writing a book. I mean, why not... I personally know a few people who have done so & mine would surely be a page-turner as well.
The Real Housewives got nothin' on this real Zumba instructor. LOL
As for my own platform on social media, I prefer to use it in a positive way that empowers or inspires. Or at least makes you laugh because the world needs more kindness & less created BS.
This morning I read a post on Facebook that was shared by a friend. It impacted me enough to want to share it too. Here's an excerpt from it...
"...Sometimes the juice isn't worth the squeeze. We are not responsible for everyone else's issues. Just because someone is demanding a response from you doesn't mean you owe it. You are a grown adult that gets to exercise discernment when it comes to conflict, and some people are unsafe. The end. You may be invited to the Big Fight, but you get to choose to stay home and watch Netflix instead.
"But they are saying lies!" "But they are mischaracterizing me!" "But I need to defend myself!" "But I want my side of the story on record!" "But I need to set them straight!"
Sometimes these objections are true and require a thoughtful response, and sometimes we need to DROP IT because it isn't going to do a lick of good. Don't get baited into a fight when you know there will be two losers, no winners.
Let them duke it out with someone else."
I know who I am & how I treat people. I know I choose kindness & respect. I know I choose to help others as much as I can, sometimes to the detriment of my own time & energy. I know that I'm sincere in the way I engage with others, ESPECIALLY those I'm fortunate enough to know because of my role as instructor.
These aren't qualities I feel I need to advertise about myself, and I would hope my actions over the years of however long or little you've known me, speak louder than my lack of words in any given situation past, present or future.
Which brings me back to my blog, which has now been in existence for over 10 years. It started a few years before I was even on Facebook & particularly for my love of scrapbooking & my desire to use this vehicle as a means to get more involved in that world.
And it worked.
I would eventually go on to being part of a few design teams and have my work published in quite a few magazines & publications. It was fun. Really really fun & I miss it a lot.
And while my writing style has changed over the years, and my posts are few & far between these days, the content has pretty much been about my life... as a parent, a wife, now soon-to-be-exwife, our home, our travels, scrapbooking, card-making, my job that would eventually become fitness instructor (which I love even more than scrapbooking), my distributorship with Advocare, my friends, etc.
My intent is simply to entertain, inform or inspire.
Perhaps it's possible if you don't know me that well &/or you haven't been reading this blog over the past 10 years... that you could make other assumptions & not realize how much content I've put on here & how the content has changed & adapted to where my life is at that moment.
For example... if you wanted to read further on any given subject, like pictures of my house for instance, you could just click on that link for interior design on the sidebar & it would give you content that potentially went all the way back to 2010, depending on how diligent I was with categorizing over the years...
If I write about something or show photos of something, it doesn't mean I think I'm an expert on that subject or that I'm in some way bragging. My life is good, but it's certainly not perfect enough to brag about. LOL
It might mean I posted photos because I was marketing a particular item for a scrapbooking company who sent it to me for that reason. Or it might mean someone asked me to post more photos of my home & then I did, since I've been randomly doing that anyway for the last 10 years. It might mean that I try to share what I know to be true about what works with regard to diet & exercise.
It's meant to be light-hearted & fun. It's similar to content which I personally like to read when I'm cruising through other people's blogs.
It's an extension of my life, my home & my scrapbooks. Not in a way that puts everything out there, but enough to keep things real & hopefully relatable.
And I can assure you that if you have any kind of sleep issues, a little light reading on here will likely bore you to death & you'll be off to dreamland in no time! Consider it a free version of Melatonin.
Which, by the way, is becoming more & more of a friend to me these days when sleep eludes me.
On a similar subject, I also saw this the other day on Facebook & wanted to share...
If you've attended my Zumba class in the last couple weeks, you've done a new routine to No Excuses. As you may or may not know, Meghan Trainor teamed up with Zumba for this song & did a video for it. I've used the choreography from that video with a couple modifications for class as you'll likely recognize...
Another recent Zumba collaboration was with Jason Derulo. I added his song Tip Toe to class right after he released it, but a few months later he teamed up with Zumba for it. There was no "official" choreography for that song to my knowledge, but here's a snippet of mine...
Love both songs & ALWAYS love the energy everyone brings to EVERY SINGLE class!
Now that we're into March, it's right about the time that New Year's Resolutions may begin to fade. If fitness or healthy eating is a goal... baby steps & making small changes can add up over time & can show big results!
One small change you can make is to drink more water. "They" say... at least eight 8-oz glasses per day is optimal. Water does so many great things for our body that other liquids simply cannot do.
Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better and be more alert. As an added bonus, your energy levels are also boosted!
2. Promotes Weight Loss
Removes by-products of fat, reduces eating intake (by filling up your tummy if consumed prior to meals), reduces hunger (hello natural appetite suppressant!), raises your metabolism and has zero calories!
3. Flushes Out Toxins
Gets rid of waste through sweat and urination which reduces the risk of kidney stones and UTI’s (urinary tract infections).
4. Improves Skin Complexion
Moisturizes your skin, keeps it fresh, soft, glowing and smooth. Gets rid of wrinkles. It’s the best anti-aging treatment around!
5. Maintains Regularity
Aids in digestion as water is essential to digest your food and prevents constipation.
6. Boosts Immune System
A water guzzler is less likely to get sick. And who wouldn’t rather feel healthy the majority of the time? Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu,
7. Natural Headache Remedy
Helps relieve and prevent headaches (migraines & back pains too!) which are commonly caused by dehydration.
8. Prevents Cramps & Sprains
Proper hydration helps keep joints lubricated and muscles more elastic so joint pain is less likely.
9. Puts You In A Good Mood
When the body is functioning at its best, you will feel great and be happy!
10. Save Money!
Water is FREE! Even if you choose bottled/filtered water, it’s STILL cheaper than that high sugar soda or fat-filled latte!
And speaking of that high sugar soda & fat-filled latte... cutting it OUT of your diet is another small change that will make a huge difference in your body! It's simply added empty calories that provides no nutritional value whatsoever.
If it's the caffeine you crave... a great alternative that provides caffeine AND vitamins/nutrients with NO sugar, is SPARK! It comes in individual stick packs or a canister. The newest flavor is Raspberry Lemonade, but there are 10 other great flavors available as well!
Spark contains an effective amount of caffeine to give you a quick boost, B vitamins to enhance your body's natural ability to produce and sustain its own energy, and neuroactive ingredients that enhance mental focus and alertness. Plus it tastes good, so it's a great substitute if you're looking to give up your soda habit!
Reduce your sugar intake, increase your water intake & stay hydrated to help keep your body functioning at it's best!
I've been part of a challenge group at Bloom since the beginning of this year. One of the goals for the group is to workout at least 5 times per week. My role is obviously one of the instructors, but I've personally become re-inspired by everyone involved to start working out for myself again too.
In the last year or so, I've become kinda lazy. Lazy for me, that is. I do get it that I teach at least 5 classes per week & that's 5 workouts. But I've found myself not caring about doing anything on my 2 days off. Like literally sometimes sleeping until 11am & then not even so much as jumping on the treadmill. My longest walk is sometimes to the refrigerator & back.
Not to mention if I'm doing the same workouts week in & week out, my body has obviously adapted to it, so it's good to change things up sometimes. Shock the body with something different.
"Old me" would do some kind of workout every day. In fact my chiropractor asked me at one point how many "rest days" I took & I said, "uhhh... well... sometimes I take one..." He wasn't amused.
So today instead taking an extra hour of sleep before getting in the car for over 5 hours, I decided to set my alarm & actually get out of bed when it went off. No laying in bed for a half hour cruising through Facebook & Instagram... or hiding under the covers for a few more minutes.
Got my ass up, even after not sleeping very well, got dressed & headed to my garage to hit the treadmill.
I only allowed myself enough time for about a 40-minute workout, so I decided on treadmill + some random HIIT stuff... aka. high intensity interval training.
No running for me today... just kept it at a 4.0 walking pace. But every few minutes or so, I jumped off the treadmill & did a random exercise... then jumped back on. This repeated for the entire 40 minutes & at the point of the jump tucks I actually felt proud of myself. I'm not one of those people who do burpees for fun. I really do NOT like them. However I would've pushed myself to do them today, but the garage floor is disgustingly dirty, so I kept it at tucks. And they aren't easy!
Here's the exercises I randomly did. I have my own barbell set that I used for the weighted exercises, but hand weights or your own body weight could also be used. I did everything quickly to spike my heart-rate:
30 jumping jacks
30 weighted squats
30 pushups (stayed on my knees to do them quick)
15 clean & press
30 bicep curls
30 jump squats
15 jump tucks
30 crunches
1 minute plank
These moves were my own modification from a list Bryn found & used at the gym recently. I would've liked to have added more HIIT moves, but time didn't allow for it. Plus I figured that whatever I did was better than just sitting on my butt all day. Here's Bryn's list if you'd like to have an extra at-home workout similar to mine or hers on the days when you can't make it out of the house to the gym:
And with that... one more bit of inspiration from the Daily Motivator that spoke to me ...
If you wish, you can immerse yourself fully in this moment. Or if you choose, you can focus your awareness beyond the moment and transcend this moment entirely.
At any and every point in time the choice is yours. With this choice you shape your life, your experience, and the world around you.
You decide what gets in and what is left out. You decide which notions, stimuli, experiences are amplified, enshrined in memory, acted upon, and which are attenuated until they are forgotten.
This great power is yours. With this power, you manifest your intentions into reality.
What drives all this, what makes it work without breaking down into utter chaos, is your clear sense of purpose. And that comes from being completely honest with yourself about yourself.
Live to love all that you love, to support all you value, to care for what matters most. You have great power over your life, so be sure to direct it with even greater purpose.
Have a great weekend & I'll see ya on the flip-side. With my "bleacher butt." And ready to rock it out on Monday!
Ok so I know I've posted this photo on here before, but it's probably one of my fav photos of us ever. It was taken of us in a hotel room in London and we were laughing our guts out as usual. Who knows why.
I laugh a lot, that's no secret. However, there's only a few who can make me obnoxiously laugh to the point of tears & no sound coming out of my mouth... & she's one of them. My dad is another. Actually my entire immediate family. They're crazy. I don't even know how it gets to this point with us, but it happens quite a bit & usually over something really stupid.
So last night I said goodnight to Bryn, told her to please turn off her phone & give her eyes & her brain a break... and then went into my room & got in bed. A few minutes later, I get a text from her (yes, from across the hall) of the following video she apparently took a couple months ago & probably put on her Snapchat story for all I know. I transferred it to Youtube so I could share it on here & I'm sure no one really cares about the stupidity of this except for me, but I want to remember it & I'm so glad she took it. It's SO us.
Neither one of us can even remember why we were laughing. And if anyone else was in the room with us during these episodes, they could surely never understand a word of the unintelligible stuff that comes out of our mouths while we're gasping for air... only for some reason, we can understand each other in the midst of it. And it just carries on & on until I'm yelling, stop... my stomach hurts!
Needless to say, I ended up laughing my guts out at bedtime last night & so was she... each in our own bedrooms across the hall.
And this is why she's my favorite person in the whole world. Truly blessed.
Whether you celebrate Valentine's or not, hope your day is full of happiness & some laughter too!
Happy February... happy apparently 6 more weeks of winter... happy Justin Timberlake rocked the halftime show... and happy I-think-I've-already-posted-on-here-more-in-the-last-month-than-I did-all-last-year. Go me, with that resolution!
The other day I posted photos of my craft room. You can see that here if you missed it. And thank you so very much for your kind comments & positive feedback! ♥
Continuing on with more of the tour... these are photos from the first floor. I'll do another post soon with the rest of the 2nd floor once I get everything edited. My favorite app for editing photos lately is A Color Story. It's great for lightening up photos, especially for rooms that do not get a lot of good natural light. And it's easy to edit right from my phone since goodness knows almost all my photos are taken with my phone these days, while my Canon just sits there collecting dust. Pitiful. But when phone cameras are convenient AND take good quality photos... I mean... why bother??
So this old TV armoire was the inpsiration & starting point for the whole room. I really wanted it to be a funky, bright statement piece. And at the time, I found myself "pinning" a lot of painted furniture on Pinterest, so I decided to tackle it based on some suggestions of paint that promised minimal prep work because sometimes I'm lazy...
Velvet Finishes paint is made specifically for furniture & requires no sanding or primer... just a clean surface of course. The color I chose is HANDSOME. Literally. And figuratively in my opinion. LOL
I really love how it turned out.
And while I was at it, I painted old tables that used to be silver or black with a can of gold spray paint. All of this took place in the garage & let's just say that I shouldn't have left the can of spray paint laying on the garage floor. Because while the newly painted beautiful blue armoire was still sitting there, I decided it would be a great idea to back up my car over the can of gold spray paint, causing it to explode & violently spray gold paint everywhere, including onto the blue armoire AND my tire.
I mean... I'm totally into bling & sparkle as you probably know... but a gold tire was a little much.
So... I suggest you don't do that & you'll likely not need 3 coats of paint on your furniture. Ahem...
Oh & I spray painted the knobs gold for the armoire too. What can I say except it's easy to get on a roll once you get a can of paint in your hands...
As I've said before, Bryn has a great eye for design & is very creative & artistic. She made a couple of the pieces of art hanging in this room based off inspiration found on Pinterest. White canvas, black paint... again... it's very cheap to make, but would cost a lot more money to buy it...
Design on a dime was my motto, so repurposing what I had &/or altering things I purchased at Ikea was how it all went down. It was really a mix of mostly old stuff with some new stuff thrown in. I also decided to just leave the paint on the walls white for now so I could play with more pops of color & pattern in all the rooms.
Again... very different from my other house which had more color on the walls there.
This Ikea light makes me really happy. So cheap, but such a cool piece that also catches your eye. And I love the shadow it casts on the ceiling at night...
I'm an 80's girl & I will always love my albums. Gotta love that record player I received as a gift a few years ago so I can still play the albums too...
There are quite a few references to Bloom in the accessories in several rooms of my home. Kinda love that place... just sayin'.
That print of the girl dancing was a gift & has my name in her body. Are you kidding me right now??? So cool...
More Ikea purchases with the counter stools & chairs. Cheap white chairs that had an aluminum base to them that I again used gold spray paint to change the look. Honestly I think they look less "cheap" with the gold, but they also match the room better that way too.
The kitchen table was not cheap, so I figured I could get away with mixing that almost farmhouse look of the table with modern chairs. I found it a few years ago at West Elm. Love love that store. Wish they were local.
As for the corks... I'd like to say I didn't partake in drinking all those bottles of wine, but I'd be lying. So try to focus on the cute little Bloom ornament instead...
Recently I organized the pantry after getting inspiration from The Home Edit on Instagram. Again with my design on a dime motto... most of what I used as storage was found at the dollar store. And I had almost paid like 5X that amount at Target, but decided to look there first instead...
These chalk board markers will write directly onto glass or plastic surfaces & then easily erase with a paper towel too...
I almost painted all the cabinet door pullls gold too, but my laziness kicked in & said... You know...you can mix metals & stick with some silver stuff instead of all gold, DUH.
Plus I really don't like anything to be too matchy-matchy anyway, so laziness won out.
But I do have a goal to get a backsplash & also get rid of the ugly sink & faucet. I'd like to switch it out for a big white porcelain sink with something gold & yummy like this faucet. Be still my heart...
This fish is totally my buddy & I'm not ashamed to admit it.
We get each other. In other words, he doesn't bark & wake me up in the middle of the night so he's totally low maintenance.
He gets that I'm not low maintenance & sometimes go out of town for a week leaving him without food. And that I'm not great about cleaning the poor thing's bowl regularly.
I mean... he's like Gloria Gaynor & will survive my occasional bad parenting. Honestly though, I probably care way too much about that fish, but it's really the only living thing in my house other than maybe an aloe plant, when Bryn's not with me.
You're my boy, Blue...
Moving on... this is just the main floor half-bath right off the entryway. And surprise, surprise... there's more gold spray paint!
Are you getting sick of it yet?
At least it's not gold polka dots.
We'll get to more of that on the next post... much to Bryn's dismay...
This "shelf" was a bright turquoise blue color when I purchased it, but I decided to paint it gold & use it to store extra toilet paper... a decision that Bryn suggested when we found it at Hobby Lobby.
Love that she can see beyond the obvious in that brain of hers.
As for the cat photo, I think I probably found the inspiration from Pinterest. Decided to make my own version of whatever I had seen... found a photo of a cat with it's tongue sticking out somewhere online, then added the text Dat Ass & printed it. What can I say except it makes me laugh & I thought it was good bathroom humor...
OK then...
More to come soon with the rest of the tour.
Happy Monday & I hope you have a great week ahead!!
Decided to start getting some photos to post a little house tour on here, based on some feedback I received. I may do it over the course of a few days though, so it's not one big mile-long post. Which it seems this one might be anyway.
That being the case, I figured I'd get Bryn on board for cleaning her room since, well, the bed is rarely made & clothes are always all over the place... mostly the floor. And if I'm going to post photos, there should at least be the illusion that her room is untouched by a teenager. Nothing but realness here, folks. Honestly, I've given up on arguing about it & most of the time I just close her door so it's out of sight. I'm all about the old trick that if I can't see it, then it doesn't exist. However, if she caves & gives me a clean room once a week, I'm good.
So we had this conversation...
Me: Soooo, Bryn... I need you to do me a favor.
Bryn: What is it?
Me: I need you to clean your room so it's photo-worthy.
Bryn: Why is a TV station coming to film it?
Me: laughing... Uh, no, but that's funny. And is that the only way I can get you to agree?
Two things are funny about that...
Is it too much to ask for a kid to clean their room without a tv crew coming over??
It is probably weird that we have had that happen at my old house twice.
Great Day St Louis came over to film my craft room back in 2010 & 2011. And I went back to look at the links I provided on my blog, but I guess there's no archives for video that far back on KMOV because apparently it's been deleted. Which stinks since I have no recording of it either.
But I did save this screen shot from the 2nd episode on their website. Bryn & I were both sitting at our desks pretending to be working...
Another illusion that I sit at home in high heels to do scrapbooking. Only on TV, folks, only on TV...
The topic for that episide was "mom caves" so they did an interview & video about the entire craft room.
The first time they came over though was to do a shoot on my wrapping paper station. A friend of mine knew Claire Keeling who used to do their interviews back then & she told her about my craft room, so they called me. Here's some pictures from the prep for that shoot. The drawers I had installed were extra long so they could hold rolls of wrapping paper. And all the cards on the counter were cards that I've made. She asked me about the larger of the two card spinners. It was actually an old paint chip card holder from a paint store that my sister didn't want anymore so she gave it to me...
The room was pretty big... 565 square feet of bliss. If you were ever looking for me back then, it was highly likely that I was in that room. I have significantly down-sized to a small bedroom for my craft room/office, but I love it just the same. You can see the old room in it's entirety & read more detailsabout it here.
And here's my current room. It's a lot less pink & green, and a lot more white. And it's a lot smaller. The zebra print rug HAD to be there again though even if it does take up almost the entire room. I love that thing...
I'm not crazy about the scrapbooks being in all different colors/patterns. May invest in the same color for all of them eventually. There's even more inside the walk-in closet too. I've used that closet as an extension of the room, so it's where I have my printer, cutting board, card spinners & additional storage. Not quite like the other "wrapping paper station" I once had, but I can close the door to the unorganized non-pretty stuff so that makes me happy...
You'll begin to notice that I have those gold polka dots on the wall in a few of the rooms in our house. They're self-stick decals that I found on Etsy. I love them. It gives the illusion that I have a wall-papered wall, but much easier & they're removeable if I ever get sick of them. Bryn sarcastically asked me at one point if I was going to put them in every room. I said, "Well I don't know... I just might!"
She's got a really great eye for design, but her advice on polka-dot excessiveness fell on deaf ears.
Kind of the same way she ignores my request to clean her room...
Oh my how this makes me happy. Have you ever used My Social Book to create a scrapbook of all your Facebook photos, posts, comments, etc? I mean, it's ALL literally in there... every single comment & memory. How COOL is that?! I have a book for every year since I've been on Facebook (except last year & I'm patiently waiting for another coupon to order it... never never pay full price).
Very easy to use though. They pull all the content for you & do all the design work once you grant access. You'll get a preview of the book prior to ordering, but the rest is like opening a surprise gift on Christmas morning.
Who knows if anyone will ever read them, let alone care, but they look cute on my coffee table & they are certainly a great extension of our scrapbooks with content that likely would've never made it into those books.
And let's be honest. Do I even scrapbook anymore?? This could be the only thing I end up with from last year, at the rate I'm going. Ugh...
Happy FriYAY & I hope you have a fantastic weekend! I'm just happy to be finally be getting over the flu. Although I gotta admit... I'm super happy there was a lot of energy in that room today to make up for the lack of mine. Whewwwwweee... this week has been a doozie!
And the following might accurately sum me up, since I'll pretty much show up under any circumstance... but I finally waved the white flag on Tuesday & surrendered. LOL
I want to start by saying thanks for all the love last time. Truly. And I particularly liked the handful of laughing face reactions, since it wasn't meant to be too serious of a post. My writing style has changed over the years to be more similar to the way I would actually speak with humor &/or sarcasm if I was telling the story. This also means sometimes I use slang or it's not totally grammatically correct, but rest assured it's intentional & that I do know a sentence doesn't end with a preposition.
Which reminds of that joke about the southern lady on the airplane...
Southern lady to other passenger: Where y'all from?
Passenger: Where I'm from, we don't end a sentence with a preposition.
Southern lady: Oh. Well where y'all from, bitch?
Anyway... I read some posted comments yesterday from a few friends who's day didn't begin as planned & left them running late or missing out altogether... in this case on the way to the gym that morning.
It happens to all of us at one time or another, headed to the gym or not. We wake up with a plan for the day only to have life say to us... nope, I don't think so.
As a parent I also understand how much time it takes to get multiple people out the door. When Bryn was younger, she even had a doll carrier & car seat we had to use. Her dolls went everywhere with us, thankfully not all at the same time, but she'd take turns & make sure everyone got their fair share in time out of the house. She'd tell me, "they are real babies, mama" and would request that I treated them as such.
Of course I always tried my best, even apparently being so convincing in my attempts, that one time a stranger asked me how old my baby was while I was sitting in the airport holding one of them. I had a strange look on my face I'm sure & said, "um, it's a doll." She laughed nervously & awkwardly walked away.
Man I miss those days, even if I did look like an idiot.
What I loved about the stories I heard yesterday though, was that even in the midst of the chaos of their morning, they still found a bright side to it all. Whether they arrived late that morning or ended up going to an evening class instead... they left in a better mood than when they walked in. And I totally get it, because no matter how I've ever walked into the gym, good days or not, I ALWAYS leave happier.
There's something about the camaraderie of being around others with similar goals, even if sometimes the goal is simply just to get some ME time with or without the workout.
And this doesn't even have to be about heading to the gym. Insert any other event in our day to day lives that could cause frustration in how we thought our day should go.
It's all about perspective. And there's always a bright side if you make the choice to look for it.
And usually there's a lot more we can find with what's right in our lives than what's wrong.
So... after receiving a random & very inspiring email/story from my sister yesterday... and then also received the following email from my Dad, who forwards The Daily Motivator to us every day, I felt compelled to share this...
For a moment, for a day, for a lifetime, appreciate what is. Whatever may happen, whatever may be, choose to see it with a perspective of gratitude and appreciation.
Not every day is filled with blue skies and sunshine. Not everything you undertake turns out the way you wanted.
Even so, you always have much to appreciate. There is always value to be found, always goodness to be lived.
Always, when you decide to find something to appreciate, you will. Have faith that there's a positive way forward, and you'll see it.
Although the weather may turn nasty, and people may disappoint you, there's no cause to be dismayed. For somewhere in the day, somehow in the situation is real value.
Remind yourself to appreciate what is, and you'll see that value. Appreciate what is, and position yourself to make the very best of it.
Well... here we go 2018. New year... new "resolutions."
I have to say... I've struggled with getting back to writing for awhile now... something I was so regular about at one time... something that's always been a creative outlet for me & my most comfortable way of communicating. The lack of writing is of no surprise here, as most of my blog posts in the last year or so usually began with something like... "well, it's been awhile..."
Considering I've had this blog for about 10 years, that's frustrating.
Part of my recent hesitation to resume writing on a public platform is that I'm going through a divorce. And because of that I have to be aware of & careful about what's on social media. So please refrain from commenting with regard to that topic right now... and thank you. ♥♥♥ I suppose I felt that I could at least post fitness-related stuff though... or family trips & holidays... but then, I never really got back to blogging even with regard to those topics.
Not sure exactly what I was doing during this time of not writing, but I gotta be honest... I guess I did occasionally keep up with the Kardashians. And their fondness for a tossed salad in a clear plastic container in like every episode reminded me I should start making more of those... even though I'm kind of lazy & it takes time to chop all that stuff up. It is a healthier alternative to popcorn & wine though, so I call that a win for some of the senseless time they've sucked from me.
Anyway... enough of my disappearance into reality TV. Let's give this blogging thing a whirl instead.
One thing I can speak of with regard to the past year are endings & new beginnings...
I had big changes with regard to my job this past year. 2017 began with another studio closing, just a couple weeks prior. After over 2 years of teaching there, it was safe to say there was a lot of disappointment & shock as far as emotions go... and I think I speak for all of us... both instructors and members. And while I still see a lot of the faces I was blessed to see on a regular basis, there's many faces I no longer see & wonder how people are doing. A lot of friendships are formed at the gym. We have FUN while we're there & connections are made because of how much time is spent there with each other. In addition to that job, my time with another gym came to an end in April, which was totally unplanned & extremely disappointing to say the least. It's where it all started for me... and I could go on & on for days about how much my class peeps impacted & changed my life like I could've never imagined... but I made the decision it was time to move on once my eyes were finally opened.
When one, or rather two, doors close though... another opens WIDE. You have to have faith in this, whether you realize it during your crying & kicking time or not. Positive things have continued to happen & goodness is ALWAYS in the horizon if you stay present & trust God in your life journey.
Besties, friends, comrades and acquaintances... for a reason, for a season, for a lesson. At a few months shy of 50, I'm still trying to figure this one out. Clearly age doesn't always equate with maturity. And I'm not talking about acting stupid, as I'm totally down with that. I'm talking about wondering if some people ever really leave high school in the way they navigate through life. It perplexes me. Although the majority of my friendships, in the last 10 years anyway, were formed because of Zumba. And I've said many many times... Zumba brings out the CRAZY like no other fitness format... mostly in a good way that I freakin' LOVE, but occasionally in a might-need-meds kind of way so maybe that's the problem? LOL I'm also trying to get better with my verbal communication skills. Yes.... you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. I lost a longtime friend this past year because I was friends with someone, who in her mind, had done something she didn't agree with. Batshit crazy, if you ask me, & she who lives in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks. I was subsequently "unfriended" on Facebook AND in real life due to association... along with Bob at the time. We both just kinda went... huh??? She's one of my few non-gym friends & now in retrospect, I think she may have needed meds AND Zumba, just sayin'. We keep it real. To be honest, I'm still looking for the lessons in why friendships can fizzle, how other "friends" can take advantage of your trust, while also continuing to speak my own truth in the most gracious way possible. However... I also find that God works in ways that truly have meaning if we just stay open to finding the lessons in all of it. And I try to relate what can go on in mid-life with my teenage daughter because friendship woes clearly don't end in high school. But my begging days did end at 19 with my boyfriend who broke up with me. Made an ass out of myself then, so... what can I say except I'm probably not going to be begging for anyone else to keep me around since that didn't fare so well either. LOL
Speaking of my teenage daughter... we're planning a trip to Los Angeles this summer. Just a few days ago she said, "We should get matching tattoos while we're in California." I have to say it made me go... hmmm. Neither of us have tats, nor does anyone in my immediate family... although my sister, mom & I have talked in the past about getting them with regard to my sister Kaysy. She promptly went on to say that "there's this one place in LA, but the guy is famous & charges a minimum of $250 no matter how small it is." I said, "yeah, I don't think so." I'm intrigued though & think it's sweet she's been thinking about doing something like that with me.
Also speaking of my daughter... she got her drivers license last summer. So... uh yeah... new beginnings there for sure, as well as trusting & praying while she becomes more & more independent. Hard to believe that in only a year & a half she'll be headed to college. I'm planning on stalking her though, so don't worry, I'll be just fine. But let's keep that on the down-low so she doesn't get suspicious.
Speaking of which, we toured Mizzou a few months ago since she's pretty sure that's where she wants to go. Did I ever mention I went to Mizzou my freshman year? Then I followed that boyfriend from above home at the end of the year & we broke up that summer. Add it to my list of dumb moves I've made in my life, but it did mean I'd end up getting my degree at Missouri State University & I loved that school so much. So... all's well that ends well. Or ends with senseless begging, I mean. Although actually, we're still friends to this day!
Read a thought-provoking & great self-help book in a recent book club... The Emotionally Healthy Woman. Highly recommend it for anyone seeking to continually grow through life, not just go through life. It's good stuff & I've been working hard to apply what I've learned to my everyday life. Even better than the book were the conversations during book club. Thankful for being lead to that room, that group of women & that book. Nothing happens by accident. Saying what I mean, meaning what I say & doing so without over-thinking everything... THIS is taking me into the new year. And happily, the year has already started off with a bang. Granted that was a champagne cork, but I'm hopeful for much light, love & grace ahead surrounded by my tribe of good vibes. And a LOT of crazy Zumba people, of course!
Hope your year is off to an amazing start as well! Happy 2018!
In a few days... September 10... it will mark 6 years since I got licensed to teach Zumba.
I know this because Zumba said they would be marking everyone's classes listed on Zumba as "unverified" unless they verified them. I originally ignored their first email thinking I verify my website ALL. THE. TIME. by adding new photos... annnd since I've had a couple job/class changes in the past 9 months, I've kept that information updated as well.
But... sure enough... I received a follow-up email saying my classes were marked as unverified. Sheesh... ok, I'll "verify."
Anyhoo... while looking at it... I've been reminded of just how much Zumba has changed my life and all the amazing people it has brought into it. Seriously. I know I say it a lot... but it truly is a blessing in my life simply because of all the friends. Friends, I'm quite confident I may have never met, had it not been for Zumba.
I'm so very thankful for all those who are so dedicated to showing up, putting in the work, having fun, and bringing their energy & smiles to my classes... even though we all have days when we may walk in not feeling like smiling. Somehow I think we always leave happier than when we walked in though! It's a group effort & "therapy" of the best kind!
And speaking of smiling... if I ever need to do that all I have to do is look at the pictures on there from the past 6 years of Zumba classes, Zumbathons, events, birthday parties... adults, kids, Girl Scouts, high school conditioning, middle school field trips & more.... it's like an online scrapbook.
And if you've been part of it at all with me.... you're probably on there somewhere... ♥ deanaboston.zumba.com
I think it's safe to say we all have moments of looking for answers... seeking wisdom, guidance, strength... from somewhere.
As I age though, I've learned that if I can get quiet enough & pay attention, there's much to be heard from the universe.
What's easier to listen to are the things our minds believe to be true. The saying... "Don't believe everything you think" is great in theory, but not always easy to apply in our daily life.
I spent the weekend in my craft room doing a lot of scrapbooking. Shocking, I know. It's been a very long time. But there is such therapy in it for me to get quiet & create. I mean, it wasn't totally quiet, there was a marathon of the TV on in the background with it, but I digress. It all requires a lot of attention to detail... placement, color, pattern, story-telling. It's therapy for me in a way that only Zumba can match because both require me to get out of my own head & lost in something else.
The creation of something on a page with little things that make me happy... rainbows, clouds, sunshine, flowers, hearts, butterflies, google eyes, thought bubbles. So simple & so juvenile... yet even at midlife, takes me right back to the images I'd doodle in my youth ALL. THE. TIME. In hindsight... it's evident that those silly things are all over the pages in my scrapbooks over the years.
Ironically at the end of the weekend, I saw this quote that made sense on what must've made me get out the paper & glue. "Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart... where your hope lives. You'll find your way again."
Then.... this morning, I saw this video of Jim Carrey that a friend shared on her Facebook page. I clicked on it because of what she typed in her status... "What you do in life chooses YOU.... & that great things can be born out of times when we struggle."
Goodness. The whole video spoke to me. All of it. Right down even to the part where he mentioned that being sent your room as a kid for punishment didn't work for him because it was his heaven. And for me, it still is...
It's been awhile since I've posted... I feel like I start every blog post that way in the last couple years... but I ran across this video by accident when it looped right after another video I saw on Facebook. I found it to be very thought-provoking. Ordinarily I would've clicked off the next video & scrolled on, but something about the title made me stop & watch...
Thoughts?
I think there's a whole lot of truth to it. People tend to show what they want you to see. Maybe it's real... & maybe it's Maybelline.
Maybe their life really IS happy... & maybe it's an illusion created by the right shot & a cute smile.
Maybe they are out having great convo & memorable moments with others...& maybe they're together, but more engaged with people on the screen of their phone.
Maybe some of life's best moments aren't even captured in photos... and no one ever sees them on social media.
No check-ins, no status updates, no likes... just your own real life.
And some of life's worst may have happened after a photo was posted. Who knows?
I just returned from an amazing trip with my family. My sister posted some highlights from each day, but there's probably 100 more photos that were taken, along with so many stories & memories. And that doesn't even include the 70 professional shots we have as a gift for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary & my mom's 70th birthday.... which was the whole reason for the trip.
Just my parents, my sister, my daughter & my niece... so much love.
I've had a lot of people ask about our vacation & tell me they enjoyed the photos... said it looked like we had fun. And we did. We really really did. It was one of those trips where you don't want to leave because you're having so much fun & so many laughs together. And well... the location wasn't half bad either!
But I've been on a lot of trips in my lifetime. And while the opportunity to travel can be amazing... it really is WHO you're with that can make or break a trip. And not all vacations leave you feeling such a deep sense of happiness & gratitude.
So very thankful for the opportunity my parents gave us. Maybe I'll eventually post more about it, since Bryn also captured quite a bit of video with her Go Pro camera & I'm still patiently waiting bugging her to edit & create something. LOL
And then there's this. It came up in my Timehop the other day because I posted it a few years ago, but it speaks so much truth about what really is MOST important...
And with that... it's almost time for ZUMBA... my favorite time of day...
Well, I'm back from a fun week in Scottsdale. It was a trip that was planned for Bryn's 16th birthday & she got to take her best friend, Ali who I call my 2nd daughter, along with us.
We've been going to Scottsdale for about 13 years as we own time shares with the Westin there. It's more of a home-away-from home & we do a lot of the same things every time we go.
It's actually been a few years since I've been there & probably the last time I was there, we took Bryn's cousin, Sydney, with us & decided to try an ATV tour. It was our first time on ATV's. Bryn could at least say she'd driven the riding lawn mower many times prior to that, but at the ripe old age of my mid 40's... sadly (or happily rather) I couldn't even say I'd ever driven that. I'm not the most outdoorsy girl around. So we were all novices to say the least... me especially. In hindsight, I'm glad it's where we started because it was apparently an easier course.
Not knowing otherwise though, Bryn asked if we could do another one on this trip so Bob booked this tour at another place a little closer to where we were staying.
We all suited up with helmets, ski masks for the intense dirt/dust we'd soon create, goggles and gloves.
There was a family of 4 who was also on the tour with us, but had booked 2 small jeeps to use.
The guide lead us through 2 practice courses to give us an idea of what we could expect on this 2-hour trail. He asked how we all were doing. I told him I was nervous after the first one & then after the 2nd practice run, when he kept reiterating that this course wasn't for beginners & was more of an intermediate trail... we ultimately decided it made more sense for me to be in a jeep, so Bob got off his ATV & drove that with me. He would soon say he was glad he did that because even in that jeep... the course was still a bit stressful. I only got a couple photos during the flatter parts of the course because it was rough terrain to say the least.
At about half-way through the 2-hour tour, we stopped for a break to drink some water and take off helmets for a few minutes. Our guide also walked over into the brush & cut a piece of cactus that he said we could try. Looks painful, but ummm ok.
If you've never tried cactus out in the wild & why would you (unless of course you know that it's high in water content so it helps with dehydration)... the trick is to burn off the needles first.
Looks like a pickle... texture of a melon... doesn't have much taste to it. Nothing to write home about. Even though technically, I guess I am. LOL
We got started back up again... guide in front, then Bryn, then Ali, then us & the 2 jeeps with the family behind us. A short time later going up a steep incline, Ali fell over to the side with the ATV on top of her (apparently hit the embankment & a rock got under the tire or something). We stopped.... I yelled "oh shit!!!! Ali!!!!" Thankfully she popped right back up and yelled "I'm ok!" & pushed her ATV back upright, but it was still stuck on the embankment. So we waited until the guide must've noticed no one was following him & Bryn anymore & circled back to help get it unstuck. SO thankful she was ok. She has since complained her ankle feels like it's sprained & I don't know how it couldn't be with being twisted over like that, but so thankful nothing worse than that happened.
We got going again & all took another brief stop to rest for a few minutes & also to let the guide look at Ali's ATV & make sure everything was ok to continue driving. I wish I had better pictures of what we experienced & how much dirt & dust was kicked up while driving. At some points you could barely see in front of you, there was so much dirt in the air!
For whatever reason though, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling to pray. And I kid you not... about a minute later Bryn's ATV flipped upside down & I couldn't see her anymore. I screamed so loud. We abruptly stopped & I didn't even open the jeep door... just literally leaped over the side of it & started running, not knowing what I'd find. My legs were shaking so bad I thought they'd buckle underneath me.
But as I got closer, Bryn pulled herself up from the embankment. But for the grace of God, she somehow rolled out from under it when it flipped & was hanging down the embankment. I don't know how she managed to walk away with just both knees of her jeans ripped, banged up knees & an arm... but it was God's protection of her without a doubt.
She thinks her tire got too close to the edge of the embankment & it flipped. It all happened so fast, she didn't realize what happened, which is probably good because she likely let go right away.
She could've lost her life. She could've snapped her neck. Not even a broken bone.
Suffice it to say there's no pictures of this one & the guide had her drive his ATV the rest of the way back since her handle bars were bent.
I didn't get a lot of sleep that night. And I guess I'm writing about the whole thing to try to purge it from being replayed over & over like a bad dream in my head.
Watching it happen right in front of us & not being able to do anything about it.
Realizing I could've left Arizona without her, if even one thing gone differently than it had.
Realizing how something can happen literally in an instant & your life can be forever changed.
I managed to keep it all together that day, because going into the ugly cry in a helmet, goggles & ski mask would've been disastrous, but I have cried so much about this since then.
In fact, we both stood in the bathroom just the 2 of us the next morning crying & hugging each other. It really was scary for her too.
I've thanked God so many times for His protection of her.
She's the love of my life. She's part of me, as I am her.
She turns 16 on Friday. We will be heading to take her drivers test that day, just as soon as I leave class, I'm sure. I know I'm no different than any other parent in worrying, but this experience makes you realize how quickly things can happen. And she'll be out on her own more & more with this upcoming chapter of independence.
And the most you can do as a parent is pray.
Anyway... on a happier note... Bryn got a new Go Pro Action Camera right before we left for our trip. She made a cute video of some of her week with her BFF. A memorable week for both of them, I know...
Not sure what happened to the quality of the video when I transferred it to youtube, but you get the idea!
First thing this morning, I thought I'd quickly scan through & delete over 300 new emails I'd somehow avoided in the past few days. Most of them are easy to just delete without reading because they're spam or store/coupon emails. Clearly I've been known to do a little online shopping.
But I came across this email forwarded from my sister.
My friend had encouraged me to journal during this week away & maybe even get back to blogging. Goodness knows, it's been awhile.
With all that in mind... I immediately thought this was worth sharing since I have to admit it put tears in my eyes.
I hope it makes you stop & think of all those who "safely prepare you to pass through life's challenges."
I hope you take a moment to stop & reflect on what truly is important in life. To simply live with gratitude above complaints. To realize we all really are in this life together & to always find ways to help others.
"No accomplishment of real value has ever been achieved by a human being working alone." John Maxwell
I hope your vibe you're attracting for your tribe is a positive, inspiring & encouraging one.
Have a great week! XOXO
Captain Charlie Plumb flew 74 combat missions during the Vietnam war.
On his 75th and final mission, Charlie was shot down. After losing control of his plane, he ejected from the plane and spent the next 90 seconds slowly and safely floating down to earth. Immediately captured by the enemy, he spent the next 2,103 days as a prisoner of war.
For six years Charlie endured abuse and torture. He survived because of an unwavering devotion to returning home with honor, a deep sense of connectivity with his fellow prisoners of war, a desire to be reconnected with his family, an ever-present faith and a steadfast resolve to simply not give up.
But it was only decades after returning home, during a chance encounter, that he understood his primary cause of survival.
While enjoying a meal at a Kansas City diner, Charlie noticed a gentleman across the room looking at him. After several awkward glances, the gentleman stood, walked over to Charlie’s table, and asked if he served during Vietnam. Charlie verified that he had served, so the stranger asked Charlie if he had flown jets off the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. Charlie nodded. Finally, the gentleman asked if he’d been shot down on his final mission.
Charlie asked the stranger how he knew all this information?
The man extended his hand, shook Charlie’s, pulled him close and said, “I packed your parachute.”
Charlie was overwhelmed with emotion.
He extended a grateful hand and shared that he’d said a lot of prayers of thanks for his nimble fingers over the years, but never thought he’d have the opportunity to express his gratitude in person.
My friends, as you step into this holiday, this week, this summer: Take pause to recognize all the teachers, parents, co-workers, mentors, friends and strangers who’ve ‘packed your parachute.’ The people who prepare you to safely pass through life’s challenges.
On this Memorial Day, as we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy, take pause to acknowledge the selfless love and ultimate sacrifice of those who made it possible.
In addition to barbeques, family parties and parades, perhaps the finest way to celebrate this Memorial Day is to actively seek opportunities to pack the parachutes for others.
Let each problem remind you to be thankful. For problems are possible only because your life has value, meaning, potential and effectiveness.
You won't solve your problems by fighting them, resenting them, or allowing them to overwhelm you. You'll solve the problems by engaging and utilizing the good and valuable aspects of your life.
No problem is a reason to feel sorry for yourself. On the contrary, every problem can prompt you to find the best within yourself.
Step up to the opportunity. The more difficult the problem, the more value you'll be able to create.
Problems often force you to address issues that have needed your attention for a long time. By working through the problem, you end up in a better position than before the problem arose.
Problems demand much of you, and therein lies great value. See the positive possibilities in each problem, and let them motivate you to give your best.
I recently finished reading the book Hustle as part of a team of 7 coaches for The Lean Life Project. Our role as coaches was to each give a daily video on our assigned day per week to either inspire/encourage or sum up our reading each day of that book.
Since I was the final coach on the final day of the 28-day project... I thought rather than do another video... where by the way I realized I like to use the word "um" a lot... I thought I'd sum up our month & our reading with a written post instead.
It was posted on our private Facebook group, but my very sweet & always-encouraging friend remembered this post from last month & reminded me to re-read my own words today.
I thought I would share those words on here... as they could be the encouragement someone else needs to see...
“If you truly understood the greatness inside of you, if you truly saw in yourself what God sees in you, you would stop messing around with parties, drugs, TV, mindless activities, video games, foolishness, and anyone in your life who is intent on keeping you from becoming everything you were created to be.”
Very thought-provoking, right?
Add into that quote whatever it is that has a hold on YOU, and realize that it’s keeping you from becoming GREAT.
It could be junk food, lack of exercise, etc. We all have things we struggle with or use as a “crutch.” Sometimes what’s holding us back from success or greatness is the fear failure, negativity or drama in our life. Sometimes it’s too much social media and not enough realizing that your life is good WITHOUT comparison to other’s.
I’m so thankful I was part of this 28-day journey with you. I’m so thankful it was the reason this book came into my life because it made a big impact on me when I needed to hear it the most.
“Strength is only built through resistance. Greatness is only built through trials. Diamonds are only formed under pressure. Gold is only refined through fire.”
Carry on with your awesome selves… ♥ “Become so great they can’t ignore you.”
For the life of me, I can't even remember who posted it because once I clicked on it I was hooked the rest of the afternoon.
I know. Must get a life.
Anyway.... I did a double-take before I clicked on it, thinking.... like... you mean... Richard Simmons the fitness guy... HE is missing??
And sure enough, yes. THAT Richard Simmons.
I'm not that into current pop culture these days so who knew he'd been missing in action.
I mean, I can't ever even say I was really a fan, but I do agree he was definitely part of 80's pop culture.
And no, he didn't inspire my current profession. If anything my mom did. She taught aerobics in the 80's... leg warmers & all... and is STILL teaching to this very day.
She was, and still is, a rock star & a force to be reckoned with. She's amazing & I'm proud to be her daughter.
Moving on though.
There's a whole podcast now about him & how he's been missing since February 2014.
To be honest, I find it very fascinating & also a bit depressing.
While he's made millions & has been famous for decades... at the end of the day he's just a regular guy. A guy that for whatever reason, just went MIA.
No contact with anyone whatsoever, even those to which he was closest. No leaving his house... nothing.
And isn't it somewhat relatable that one's public persona isn't always who they are in private?
Isn't it somewhat relatable... that during some of life's darkest circumstances, it would seem easier to just stay in bed or at home behind closed doors, rather than deal with it all?
I'm fascinated by this podcast guy's story-telling of it all so far. He was actually a good friend of Richard's.
Although, maybe many can say they were good friend's of him, but who knows if that was truly reciprocated.
So far there have only been 3 podcasts.
Not sure how long this thing goes on. Or if they eventually get Richard to acknowledge that he's at least alive & doing just fine.
Although we all know what that acronym for FINE means...
Fucked up, Insecure, Neurotic & Emotional.
And who isn't. At least sometimes anyway.
But on another note... I'm looking forward to hanging out with my awesome friends tomorrow night!
I say it over & over again, especially when someone comes to me with some deep stuff going on in their lives.
Zumba
is
my
therapy.
And I love that we can all leave our lives at the door and just dance.
Dancing is therapy.
Zumba is a format that provides an escape from reality.
Because... let's face it, it's easy to pretend you're JLo on that dance floor when you're surrounded by such safety in knowing we're all dealing with something outside those studio doors.
Or sometimes, maybe we even feel like Richard Simmons, as crazy as it gets in that room!
At times, it can be a mountain to climb to get out of your house & into that gym/studio, but I think we ALL always leave feeling better than when we walked in.
And I could not be more thankful for everyone that crazy class has brought into my life...
