Well color me amazed slash inspired. I made it to one yoga class this week, despite Bill being off all week. It was actually a Barre class because I came way too early for the class I was supposed to go to but it’s good I did BECAUSE…hang with me I’m getting there…I met an older woman, probably late sixties who told me this was her THIRD workout class of the day.
Jaw. Dropped.
Would you like me to tell you what I’D done so far that day? I slept until 7am. Then I puttered around with the kids, than Bill and I took them to Costco for a Black Friday sale on vacuums. We bought a vacuum. Then we took the kids to the park. Benji pooped so we had to leave early.
I did a load of laundry and then, THEN showed up to class gabbing all the time we waited for class to start about how nervous I was about being able to make it through the whole class because I was so out of shape. Yoga is one thing, but what is this Barre class I’m stumbling into?
It was fine. Muscles burned. Legs shook. I slept just fine that night.
THEN today I did my morning Karma shift and met a woman doing her free birthday yoga class today. After class she casually mentioned she had already gone for a run. And I thought, well heck guys!
When it’s my birthday I demand to sleep in, then demand cupcakes and hot tea to be delivered to my bedside. Then I demand cake and ice cream and presents and balloons and I swear not to eat anything healthy the entire day.
I think all of this has inspired me to realize I may not be living my most healthy life?
I think, sometimes God has to smack me upside the head with a metaphorical two by four. BOOM. (Grammie can out-yoga, out-barre, AND out-run your pasty butt).
BOOM. (This beautiful, bubbly woman is taking care of herself and her health and making it the first thing she does, as a gift to herself.)
No more BOOMS. I get it. Trouble is you’ve got to be a little selfish in order to take care of yourself. So that’s where my trouble lies. It’s real easy- in fact- it’s almost something I’m not even aware of. If someone in my family needs me, I will be there. Twenty-four seven. Every minute. Every second. And then…
And then I get so depleted I can’t give anything good to anybody. And then I get sick and now I REALLY can’t help anyone.
I guess my real worry is that I will start to be a little selfish, and I’ll get like addicted to taking care of myself and then…and then…I don’t know, everyone will fall apart without me? The world will screech to a stop? People won’t like me as much? I’ll feel guilty? Something bad might happen if I’m not there all the time?
So. As a present to myself, I am officially announcing to the whole world (hi mom) that I am committing to working on myself twice a week. Whether it’s Yoga, swimming, a fun new dance class, whatever makes me feel good.
I predict that I will start to feel healthier; my kids will get a good role model for healthy habits and grow into healthy adults and my dog will not notice anything at all.
Angela Yeh - Fantasy Author. Dragon Enthusiast. Optimist. 