On Scheduling. And back to the beach!

Teaching three times on Sunday then three times again on Monday is interesting. Things I like? I get in and stay in my teaching mindset. Everything I need gets in and stays in one place (i.e my phone stays charged, my quotes/notebook stays at hand, I keep a change of teaching clothes and extra water in my bag, etc etc). I usually come up with one theme for all 6 classes that I modify for each of the different classes that I'm teaching (Everything from prenatal to vinyasa flow to static stretch) over the course of the two days). I've found its fun to play with one pose or one concept or one idea and to come at it from hugely different ways ~ it helps challenge me and my ways of thinking about a posture or yoga concept. All good. I feel like I explore the hell out of that one idea, then recharge my own practice, teaching just once in the 5 days between now (Tues morning) and next Sunday. With the way that my classes are spread out, Monday basically becomes just about teaching. Realizing that I can't fit in much else, I added volunteering at lunch duty every Monday to my weekly routine. Its only 30 minutes and its a cute way to get to see the kids mid day and help out the schools. Slightly depressing, but I just try not to look at the food trays. School lunches are abysmal and make me really grateful that I have the time to pack my kids lunches everyday. Yesterday I went for a short run after my first class, but today when I got on the stairs for a workout, I realized that that was a mistake. No more Monday runs for me (this was my first week of teaching three times on Monday's, lesson learned). All of the classes that I taught yesterday were classes that I was doing while teaching, occasionally coming out of poses to modify a student but generally doing the practice as I taught. Today? Hips and hamstrings ~ exhausted. I eked out a really really slow 15 minutes on the stairs and put in a completely half assed (like, 15 minutes?) strength workout, then hightailed it out of the gym. My morning started ultra early today ~ 4:45 as my hairdresser was here at 5:30. We've never met that early before, but she's up early (she's an ironman and currently in training), I'm up early, and….well, you do what you gotta do. After my pathetic attempt at a workout I hit the spa for a pedicure (this too was an ouch….really overdid it the past two days…..tomorrow is a rest day as is Thursday as we will be traveling)…..and then got to have a huge treat.

I came home and showered and even threw on a splash of makeup to go with my new hair to have a lunch date with my husband. This is all new territory, this lunch date thing. Last year was smalls first year in school and he was only in MWF 9-12…so this pre K four days a week till 2 pm thing is really just starting to sink in! We hit up Forage for a relaxed and long lunch, before heading out to do some shopping together. This was something that we haven't done since……a vacation? A weekend away? Simply sitting down outside at a restaurant together and spending a leisurely lunch on a weekday? Without a babysitter? It felt slightly scandalous in all the right ways. The brussel sprout appetizer was ridiculous. Came to learn the Trader Joes sells shredded brussel sprouts….I may have to add them back to my weekly shopping rotation just so that I can try to recreate this appetizer (thick, fatty smoked bacon, golden raisins, toasted pine nuts…it was ridiculously and made me a little sad about the regular old brussels I had planned to make with dinner tonight).

After picking up Jake we hit the grocery store for some final provisions for the last few meals at home before we head to the beach for the wedding. I'm just in denial about all the packing work (we rented a house but have to bring all of our linens and then the stress of all of the wedding clothing for the kids etc……you know. Packing for normal events is easy……for a rental house, wedding, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and beach not quite as simple.) Anyway. It will get done. Nate has to be at the Pentagon on Thursday so we have the added excitement of having to take two cars as well! Ah, weddings. Gotta love em.

The transition into school has been way more smooth than I had anticipated. Ditto the whole soccer thing. In fact……..life in general feels really smooth right now. I'm waiting until soccer is over to consider looking for more classes. As of October 3 I will have 7 classes a week….and that feels good, right now, with the additional 7 hours of soccer figured in. Golf has far and away been the one thing that has suffered, and that just is what it is, right now. I can't do it all, and I accept that. I feel like I have a really healthy and balanced blend of time to myself, time that is scheduled, time with friends, time to take care of my home and yard, and time for my family. I've had tons of time to cook……and all in all, barring golf, which will pick back up as I have a few tournaments coming up………dare I say life feels very ………peaceful?

Should I knock on wood or throw salt over my shoulder or look out for lightening or anything? I'm not superstitious and I have to say ~ after all of the difficulty of the few years starting with the MBA and going through the hip and Jake's trauma…..things were hard. There was always the feeling of some storm looming. To feel so …….. at peace? Its kind of amazing. I firmly believe that it takes storms to truly help you appreciate the calm. Some people DO seem to live charmed lives, sailing through their years, having things go *just so* for them at every turn. And that is lovely for them, really, it is. But you know what? When life is that perfect for you all of the time? I think that its hard to truly, really, and completely develop empathy for what others may go through. I think that it can be hard to actually relate to the nitty gritty in other peoples lives. And thats okay, we don't all have to relate to everything, and of course I wouldn't choose to relive Jake almost dying on my kitchen floor, or the difficulty of a working traveling husband and three very young kids and him being almost absent for 21 months because he needed that for his career……………but I am grateful for what it taught me. I'm grateful for the appreciation that it gave me about how strong I actually am, how hard he works for us, and conversely how nice it is when life ISN'T so hard. Its nice. Its really nice. And I'm grateful.