Last Project/Observations

As you know, we built an addition on our house all summer long. Materials arrived in our backyard mid May. We hardly used our back yard the entire time...We moved into our new bedroom the last week of August.

In October, we had another project inside our house: to make headspace on our old stairs by cutting into the bathroom floor and creating a custom vanity above that. Bill was frustrated the most having to duck every time he used the stairs. We know that our son will be tall, probably tall like his Uncle G, so he insisted on this being fixed assuming we live here awhile. Our house was built in 1910 and parts of it were meant for shorter people. We also had to get new bedroom furniture that would be able to FIT up the stairs, again, adding to his frustration of the stairs. The stairs is something I just don't want to hear about anymore! LOL! More importantly, we realized that there was no support for our upstairs bathroom in our house anyway. So they put a column in the basement all the way up along our stairs. This project took about 3 weeks.

With that, my zumba filming had to get pushed aside once again due to the noise, distractions, people and well, I just did not WANT to be doing it in front of men walking by 7:30am till 4pm. There was just no good time to film for about 35-40 minutes before or after they left. I still managed to do a few songs randomly on my own. I just wasn't filming. I realize when I live without it how much I miss it and NEED it. I can't wait to get back to filming regularly again.

One thing I also noticed recently is how strange it felt to watch myself initially way back when. During this absence I felt like I was missing out on ME. How often do we ever get to see ourselves the way other people do? We are always our biggest critics and don't see ourselves the way others do. In fact, most people will recognize us as more beautiful than we think we are. I started watching myself in my classes and quite frankly, I would fall in love with looking at myself. My spirit, my energy, confidence shined so brightly. I was in awe of that girl I never really saw. To not film made me MISS seeing her...myself. I find it fascinating what filming has done for my relationship with myself.

Another thought...It's ok to be your biggest cheerleader. I imagine some people would be weirded out by how I speak about myself. The truth is I didn't talk like this in my teen years or early 20s. I learned to fall in love with myself over time. I am my biggest cheerleader and my own best friend. You've gotta treat yourself well, with kindness, just like you would with a friend or someone else in your life. Don't let the kind words seem so foreign. Make it the norm.

I could also feel the lack of coping skills without it. I felt more irritable than normal. This is one of my biggest stress reliefs. I need to be in control of myself..and Zumba is part of what helps me.

Let me be clear, I did NOT stop MOVING because of the projects. I just did things differently: More walks, a few songs scattered instead of a consecutive class, my usual weight lifting. I analyzed when I am at my best and how I feel with what I am doing. I am grateful I was doing SOMETHING...but I am MY BEST and most in love with myself when I am consistently doing my weights and zumba full classes. Walks are a bonus, a part of my lifestyle, not the whole part. Perhaps you notice a change in YOU when you switch variables around. It's important to pay attention to what is going on and how it affects you.

Thankfully, this is it. We are DONE with major projects for quite awhile. My husband also does not have any travel for quite awhile. My life can get back to normal!!