Paper mache geese and long armpit hair man OR Namaste, not so much
Yesterday I went to my first Yoga class at the YMCA. I was so excited - having done yoga at home in past years, I was looking forward to a more formal setting, where I would learn more correct positioning and all the different names each position has. It was great - everything I thought it would be, and more. They even said the "Ohmmmmmm," at the end, which I found slightly hilarious. But that's just me and my strange sense of humor. Anyway, at the end of the 75 minutes, my body was JELLO. J-E-L-L-O. My muscles were shaking and I had to walk slowly, because I couldn't move any fast than that!
After I went home and showered, it took a few hours for my muscles to return to normal. But, much to my dismay, they didn't return to normal in the way I had hoped. They decided to ache. A LOT. And when I say "ache," I mean, husband has to help me up the stairs, and it hurts to sit on the church pew, ache. I was afraid that during the night last night, my muscles would decide that whatever position I slept in would be the permanent position of my body for the rest of my life. So, I've spent the day being made fun of by my husband for walking like I'm 90. BUT! I'm going back! I'm going to keep doing yoga, because it was awesome. So there.
Also, I met Long Armpit Hair Man in my yoga class. He has the longest damn armpit hair I've ever seen in my life. I could have braided it. He was also showing off during the class, doing hand stands, and whatnot. Made me want to shoot death rays at him, which, I'm told, is counterintuitive to the whole notion of yoga. Energy, shmenergy.
And, I have a very large paper mache goose in my living room. Why, you may ask? Well, my dear husband is adding a new animal to his hunting repertoire: the goose. Apparently, to hunt goose you have to have many lifelike goose decoys, and husband is making them himself, out of glue and paper grocery bags, rather than spending anywhere from $15-$40 on a decoy. Frugal, yes, conducive to a clean livingroom, no. But, I will not bug him about this, because he doesn't really have any place else to do his little creations. (And when I say "little," the goose is nearly three feet long...)
We're really settling into our church. We went to the Sunday School breakfast this morning - the kick off before the sunday school year begins. Chris will be teaching senior high sunday school, and I will be attending the "newlyweds" sunday school class solo. It's my own fault. I volunteered him for the teaching gig without realizing that I'd have to go to SS all by myself if he was teaching. Bah. But, it shan't last forever. I'm also starting a recovery ministry at the church, that will officially begin in January. I spoke about it this morning and it felt really good to get up and present something that I'm doing, and have people listen to me and volunteer to help me. It was very validating to me as a person and as an adult. I think for those of us in our 20's, it doesn't really seem like we're in our 20's - that we're adults. I still feel 18 most days, and don't expect to be taken all that seriously all the time. But, I guess when you meet a group of people and they know you as a therapist, and you start doing therapisty things around them, they see you as an adult and a professional. Strange. Guess that was a bit of rambling there, but true for me, nonetheless.
Because of this recovery ministry, I finally got to read the entire Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. I never realized how Christian it really is:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. (This is where it traditionally ends). Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen, and amen.
After I went home and showered, it took a few hours for my muscles to return to normal. But, much to my dismay, they didn't return to normal in the way I had hoped. They decided to ache. A LOT. And when I say "ache," I mean, husband has to help me up the stairs, and it hurts to sit on the church pew, ache. I was afraid that during the night last night, my muscles would decide that whatever position I slept in would be the permanent position of my body for the rest of my life. So, I've spent the day being made fun of by my husband for walking like I'm 90. BUT! I'm going back! I'm going to keep doing yoga, because it was awesome. So there.
Also, I met Long Armpit Hair Man in my yoga class. He has the longest damn armpit hair I've ever seen in my life. I could have braided it. He was also showing off during the class, doing hand stands, and whatnot. Made me want to shoot death rays at him, which, I'm told, is counterintuitive to the whole notion of yoga. Energy, shmenergy.
And, I have a very large paper mache goose in my living room. Why, you may ask? Well, my dear husband is adding a new animal to his hunting repertoire: the goose. Apparently, to hunt goose you have to have many lifelike goose decoys, and husband is making them himself, out of glue and paper grocery bags, rather than spending anywhere from $15-$40 on a decoy. Frugal, yes, conducive to a clean livingroom, no. But, I will not bug him about this, because he doesn't really have any place else to do his little creations. (And when I say "little," the goose is nearly three feet long...)
We're really settling into our church. We went to the Sunday School breakfast this morning - the kick off before the sunday school year begins. Chris will be teaching senior high sunday school, and I will be attending the "newlyweds" sunday school class solo. It's my own fault. I volunteered him for the teaching gig without realizing that I'd have to go to SS all by myself if he was teaching. Bah. But, it shan't last forever. I'm also starting a recovery ministry at the church, that will officially begin in January. I spoke about it this morning and it felt really good to get up and present something that I'm doing, and have people listen to me and volunteer to help me. It was very validating to me as a person and as an adult. I think for those of us in our 20's, it doesn't really seem like we're in our 20's - that we're adults. I still feel 18 most days, and don't expect to be taken all that seriously all the time. But, I guess when you meet a group of people and they know you as a therapist, and you start doing therapisty things around them, they see you as an adult and a professional. Strange. Guess that was a bit of rambling there, but true for me, nonetheless.
Because of this recovery ministry, I finally got to read the entire Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. I never realized how Christian it really is:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. (This is where it traditionally ends). Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen, and amen.
posted by Heather | 8:15 PM
3 Comments:
About the goose decoys--my dad has many of those. Right before he would go goose hunting when we were young, he used to set them all up in the basement randomly and then sit down there with his goose call practicing his best goose noise making skills.
It was very bizarre, and he found is hilarious and so did we.
And about long armpit hair guy; first of all--who is that guy? I've never seen him before. Hopefully he won't come back. Secondly, yoga is not for showing off. How irritating. Are you coming to the noon class today at Y-West?
Unfortunately, I have to work everyday at noon, otherwise I would totally be at the noon class. BAH!
Yeah, I don't know who long armpit hair man is, of course, I've never seen him before.
Good goose story about your dad!
Yea for yoga and yea for working out especially while getting more in tuned with yourself. Plus, who wouldn't want a crazy-looking paper mache goose to show off? LOL
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