More than just Martial Arts
Posts tagged dance
Meaningful
0Oh hai! Sorry about that. I disappeared a little. I apologize.
The wedding weekend was great, I saw so many old family friends that it was like going to a reunion. I also got the opportunity to hang out with two kids who I knew very well, both through my church and from babysitting them for around 10 years. I haven’t seen them in 5 years (they were 12 and 7 then, they’re 17 and 12 now) so it felt like being put through a time machine. I always had high expectations for them, but I was completely blown away. They have become the most beautiful, smart, and incredibly personable young people…I feel grateful to have had even a small part in their lives.
I’ve spent so much time working on ‘real job’ kind of things for the last few years, but I look back on it and it doesn’t mean anything to me. Those two kids mean everything, and every other kid that I’ve taught or mentored in the last few years…Some pixels on a screen pale in comparison to that. It’s why I’ve always loved teaching Taekwondo, and why I miss teaching it now. It’s not so much what’s being taught as the impact that it has on kid’s lives.
So anyway…after that. I went to my final ballet class last night – it was almost a relief. As much as I would love to have the abilities of a dancer, I don’t connect with the experience of training the same way I do to martial arts. I enjoyed it while I was there, but I didn’t find myself practicing in my off days, or really wanting to go back to class the way I do with Taekwondo. It was a fun and worthwhile experience, but I’m glad I don’t have to rely on it as my new hobby. Maybe I was wrong, and what’s being taught does matter…passion matters. It took me one whole paragraph to change my mind on that subject.
Tonight I had kickboxing, and even though it is much more brutal and exhausting physically, I would much rather be there. The fact that I have friends who take class with me is a factor as well, but it’s where I want to be. I’m glad that everything came together to get me into that class – it was a hard decision at the time, but it’s been the right choice by far. I’m wired to kick things, or something.
Food:
Yes, food. We’re still doing this?
Breakfast: PB&J
Lunch: BBQ Pork sandwich (wedding leftovers…win.)
Other: Chocolate Milk, and I think I ate some other things but I forgot. Sorry.
Seriously drawing a blank on the rest. Ah, well, there was food there somewhere. The wedding weekend didn’t derail me as badly as I thought it might, although I certainly ate too much. But I think (knock on wood) that I’m done with crazy holidays, weddings, graduations, baby showers (did I mention the baby shower the day after the wedding? Same family, different couple ;), and the like, so I can go back to eating like a normal person for more than a week at a time.
Current Weight: 161
Dancin’ my dance
0…and my dance is awkward. But it’s getting better.
Hello, and happy Monday! Not a very eventful day, but nice, not insanely hot, and I felt reasonably productive. A slow day for work, but things are looking up. Dance class is funny, I’m basically the only person in the class – only once has anyone else been there. So it’s like private lessons, but for a group class price…I feel almost guilty. Actually it would be nice if it were a bigger class, more people would make it a little more energetic, but this way I get to learn on my own pace.
I’m no dancer yet, never fear. My one advantage is that Taekwondo muscles (and balance) come in handy for kicks and arabesques and all the other french words that I have to learn. It’s much better than starting from scratch.
Food:
…Brunch? PB&J
Supper: Enchilada skillet, although I bastardized the recipe to fit what I had on hand.
Other: Soda, Cookies, Milk
Mmmm bastardized recipes. It was actually pretty tasty. I swear I’m not trying to skip meals, I’ve been feeling somewhere between queasy and just not hungry, so I don’t eat. I grabbed some meds today (I have a history with this, sadly) so I should be back to normal soon.
Current Weight: 162. Ah, that beefy, cheesy enchilada thing. ‘Twas the death of me. Also, eating at 8:30pm.
Monday
0I’m baaack! Back to mobile, that is. Still a few tweaky parts in my shoulder, so I may very well end up hurt again, but I’ll try not to go too crazy. It’s the downfall of sports. I could do something nice and graceful, like ballet…oh wait, I AM. Yes America, to prove that I am more than a bloodthirsty martial arts machine (and also because I’ve always wanted to), I am taking a ballet class. Please try not to laugh so hard, you’re bugging your neighbors.
That’s where I was tonight, my second class, and so far I’ve learned that I am almost as un-graceful as I feared. Taekwondo helps a lot, because I have base flexibility and balance, but man is it a paradigm shift. Part of the reason I’ve always wanted to take some kind of dance is because I’m so hopelessly awkward, and man have I proven that true, but I’m finding that it’s a lot of mind over matter. So I’ll get there. It’s fun, challenging, and definitely different.
Now I have 6 years of Taekwondo habits to learn how to turn off…hunched shoulders, bent knees, flexed toes; none of these are good things in ballet. But I like a challenge.
Food:
Breakfast: PB&J & milk
Lunch: Hot Dog & baby carrots
Supper: Umm
Snacks: PB, Chocolate milk, popcorn
I don’t know what it is about summer, but I never want to cook. I should just admit that I don’t want to and stock up on more things I can eat cold.
Current Weight: 165