Full But Fun...

Yesterday was a busy, busy day... best described in chronological order:

7:45 a.m.  Woke up after a night of horrid sleep caused an awesome night at salsa class.  (That will be another post...) Put running clothes on, had a glass of milk and a spoonful of peanut butter.  (Just one spoonful.  It's enough. What?  I need the energy-- and the protein-- and it's delicious!!!)

8:35 a.m.  Got to the lakefront, began six mile run for half marathon training.  Enjoyed an easy pace, filled with awesome, happy music.  Toward the end of my run, getting close to the fifth mile, I passed an older gentleman who was out for his Saturday morning walk.  He was easily 70 years-old and I had already cruised past him once before, from behind, and as I grew closer I saw that he had incredibly sculpted legs... perfect calves. I was jealous.  As I approached him the second time, he smiled and greeted me with a Good morning.

At that moment, I just couldn't help myself.  You have really great legs!  His face broke into a huge smile and responded, So do you!  And we kept going our respective ways.  It was a neat exchange among strangers, and gave my run a bit of a boost.  (And yes, I did worry that it might seem inappropriate, but sometimes it's okay to be a little bit inappropriate.  My intentions were pure.)

9:53 a.m.  Finished run, stretched well, drove home, showered and made myself presentable for my lunch plans.  (No, I'm not fast, but slow and steady gets the job done!)

11:00 a.m.  Met up with a former student and her mother from my amazing kindergarten class from 2000-2001 for lunch at Nature's Table, and spent a fabulous two hours of catching up with both of them.  Such neat people, and we have a lot in common.  I can't wait to see them again.

1:00  p.m.  Dr. Dance came over to practice salsa dancing with me.  We drank Celestial Seasonings cold-brewed raspberry iced tea, talked about new developments in our lives, and danced.  It was great.  The last time he came over, we practiced steps from the Beginners 2 curriculum so that I could test up successfully to the next level.  (Which is precisely what I did!)  This time we were working on Intermediate 1.  I know all the footwork (or at least I can follow when my partner leads me)... but I want to make my dancing neater before moving up to the next level.  It's going to be a while, and I am totally fine with that. I love practicing with Dr. Dance.  He makes fun of me, and we laugh, and my heart feels fuller than usual for just a few minutes.  I am glad we are friends.

3:30 p.m.  Dr. Dance left, and I enjoyed a mere 20 minutes of bliss... sitting on the couch, doing nothing.  Well... almost nothing.  I threw a load of laundry into the wash. There is always laundry to do when exercising five days a week.

3:50 p.m.  Left home to drive to Salsa Heat for a Ladies Styling lesson.  Styling is knowing what to with your body while you dance-- fancy arm moves, hips that pop, head rolls, and overall body control.  The lesson had a two hour option but I only only took the first hour.  Trust me, I have PLENTY to work on from that first hour.  I had thought the lesson started at 4:00, but actually it began at 4:30, which left me time to chat with a few of the ladies I take class with. 

The downtime was wonderful. 

Class was hard, but I knew it would be.  Anytime I am learning something new in salsa, I feel clumsy and decidedly ridiculous.  That said, I persevere, and eventually gain close to mastery.  I'll get there, one piece of fancy footwork at a time.  Ladies Styling is offered on the first Saturday of each month.  I expect that when I return next month, I won't feel quite so awkward.

5:30 p.m.  Drove back to My Small Town and made a mad dash through Publix to pick up items to share for a year-long book study I have joined with a few of my fellow My Small Town High School teachers.  We are going to read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin over the next year.  I actually first read this book about two years ago, when going through a particularly difficult period in my life-- and it helped by offering something to grab onto and pull myself out of my situation.  The book is organized by focusing on a different aspect of happiness each month of the year, and is both informative and quite pleasurable to read. 

When Ms. Mover & Shaker, the organizer of the book study, contacted me for ideas, this was the first book that came to mind.  The pressures and politics involved in teaching can take our joy away.  Students do not learn as well from teachers who are grumpy and overwhelmed.  My thought was that through reading this book, we can create a microcosm of happiness on our campus, that will most undoubtedly spread. 

Mind you, the entire campus is not in a fug.  But every workplace can be improved in this area, just a little bit.  Or a lot.

I stayed with the group until 9:30.  We all agreed that what happens in the house of Ms. Mover & Shaker, stays at the house of Ms. Mover & Shaker-- as such, it is a blog-free zone.

9:40 p.m.  I arrived at home, and talked with Chuck.  I felt like I hadn't seen him in days because our schedules weren't matching up.  After a good yarn, I went into my room to write.  I actually started this post last night, writing everything in present tense... but grew tired and decided the writing would be crisper if I waited until this morning to finish.  I am not sure if this post has truly been crisp, but I am certain it is better having been written at eight in the morning rather than ten at night after one of the fullest Saturdays I have had in a while.  Just about every moment was accounted for, and that's okay. 

Yesterday may have been full, but it was very, very fun.


Addendum:  The author highly recommends reading The Happiness Project, and will be posting periodically on her own experiences throughout the book study.