Tomorrow marks a full month of working from home. Time has been moving at an erratic pace. It feels like months since I had a dance lesson, years since I last competed, and yet, have I really been home for an entire month already?
Week 4 of staying at home brought its own challenges, but I held fast to the idea of pacing myself. Finding the right pace turned out to be one of the challenges, and the search continues.
Continue readingThis countdown series certainly took a different turn from my other competition countdown series. Although, it isn’t the first one in which I ended up not competing. That’s part of the fun of blogging about my journey as it happens instead of telling a story that’s already over; not even I know what’s going to happen next!
Did you see my social media post from a few days ago? I finally got the green light from my physical therapist to dance full out in my lesson. No more marking or holding back! I was excited, relieved, and a little nervous. I was tired of having to hold back. I just wanted to dance! But what if my knees didn’t do well? What if I regressed right back to the pain I was experiencing before starting PT?
Interestingly, I did feel like I took a step back this week, but not because of dancing. Quite the opposite.
I love a good lazy day as much as the next person. But when I’m told I need to rest or take it easy, suddenly my rebellious, stubborn side comes out and wants to do nothing of the sort. I don’t need rest! I just need to push through and make myself stronger. Ironically, rest is exactly what will help restore and build strength.
Paige Taylor is a copywriter from Columbus, Ohio who is in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. As getting clean drastically changed her life, she’s now dedicated to helping others struggling with addiction to find their path to recovery.
She reached out to me after reading some of the other stories on this blog of others who have healed through the power of dance. I was more than happy to share her story too. Hers is another great example of how dance, even in the form of a fitness class, can have a beautiful and positive effect on a person’s life.
The title isn’t a metaphor. I’m wrote this post while sitting against a heating pad. This month’s guest article, Life Outside of Dance…, came at the perfect time for me. The night I reviewed Birgit’s final draft was also the night I woke up with a painful muscle spasm in my back. A cluster of muscles in my upper back took it upon itself to seize up and refuse to be moved. It made that painfully clear every time I tried to roll over or shift my position in bed to get more comfortable. The next morning was Friday. I was able to get out of bed and walk. I could even bend down and touch my toes! I just couldn’t rotate to the right. At all. You never realize how many actions require at least a small turn to the right until you can’t do it.
The Girl with the Tree Tattoo 