Thursday, May 10, 2012

Candles

There's so much I want to tell you, so much I want to say!  It's all trying to come out at the same time, so bear with me today, please.  Also, grab your smoothie, or green tea, or coffee and settle in and let's chat!

One of my favorite songs is about candles.  Yes, candles.  How a single candle can expel the darkness.  How we have people in our lives who are candles to us.  Who light our world when it dims or sometimes goes completely dark. 

I have many, many, many friends who are candles, Carol, Tina, Julie, Sharon, Amy, my bunco group, my friend Kathy from work, my children, (on some days lol), my husband and many, many more (forgive me if I didn't mention you, but trust me, I know you're there!).  And, most surprising to me, people at my studio.

When I joined the studio in January to better myself, make myself get in better shape, look better, feel better, and quite frankly, look pretty, I never, ever imagined the journey I was embarking on, the friends I would make, or the candles that would be lighting my world.

The studio has many classes, all of which I love.  All of which inflict some sort of torture for my own benefit.  Through these classes I have found many, many candles.  Boot camp is never dark in the morning.  It can't be, as I am surrounded by many flickering candles there from Coach Steve, to Rebecca, and Deb.  There's my favorite Zumba with Lori who I haven't seen in forever because it's the end of senior year and life is way hectic right now who I just love.  She is such a candle.  To the people in the class, Janna, and Liza and the others.  Yup, candles.  There's the chisel and boxing classes, Coach Teresa, Sheri, and Kim, and some of the others I mentioned above.  All candles.

Yesterday, I did my morning boot camp (yay!) I was feeling good.  Then, in the afternoon, I had to buy a dress for the black tie orchestra banquet for Friday evening, another senior event.  I found a most beautiful dress.  However, um, let's just say my 'cup runneth over'! lol  Feeling down, I posted on my studio page about my predicament.  I even included pictures of me in said dress.  What awaited me there was more than I ever could have imagined.  I don't know what people were going to say, but my own head was telling me I was a failure.  That all my Rudy moments, all I have done since January has done nothing because blatantly staring in the mirror was my overflowing cup!  What greeted my reply was nothing short of burning, flaming, candles.  From, try this idea, with links and pictures where to get it, to how beautiful the dress was and how beautiful I looked in it.  Now, let me explain something here, my daughters told me how beautiful I looked in it and that my cups were fine.  My husband thought I looked amazing too.  My son, hated the dress not for the cups but for all the legs I was showing lol (he's the senior).  It was me and my mirror alone who told me it did not look good.  How weird is it that I didn't believe my family?  What do they know?  They haven't been on the ramp with me at 6AM!  They haven't done bear crawls with sand bags on their backs (my new favorite!).  They see me as mom and wife.  And, skewed glasses.  My studio peeps, my candles, they see me through clear glasses with the eyes of love, truth, and Jesus.  Where can you get that at a gym?  You can't.  No matter what gym you belong to.  You are a number, a quota, even to a trainer.  At my studio, we get involved in peoples lives.  We pray for each other.   I have a friend who moved to Boston, Belinda, you are missed!  I have a friend who's son died who has the biggest heart in the world.  She's now a nurse!  She is such a giving person!  How she get's out of bed and has such a beautiful outlook in life I can only presume is from her amazing love and faith!  I can tell you one friend works for Yahoo, another for Verizon!  I can tell you my coaches have a beautiful home and a loveable, crazy dog!  I can tell you that there are people who are in computers and people who are teachers.  I can tell you one of my friends mom's has Cancer and that another friends husband just had surgery and her dad just got out of the hospital.  I can tell you these things because I don't belong to a gym.  I belong to a family.  A place where I am challenged to push myself.  To make myself better, for me.  A place where the motto isn't 'no pain, no gain'.  A place where love and candles reside. 

Don't let the aforementioned fool you.  We don't sit around on our stationary bikes singing kumbi ya for an hour.  Not a chance.  It's a studio, not a gym.  No machines.  You walk in, you get your butt kicked by weights and tires and heavy bags and Zumba and Teresa, and Steve and you go home.  You go home sweaty and stinky and sore and feeling the best you've ever felt because you just had an amazing workout, and that you are loved.

So to all my candles at home and work and the studio, this is for you.  Thank you for being my candles and lighting my way.  I love you all!


Until next time,
Go light someones world today, they need you.

Love,
Me



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