Mesmeree

Okay, so, even when you’re broke… free lessons off the internet are not always the best alternate to a real class. 

After deciding to get in shape, for good (if people can’t understand the concept of being skinny and unfit, then I’ll just become fit!), I found out that I was one of those people that wouldn’t stay motivated. Not because I dislike exercise, but I have a little bit of a short attention span, so the whole repetition thing wasn’t working for me. 

Hence my decision to get fit through learning basic dance moves and just getting up and moving on a regular basis. I mean, it couldn’t hurt, right?

Oh, goodness, wrong.

 The basic moves I picked were some simple hip-hop footwork things (moonwalk, v-step, etc) and some simple beginners belly dance hip movements. 
At first, all the footwork made my legs hurt, so after a few days of that I started spending most of my time on the hip movements.

Honestly, I didn’t know there were so many ways for hips to hurt, or so many different places.
One day I wake up with my right hip joint absolutely throbbing. I spend a few days limping. Then, I pull a groin muscle. Now, my entire left side, from my lower abs down, is remaining persistently painful. Its like a side cramp that just won’t leave. 

People, be warned. There’s a reason people pay professionals to teach them these things.

I had a moment today that made me wonder if I don’t watch too much TV. It was something like…

Me: “Do you have our parking pass?”
Person 2: “No, it expired.”
Me: “We should get another one.”
Person 2: “I was going to, Monday, but YOU didn’t WANT to go.”
[at this point, I decided that I'd like to pause everything, like a television show. I'd pull Person 2 aside, and instead of being sarcastic, they'd drop that character and become open to criticism. I'd tell them that they didn't need to add "...but YOU didn't WANT to go." because the rest worked fine on its own. They'd ask why, and I'd explain that the way they'd said it had a negative connotation. They'd "oooh, right" and nod and go back into character. Unpause.]

Typing this, I see that I spend too much time in my own head. Its a good concept, though. If we could theoretically pause things and talk peacefully, some situations could be so much less stressful. Its hard to explain, really… imagine a way to make people drop their defensive attitudes and become open-minded in a conflict, like you’re just people playing the part of angry and obstinate loudmouths.  A little advice, a little resolution, and unpause.