The month of February has found me looking at myself in the mirror and thinking the words..."What were you thinking?!" way too often. To give you a little hint of why this is, let me list off what I've foolishly put on my plate this month:
I am the room mom for both my kids classes. No I don't think I'm amazing, but no one else would do it and I didn't want their year to be awful because no one wanted to plan their parties.
Both of these classes have a Valentines celebration that I am in charge of. Tyler's in done and it went fabulous, I'm hoping Jake's will be the same, it's tomorrow.
I am 1 month into my 500 hour yoga certification and in order to be done before we move, I've had to hit the ground running. I take 4 hours of classes a week. This doesn't sound like much until....
I also attend one class per week to "audit" the teacher and see how they do things, and I assist one INTRO to yoga class on Saturdays, which starting in two weeks, I will then be teaching.
Continuing on the crazy yoga life line, I've started my volunteer yoga hours out with a bang by teaching 6 PE classes every week during February at Daybreak Elementary. This wouldn't be too crazy but some of the teachers doubled up their PE time so any given Monday finds me teaching yoga to 47 3rd graders in the gym. While I have grown to love it, I was mentally un-glued when I first started this.
I have also started a "ward Yoga" group on Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings for the ladies in my ward and this I'm looking forward to like nobody's business! I taught these lovely girls once before and it was probably the coolest thing I've done, so I'm excited for that experience.
Jake's sick, again. I just don't know what is up with that kid!
It's all just crazy-ness and after tomorrow with the last class party, and after I'm done with the kid yoga in 2 weeks, things will be much easier. It has all led to speculation by yours truly if it's worth it. And here's what I've come up with:
My time is truly the most valuable thing I own. I get very territorial over my time and feel very put out if I don't get to use it as I see fit. This usually includes a fair amount of time to read a good book (Currently working on "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle, if you haven't read it, oh man are you missing out!), plenty of time for lunch, breakfast, and dinner dates with Brian, lots of time with the kids playing Monopoly and reading together (we are currently on book 5 of The Chronicles of Narnia), and time for things I love like sewing, yoga, shopping....basically I like my time and I use for mostly pleasurable purposes. This month I have learned the "joy" of sacrifice and it hasn't been easy but I can say that it has been rewarding in a way that nothing else is.
I can honestly say I will never after this month, teach children yoga again. They love doing it, and it's good for them, but their level of energy is one I have yet to keep up with. I also love the quiet, Yin side of yoga, not the crazy, wobbly, laughing side of kid yoga. I can also honestly say that I will never find an experience to equal what teaching children has taught me. The honestly on a child's face while lying in Savasana and picturing "feeling loved, feeling happy, and feeling safe" was humbling. The energy that swirls around them when you ask them to picture any color they love covering them like a blanket was stunning to the point of knocking me off my feet figuratively. They have their own little sets of worries that seem like the world to them, but when I ask them to visualize letting go of their trouble as they breathe out while lying on their backs with their little eyes closed, you can see them visibly relax. When they come up and hug me after class and tell me that was the best class they've ever had. When a little kid waits until his class in walking out the door to come over and cry on my shoulder as he says thank you, yes, it's worth it.
If I'm going to be completely honest here, I do like class parties. I love the noise and the organized chaos. I dig hearing that chorus of "Thank you Mrs. Gough" at the end of the day. I like the bright colors and smell of frosting, combined with the sounds of kid music and shouts of BINGO! It's just fun. It's the planning I hate!
So while this month is one I would hope never to repeat, it's been a learning experience, a lesson in sacrifice, and time management. I wore my pj's to pick up my Bountiful Basket and go to the grocery store yesterday and I didn't for one minute feel bad about it! (not that I would normally) I don't usually head out in fuzzy socks and crazy looks but I seriously didn't have time to do otherwise. It was liberating! So I suppose I've also learned that some things are more important to spend you time on than others. And if you're wondering, yes I skipped Valentines wall paper on the blog because:
1. We all know I don't change the paper enough to hit every holiday, so I got a head start!
2. I have learned a lot, but it's time for February to be over!
Happy Valentines day everyone!
