Hey, Renee here. (Pilates in Holland’s Creative Lead)
I have been really struggling with my focus. I cannot concentrate or work for long periods of time. Part of it is all the turmoil going on in our lives right now. Part of it is that I haven’t been in a workplace for a year. Last May I left my job of 7 years in preparation for a 5 month trip to Europe with my 2 kids and husband during his sabbatical. At the time, I really needed a break from non-stop pressures at work and looked forward to figuring out what I would do next. I spent until December being our travel agent, but mostly traveling and doing what I wanted, when I wanted.
When we returned and Mandy approached me about being the Creative Lead at Pilates in Holland, it seemed like the perfect transition: working for a place that I love and believe in on a part-time basis where I set my own hours.
I was just learning to set work/home boundaries and get into a groove when Corona hit. After a brief stint of working MANY hours a day troubleshooting and setting up virtual options with Mandy, things slowed down. And with it, so did my productivity. I was working on coming back to that work/home groove (setting alarms, making goals, moving more). And then I broke my foot. It’s healing slowly, but I feel stuck.
Now we’re also inundated with all these big decisions. Questions about our oldest, Cate, starting at Oberlin College next month. And will our son, Ian, who will be a junior at West Ottawa next year go in person or on-line? And should we try to see our elderly parents who have been wanting a visit? How can we keep the studio going until Michigan gets to Phase 5? When will we ever get to Phase 5??
And then a friend shared a video from a pediatrician about parents struggling with school choices. She affirms that there is no right answer. The decision you come to IS the right decision. And that is true for so many decisions we feel anxious about right now. Everything is figureoutable. There is no right or wrong (SO hard to come to terms with for this Type A personality!).
So today I’m leaning into the 30 – 30 – 30 challenge. I will do my 30 pushups and some BrainSpeed work (check out this great video!) to get my brain and body going.
(I did the video through once, then paused it and did other exercises following the pattern on the card. Find lots more movement options on our YouTube Channel.)
I will meditate as part of the Ten Percent Happier 21 day challenge, and I will commit to working for 2 hours (hopefully without interruption, but this IS real life ;)). And tomorrow I will get on my mat with a bunch of wonderful people at 9 am and do it all over again.
I hope you will join us too, whether it’s live or later in the day. The next 4-week Core Community Virtual Mat session begins August 4. Email Mandy to sign up. She is also offering 2 more Pilates Around the Porch classes in August, now starting at 9 am! Click here to sign up for August 8 or 22 or both!
