P90X. Rose colored glasses. 81 years old. Clairee. Wow!
I am in awe. The strength, bravery and commitment of others for their health amazes me. Age is not a number. It is all in the attitude.
So, I went off to an 8:30 a.m. Saturday class because my idea of sleeping in is 7:00 a.m. A little nervous, of course, as I was running late and I hate, hate, hate to be in the front for this particular class. I’m still not as confident as I want to be with certain exercises like burpees and jumps. I am smart and I don’t do those. I modify. I got there and got my spot in the back. I talked myself up. I won’t do anything I do not feel comfortable doing. No shame to that – I remind myself that I just had two hips fixed and I’m on the upswing. “DO NOT do anything to mess it up” says the voice sitting on my shoulder.
Class starts and I spy an older woman in the front row. She has silver hair and exercise gear that does not look like the typical apparel that most wear to this type of class. I need to say this again, “She is in the front row!” She does not care if the average age of the students is something ridiculous like 25.
I began thinking about her recipe for hope! She has had almost 30 more years than me to perfect her recipe. I need to get mine just right so why not figure out what ingredients she uses that I might be missing.
Just based on my observations of her this morning, I would guess that her recipe includes:
A dozen cups of sassiness
5 cups of persistence
24 fl. ounces of confidence
Sprinkled to taste with an “I can do anything I want” attitude.
And a dash of “I will do this as long as it suits me”.
And..she did. She did the exercises until she was ready to be done. On her terms. She left about half way through class with a smile on her face. I smiled at her as she left and told her, “great job!” I then noticed her rose colored glasses.
No, really. She had rose colored glasses. Literally and, most likely, figuratively too!
I also appreciated what I might need to add to my own recipe is more confidence and a dash of “I will do this as long as it suits me”. I have never been concerned about my cups of sass or persistence. I may need to measure my “I can do anything I want attitude” a little better (sometimes I may add too much).
Her recipe encouraged me.
Go find chefs or bakers to imitate. Make connections. Be observant. Be willing to change your recipe to find the perfect taste of “hope” for your palate.
Clairee, thanks for the recipe suggestions!
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