I can’t believe this is my final February FIGS post. Maybe I’ll keep up some kind of gratitude practice here on the blog, because I do think articulating things I appreciate makes me better appreciate them!
SATURDAY 2/22 My Teens class went well. It was the first time I didn’t have to look at a lesson plan because I was teaching what we did in General class just two days before. The 11yo went home early so I got to focus on my own training for two hours. We watched Uncharted as a family, which is a ridiculous movie but a lot of fun (the 11yo is playing the video game right now, and the 14yo loves Tom Holland).
SUNDAY 2/23 The 11yo and I went down to the mall I spent a significant portion of my life in during high school to pick up a LEGO set that has been out of stock since November! I wanted to get him this LEGO Fortnite Battleship set for Christmas, and then for earning his red belt, but it’s been sold out until now. They just got them in on Friday, so I was stoked we could get it that weekend. We also ate out, and it’s always nice to chat with the 11yo, who is not as chatty as his sister. The 14yo got to have friends over partly while we were away and partly while the 11yo build the LEGO set.
MONDAY 2/24 I was NOT prepared for work and it was kind of spectacularly bad, the culmination of which was when I realized my coffee had tipped over on my desk, and a bunch of papers were drenched. I had to throw so much away. The whole day at work kind of sucked, except both my 1A classes invented their first stories and both were actually really good! Sometimes they don’t come together, but these first two were a lot of fun. I kind of rocked the evening (the husband was at a work event), and I appreciated that after dropping so many balls at work earlier. It was nice to not have anything to do or anywhere to go, after a busy weekend.
TUESDAY 2/25 A much better day at work. I felt pretty decent at sparring. I might – just might! – be on the far edge of the plateau I’ve been navigating at the dojo. It’s hard to feel like you’re putting so much time in, and not improving, but last night I got glimmers of progress. Fingers crossed!
WEDNESDAY 2/26 It was a BEAUTIFUL day. Low 70s! Even in the city! To be clear, the low 70s in a warm day in the summer here, so it was very much appreciated. I told the 14yo I would pick her up from swim, and I realized the timing would be perfect for me to run at the Great Highway, then pick her up. So I did! There are still cars on the Great Highway during the week, which I didn’t realize (but was not bummed out about, I do not think it needed to be turned into a park), but there is a nice trail right next to it so I ran there. The weather was gorgeous – I was perfect in shorts and a tank top.
I was going to offer to take the 14yo to In-n-Out, then she asked and was THRILLED when I said yes. It was nice to make her happy. At home I really didn’t want to do my Strong Glutes program, and was kind of devastated when I realized it was 33 mins long, but I knew I’d want to do it less tomorrow. When I started the video, I was informed that it was the last routine! I finished all six weeks (for me eight, because I repeated both weeks 1 and 2) of the program! I will say, it’s made a huge difference. I was absolutely not activating my glutes before, and now I feel that when I do any lower body movements. I’m so glad I bought the program, and that it has helped relieve my piriformas pain. I still have some tight TFL and psoas stuff going on, but the piriformas syndrome is gone. I need to figure out what I’m going to do maintain this hard one glute strength and activation.
THURSDAY 2/27 WHAT A DAY! There was a massive accident on 101 in the morning (a 16 wheeler jack knifed across three lanes and spilled 160 gallons of diesel fuel on the roadway) and it took me 1.5 hours to get to work. At one point after I screamed a couple expletives into the void, I almost immediately thought thank goodness my commute isn’t like this every day. And honestly, that thought was genuine because so many people in the Bay Area have incredibly long commutes where bad traffic is unavoidable and I do not have that kind of commute at all. It used to be bad when I lived in a more central area of the city, (and I wondered many times a year if I could keep it up), but now that we live on the south side it’s super easy to get to and from work. I feel like having that genuine moment of gratitude during an incredibly unpleasant and stressful (I was almost late for work) episode, is absolutely the fruit of my gratitude practice this month. And that I was grateful for my own gratitude! I love that kind of cycle!
Also this patch I got for my new gi came early, so I was able to sew it on last night! Now I can wear it on Saturday (the patch was originally supposed to come on Saturday).
FRIDAY 2/28 This morning I’m thankful that I got a spot in the parking lot right outside my classroom, despite leaving later than I had intended to. I’m excited to see some now-retired colleagues today at a work happy hour, and am very grateful I get to go despite my daughter’s first high school swim meet (she didn’t want me to go because she doesn’t think parents go to these things – it’s also really early (4pm!) and at a pool totally across town, so it would have been really hard to get to on time from my work). I’m so grateful that it’s Friday, because this week steam rolled all of us, and I’m so tired and am looking forward to the weekend.
A big thank you again to Elizabeth for prompting me, and so many of us, to Find Joy in Gratitude this month. I really do think it made a difference for my outlook and mood. If you want to read other blogger’s FIGS from this past month, you can see Fresh Figs round ups from Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3 on Elizabeth’s blog.
