Day 37 -- Reality

My youngest woke up with a fever this morning, which meant taking her to the doctor this morning instead of taking her to school and then heading to Brook's 9am Bikram yoga class.

I felt discouraged about the shuffle and about life in general, so I went online to see if I could find anyone else who had chronicled their 60-day challenge. Success! I was interested to read Aimee Macovic's chronicle, since she practices in Austin, Texas--which is where my Bikramite brother-in-law lives. And then we left for the pediatrician's office.

So. Instead of Standing Head to Knee, I practiced Standing in Line for a Chest X-Ray (to rule out pneumonia). I figured I'd go to the 4:30 class once my six-year-old was back in bed with her teenage sisters to keep an eye on her.

But the installation of our new home security system ran very long (still going on, in fact). And we got school progress reports today, and a couple of people needed a reality check regarding grades. And on and on and on.

No yoga today. I'm back to needing to do three doubles in order to complete the Sixty-Day Challenge. I plan to do one on Wednesday, one on Friday, and (if I'm not dead) possibly one on Thursday. If I can't make Thursday work due to extreme fatigue, I'll go for another next Wednesday.

I knew this would happen, this reality thing. I've got five kids in three different schools (not counting the two who are away at college); the system breaks down every once in a while, and my family is my first priority. I'll get back to class tomorrow. I already miss it.

Day 16 -- Best-Laid Plans

Well, I had planned to do a double today. It's Spring Break for my kids, so except for my 16-year-old's early morning swim practice, the day was pretty unstructured.

I went to the 11am class. Brook taught; it was awesome. I've come to terms with the fact that Bikram class will never not be hard, and I'm even looking forward to the daily challenge of getting through the postures with grace and serenity. Fixed Firm pose went great today! And after it was over, I savored my slushy Vitamin Water on the way home.

(Pro tip: get your favorite flavors of Vitamin Water at the warehouse store. Put them in the deep freezer. Before class, take one out and take it into class with you. By the end of 90 minutes at 105 degrees, it'll be thawed enough to be Slurpee-ish. I never drink the VW in class; it's my treat for the car ride home. Plain ice water is all I want/need during the class itself.)

I came home and took a nap, ate, and hydrated, planning to go back to the 4:30 class. (We have Family Night on Monday nights, so later classes weren't an option.) I felt rested and serene and ready.

And then at 3:30, my six-year-old, Anne, ran across the hardwood living room floor in her socks, slipped, and face planted. Chin to floor. Split it right open. After I iced it for a couple of minutes, I could tell it would need stitches, so off we went to the Emergency Room.

Even though we got right in, the visit took nearly three hours. But Anne was a trooper, and the doctors and nurses were very kind and competent. I felt calm and completely not anxious. Anne and I read and played clapping games and talked about our upcoming trip to Disneyland. She's resting comfortably at home now, and I just ordered pizza.

Sometimes life takes over, and you just have to go with it. I can try again for a double on Friday or Saturday. It'll happen.