Stress Relief (#btbc16)

Today was a long one, despite being on summer break.

Pup was sick last night, and then big boy Kosmo was sick around 2:30 am.  Since I’m the light sleeper, I was dealing with them both.  Finally Kos went back to bed and Georgie and I went to sleep on the couch, that way I’d know if he needed anything and Casey could sleep, since unlike me he still has to work during the summer (sucker!).

The couch is a love seat, which is decently comfy for a nap, but not so much for a good night’s sleep.  Georgie slept like a dog, of course.

He then proceeded to sleep most of today, which you would think would make for an easy day.  He was way less rambunctious than usual–I’m attributing it to getting over his tummy ache–and he basically slept for a few hours at a time.  On the couch. Near Wanda. (miracle!) Somehow it didn’t feel like a relaxing day though. I managed to be pretty productive while he was sleeping, but the to do list is still too long.

Anyway, due to lack of sleep and dealing with him this morning, I decided to skip morning kickboxing, my stop at school, and a potential donor of furniture for my classroom.  I canceled everything and then felt guilty about missing kickboxing.  I’ve been going for over a year now. It’s the only workout I’ve ever actually enjoyed.  Ever.

Then the schedule for next year came out through email.  Let’s just say I wasn’t super psyched.  My schedule isn’t bad, but the one thing I want more than anything is a zero period and no 7th period.  I’ve been asking for six years, and I thought for sure this would be the year.  But nope!

So I sat around and moped for a while.  Pouring over everyone else’s schedule, as though it makes any difference to me, whining about how it isn’t fair.

Then I got a text from my friend Thea to see if I was going to kickboxing at 5:30.  My gut reaction was “no! I’m grumpy, and sticky from being outside with dogs all day”.  Then I decided I should just suck it up and go.

So I did.  And thank goodness for that. It was exactly the therapy I needed to relieve my stress and put things in perspective.  There is just something about sweating it out that really works. Not to mention how awesome it is to punch and kick stuff!  And this isn’t some “Cardio kickboxing” class where you just punch the air or only work on a bag. Nope, we work one-on-one with the trainer, who trains UFC and MMA fighters, to learn technique while building muscle and endurance.  It’s hard. It’s fun. It makes you feel like a real bad ass.

I came home in a much better mood.  I realized that while I still want a zero period and will keep asking for it, my schedule is an improvement over this year’s, I’m teaching the same classes so I’m ready for that, and my two off periods are the two periods that don’t ever change if we have wonky schedules–so they’ll always be full periods. Whoop!

On that note, I’m going to go continue the novel I’m currently reading (Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews) feeling better about next year, having relieved some stress and toned some muscles.

Here is a video from kickboxing at the end of last summer.  I’d like to think I’m a bit better at it now) It’s always different, so you never know what you might be doing at any given class–if you can find a real MMA gym that has classes, take them! SO worth it!