Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey

Happiness is never meeting a stranger…

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Would you believe that I almost forgot that I was supposed to have a Happiness Thursday post?  And then…I went to Food Lion.  Still with me?

Okay.  Let me explain.  Food stores, as they call them in the south, make me happy to begin with.  I’m not sure what it is.  I suspect it’s all that food, all those ingredients, the promise of an incredible meal once I get home and throw it all together.  Ahhh.

Last night, however, it was something else.  I was already in a great mood.  We were going to be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  And my guy is very Irish.  He’s so Irish that we’re contemplating a truly Irish wedding.  Being able to spend that time with him is special to me.

So, I was trying to make his life easier by going to the store to pick up the last few necessary ingredients for the perfect evening with our Bubble family.  And among those ingredients…Guiness.

Now, I don’t know much about Guiness…except that I once owned some Guiness jammies that I wore only for him and were the casualty of my cleansing ceremony when I moved out.  Aside from that, I stood there, one ingredient shy of the last item on the list and contemplated which of the Guiness products was coming home with me.

Finally, I was standing in line.  There was a woman in front of me and a Bubble fringe dweller in front of her.  And the fringe dweller and I have a…tainted history…which should be left for another time…if ever.  Now he is also Irish.  And somehow if just seemed like karma would frown on me if I ignored him on his day of days.  So, as he was leaving, I sucked it up and  said…

me: Bye, John!  Enjoying your holiday?

And he, thankfully, did not come over, but instead joked from afar for a minute.  That was sufficient.  And karma smiled on me.  The woman in front of me turned to study my items on the conveyor belt.

lady: So, you’re a Guiness drinker?

me: No, but apparently it’s the key ingredient in Irish Car Bombs.  And I’ve never had those before, but we’re having them tonight.

benevolent Irish man: Oh, no!  Not that Guiness.  You want this Guiness.

And he produced the other Guiness that I hadn’t grabbed.  And then he explained why his was the one I was supposed to get.  And he said something about ping pong balls which made me contemplate was I supposed to get those, too?

Next thing you know, I have switched out my Guiness and I’m about to pay.  The benevolent Irish man must have noticed the engagement ring on my finger, since the conversation continued.

bIm: Hey, I just got engaged.

me: Me too!  Valentine’s Day!

bIm: 10 minutes ago!  We’re really Irish.

Next thing you know, we’re talking about our Irish wedding plans.  And he’s offering suggestions for the best Irish days to marry.  And I’m talking about plaids and kilts.  Before you know it, he’s hugging me as I head out on my way.

I love this town.  I love the people.  I love that somehow, random acts make things right.  I love that kindness counts and strangers can look out for each other.  I love that it only takes these little acts to restore my faith in humanity.  See how easy it is to find happiness if only you seek it?

Quick Karma:

• practice generosity of spirit
  

Posted in Health and Beauty | 8 Comments »

Hey, Mom! I’m a Pole Dancer.

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

Certainly, those are words that every mother fears hearing from her daughter.  Don’t worry, I’ll still be maintaining my amateur status.  This is not the way I plan on filling the void in my bank account.

My struggles with weight loss are legendary.  I’ve been looking for something fun to do, something that I could stick with, something that I would feel like I had actually worked out after.  In the end, I turned to a class that may seem a tad controversial but is actually very fun…and effective.

Yup.  Check out Pole Dance Charlotte at

http://www.poledancecharlotte.com

I highly recommend it.  Donna has talked about going with me, but she’s out of town right now, enjoying Sumter.  And I just couldn’t put it off any longer.  Not only that, but I can’t have my workouts dependent on whether or not I have a workout buddy.  I have to be stronger and more determined than that.

Last night I signed up.  S and I had been talking about me taking the classes for a few weeks.  At first I worried over his reaction.  Instead, he was highly supportive, his only concern whether or not there would be other guys there that I would be using to practice my lap dances on.  (No, baby.)

Well, I showed up for the sampler class that started at 11am.  I decided that if I liked the half hour class, I’d sign up for the monthly membership which allows me to take as many classes as I want.  The class after was an hour long Pole Dance 101 session.  And if I could still move, hard core as I am, I’d stay for Sensual Seduction, a class that involved lap tease, floor and wall work.

I’m so glad I went.  I can barely move now, but I know that it will be worth it.  I made some new friends…or at least acquaintances.  And I worked the heck out of my body while developing some useful seduction skills.  (Every woman should have some in her bag of tricks.  For me, it’s about stinking time.)  The music was great, as were the instructions for how to work with the music.  (Don’t follow the beat!)

The instructor was great in every respect.  She taught with patience and understanding, helping us build confidence.  She was really encouraging, which I thrive on.  And she had an amazing body (which gives me hope) and mad skills (which I hope to develop).

Now picture me, late thirties, short, curvy, and clumsy.  There is not a graceful or sexy bone in my body.  Remember, Michael says I’m built for comfort.  I learned some things about myself today.  I went in there with the attitude that I wasn’t gong to hold back.  I wasn’t going to be shy and self-conscious.  I was spending money and I needed to take it seriously.  The end result: I’m a natural.  I can really work a pole!  I learned at least four different spins and lots of transitional moves.  I really liked it.  And the best part: there was no need for me to be self-conscious.  We pick stage names for the class.  Mine: Sassy!  (I thought it up all by myself.)

I have some goals now.  I want to master…everything.  The spins are especially fun.  I hope to build my confidence in my body.  And…I want my name tag on the ceiling.  I will conquer that pole!  (Just give me a couple of weeks.)

S has been looking around the house, periodically pointing out places where he might install a pole for me.  It was a joke at first, but now I’m serious.  And I have a huge surprise in store for him.  ‘Black Velvet’  is one of his favorite songs.  He thinks it’s stupid sexy and is dying for me to sing it to him.  I’m going to raise the performance to the next level.  The instructor used it as some of the background music for class.  I’m so going to put together a dance to it.  He’d better just hold onto his seat.  I’m gonna rock his world.

And ladies, if you live in Charlotte, I look forward to seeing you at the studio.  If you live in other cities, look up the pole dancing classes.  Two big thumbs up!

http://www.poledancecharlotte.com

Posted in Health and Beauty | 8 Comments »

Best exercise…

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Okay.  I have never pretended to be the all-knowing exercise guru.  I have tried more programs over the years than I can count on both hands.  And I’ve had some mixed results.

Please take a moment and let me know what exercise regimens you’ve had the best results from.

Here’s what I’m looking for:

• fast results
• no longer than forty-five minutes a day (I cannot get up any earlier in the morning)
• burns fat
• tones muscle
• does not involve a ridiculous amount of skill or coordination (I’m clumsy and low skill)

Let me know!

Posted in Health and Beauty | 14 Comments »