Polar Bear Superhero

Y’all. These cold mornings are not for everyone. Me, I’m everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I love cold weather and sweatshirts and fleece blankets. But my autopilot hasn’t caught up that I can’t just walk out of the gym in a wet swimsuit anymore.

I had a beautiful dream last night. The kind of dream most people would forget, but not me. I dreamed that I washed dishes in the sink by hand. Are you scratching your head? You may not understand why the heck I’d find such a mundane dream so beautiful. Let me explain. I used to really enjoy washing dishes by hand. Rinsing them off and watching the grime slowly melt or chip away was like a front row seat at a magic show for my ADD; I’ve always loved water (if you couldn’t tell by now) so the swishing and swashing and running water were soothing; and I looooved how clean and soft my hands and nails were when I finished. I haven’t been able to stand at a sink and wash dishes in about 4 or 5 years because of my back and wrists. This dream brought me great joy. I hope I’m not far from being able to do the dishes again.

I woke up at 4am with my wrists banshee screeching at me. I finally broke down this morning and ordered a pair of wrist splints to wear to bed. The pain was too intense to even hold my dumbbells this morning. It didn’t stop me though. I still got dressed and headed out the door. I grabbed my hoodie and a towel as I walked out, still in autopilot, and drove to the gym. I arrived and parked, and my brain finally turned on as I saw a dark and empty gym. It’s Saturday. It’s 4:58am and they don’t open until 7. I deflated in my chair like a slowly leaking balloon… ::hisssssssss:: until I was a pile of poor posture and limp noodles. I could either drive 40 minutes back home, or I could sit there for 2 hours and wait for them to open. I knew if I drove home, I wouldn’t come back, so I waited.

I played on my phone, chatted with Star, did some Disney planning, scrolled Facebook, and involuntarily dozed off for about 15 minutes. Woke up at 7:05 and opened the car door before the final piece of my brain lit up and realized I didn’t bring any clothes to change into after the pool and it was 40 degrees outside. Aaaaaaggghhhhhhh. I didn’t even pause to think about how that was going to play out later, I just marched in and got into the water after quick pictures. I did my workout with noodles instead of dumbbells and some high intensity cardio then went to shower in hot water before attempting the walk out to my car. I hesitated for a long time, texting my Nan how I can never seem to remember everything I need every morning, always leaving something behind. I waited 20 minutes before I finally decided to tuck my towel into my top like a cape and power walked through the cold like a polar bear superhero. I sat shivering in the car as I waited for it to warm up. I imagine the faces on those I passed on my way home were bemused by my October bikini, but I wouldn’t know because I surely didn’t look.

I am home and thawed now, with another full day of housework ahead of me, hence the early post. I’m proud of myself for not letting pain, weather, forgetfulness of embarrassment stop me from giving my body my best today! I wanted to show off my hoodie, one of my new clearance-haul items that fits now and is perfect for my attitude, as well as my caped escapades that graced the gym and all the soccer parents out in the parking lot this morning.

Have a great Saturday and be your best today!