Hey, two weeks in a row! And it's been a really good week.
Friday night, Heather and I went to the Improv Show. They have one every Friday night, but I'd never been before. This is unfortunate because I had a blast! This is a seriously untapped gem of Cedar City. They put on a great show. I will say however that it did very little to calm my nerves about what we might be doing in Improv Class this week.
Despite the snow and abhorrent weather, I was able to escape to sunny St. George and get in a good run this Saturday. It was even better because I got to run in Snow Canyon State Park. I figure any place that's cool enough to be named a state or national park is a place I want to spend time. And it was beautiful! I've been there a few times before, but I feel this time I was really able to appreciate it's beauty. I'd like to go back and actually hike some of the side trails instead of running the main trail.
Sometimes I really hate running. It's a hassle, it hurts, it's really freaking hard. But I also really love it. I love how it clears my mind. I love how I begin to appreciate my body and how it gets stronger with every mile. I love that step after step, I prove to myself that my willpower is stronger than the thoughts that tell me I can't do this or maybe I should just stop.
Monday night I started playing volleyball again. Cedar has a fall and spring adult league. My team killed it in the fall, so I'm very excited for this season. I'm playing with 3 of the same girls, so hopefully we'll fall back into a good rhythm. This week we beat both teams that we played, so we're off to a good start! Since I didn't play college ball, I didn't think there would be any opportunities for me to play competitively again, so I'm very excited for this.
That brings us to tonight. I went back to Improv class. If it's possible, I think I was more nervous/ anxious for this week than I was for last-- partly because I figured this would be the week I'd have to be on stage, and partly because the Friday night show really freaked me out. I was right about having to be on stage, but thankfully they built us up to that.
We started with a few group activities just to loosen everyone up. Then, we had to play The Game. Actual improv, on an actual stage, with actual people in the audience. And you know what, I'm really happy with how I performed! The game was that you knock on a door and the other person has to answer it, and you build the scene based on what the other person says and you just go with it.
Once I got out of my head and stopped thinking, I felt able to enjoy myself and the scene and just react! instead of taking the time to think about what might be 'right' or funny in this situation. My scenes were:
-I'm a vet and the person on the other side of the door has a dying bird.
-I open the door to a friend who showed up to my mother's funeral wearing jeans. I'm pissed.
-I'm a trick or treat-er and the old lady who answers the door doesn't have candy, but she does have green beans.
-I open the door to someone responding to my newspaper ad for a tiny bike.
They were all kind of dumb and funny, but they were made up on the spot and it was so much fun! And once I was on the stage not worrying about what to say, I also was not worrying about the audience and that was a great feeling. It's amazing how much more confident I felt afterward. I felt powerful and confident and just proud of what I'd done. Incredibly proud that I'd done something that scared the pee out me. Doing scary things is hard, but I think it's probably worth it.
Now I'm home, ready for bed, and looking forward to the week ahead.
What a life we live.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
I want to live.
How many times have I told myself that I need to get back to this blog?
Well, I'm back, for now. And I'll just get into it!
Lately I have been longing to feel alive.
This feeling came about one morning when I was out running on the canyon trail, here in Cedar. It's a beautiful trail that winds from the baseball fields to the edge of town, through a park and up the canyon. I love running this trail. On this particular day, I was running 6 miles, and I was dying because I hadn't been training like I should, but I was determined to stay on schedule. (even if that meant the longest I had run to date was only 4 miles.)
Anyway, I was running and I became acutely aware of my body and how it was moving and how incredibly proud I was of it for doing this. My body was putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. I was so in awe that I was capable of this, because just a year earlier, I wouldn't have even dreamed of running more than a mile. (I completed my first half marathon last September!)
I was in awe of my body, and I felt the sun on my skin, and I was in awe of nature and my place in it. How crazy is it that I am alive at this point in time? And I get to be here and do things that I enjoy because my body can take me places.
Maybe this isn't making a lot of sense, but it was a revelation to me in that moment.
The next day, I went hiking in Zion and I felt the same elation to be out in nature and to experience the beauty all around me. The next weekend, I went to Zion again, and I promised myself I would do as many things as I can fit into my schedule this year, because I'm here and I might not ever be here again, and I want to live while I can.
The second weekend in Zion, Katie and I hiked Observation Point. It's an 8 mile roundtrip with 2,000+ ft elevation gain. (This means it's a 4 mile uphill climb.) It was strenuous and I wanted to curl up in a ball after we were done, but it was the most incredible view at the top. There wasn't a single part of the hike that wasn't amazing. There were no boring stretches, because you never knew what was coming around the next bend. It's filled with sheer drops, slot canyons, and a nice stroll on the rim of the canyon. I can't wait to do it again!
Also, this may come as a surprise, but as I write this, I have just come home from my first Improv class. What?! I know. I'm still in shock. But it was so much fun! (And I'm low-key looking forward to class next Wednesday.) My friend Heather asked me if I would join her in the class, right before we sat through a 2 hr musical, and the only thing I was thinking about was the class and whether or not I should do it. The next day she asked again, and I got on the website to sign up before I could think too hard about it! On my way to class (and most of today), I was SO scared, but I did it. And I'm so proud of myself right now!
So that's what this blog is going to be. A journal of the hikes/festival/events/activities I partake in this year. Hopefully there will be so many!
What an adventure this will be!
Well, I'm back, for now. And I'll just get into it!
Lately I have been longing to feel alive.
This feeling came about one morning when I was out running on the canyon trail, here in Cedar. It's a beautiful trail that winds from the baseball fields to the edge of town, through a park and up the canyon. I love running this trail. On this particular day, I was running 6 miles, and I was dying because I hadn't been training like I should, but I was determined to stay on schedule. (even if that meant the longest I had run to date was only 4 miles.)
Anyway, I was running and I became acutely aware of my body and how it was moving and how incredibly proud I was of it for doing this. My body was putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. I was so in awe that I was capable of this, because just a year earlier, I wouldn't have even dreamed of running more than a mile. (I completed my first half marathon last September!)
I was in awe of my body, and I felt the sun on my skin, and I was in awe of nature and my place in it. How crazy is it that I am alive at this point in time? And I get to be here and do things that I enjoy because my body can take me places.
Maybe this isn't making a lot of sense, but it was a revelation to me in that moment.
The next day, I went hiking in Zion and I felt the same elation to be out in nature and to experience the beauty all around me. The next weekend, I went to Zion again, and I promised myself I would do as many things as I can fit into my schedule this year, because I'm here and I might not ever be here again, and I want to live while I can.
The second weekend in Zion, Katie and I hiked Observation Point. It's an 8 mile roundtrip with 2,000+ ft elevation gain. (This means it's a 4 mile uphill climb.) It was strenuous and I wanted to curl up in a ball after we were done, but it was the most incredible view at the top. There wasn't a single part of the hike that wasn't amazing. There were no boring stretches, because you never knew what was coming around the next bend. It's filled with sheer drops, slot canyons, and a nice stroll on the rim of the canyon. I can't wait to do it again!
Also, this may come as a surprise, but as I write this, I have just come home from my first Improv class. What?! I know. I'm still in shock. But it was so much fun! (And I'm low-key looking forward to class next Wednesday.) My friend Heather asked me if I would join her in the class, right before we sat through a 2 hr musical, and the only thing I was thinking about was the class and whether or not I should do it. The next day she asked again, and I got on the website to sign up before I could think too hard about it! On my way to class (and most of today), I was SO scared, but I did it. And I'm so proud of myself right now!
So that's what this blog is going to be. A journal of the hikes/festival/events/activities I partake in this year. Hopefully there will be so many!
What an adventure this will be!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)