High School me…

Loved the theater…had a bit part freshman year…called Fall Down…basically in the chorus but every time coming on stage…actor me…fell down…earning bruised knees…and lots of laughs…

Next year…played Little Mary Sunshine…the next year…supporting roles in Princess and the Pea and others…speech and drama…was her thing…

Senior year…got a different director…young…female…new to the school…auditioned for the play…lots of roles…didn’t get a part…was devastated…heartbroken…

Met with her…crying…not begrudging those that got parts…but asked why not be included at all…her response…you had a bad audition…then finished with…I know girls like you…that always get what they want…that’s not going to happen with me…

And there it was…honesty…have to appreciate that…had no words really…but did part with…you don’t know me…you don’t know me…at all…

And so it is…in life…there are gonna be haters…some may be warranted…others out of your control…but those…you didn’t see coming…

It’s not about you…because they…don’t know you…really know you…and maybe…they don’t deserve to…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

Chair Yoga…

Was to die for…in a good way…a very good way…almost skipped it…but those weightlifting sets…finished exactly…at yoga time…

Instructor introduced himself…explained his philosophy…chair yoga…is Hatha Yoga…adapted so a chair can be used for support…

New Gal sat in the back…avoid the mirror…watch how it’s done…twas a large friendly group…but serious…very serious…a very serious group…of yoganators…

Had to laugh…not as quietly as required…bombing the bridge…annihilating the warrior…making eye contact with the guy to the right…

Which means one of us…was facing…the wrong way…

But it was exhilarating…felt good…rocked the tree pose…a long time family favorite…established a New Gal baseline…set goals…for the days to come…

And felt empowered…that shirt of a fellow yoganator…saying it all…

Attitude…the difference between an ordeal…and…an adventure…and this…was one grand…old gal…adventure…
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And that accountability buddy of mine…surely agrees…

This old gal…

Loves learning new things…those visits to the physical therapist…becoming a science lesson…explanations and visuals…on how this works…how that works…how doing this affects that…how doing that…hurts…

That PT calling out those inflexible hamstrings…saying…you know…they tighten up when you drive…and cause hip pain…

Angels sang…bells rang…hip pain…THE hip pain…that hits when driving…that HAS hit when driving…for the last 20 years…is caused…by this…

And so it was…time again to learn something new…a new-fangled machine…never noticed last year while at the Y…now recognized…as a stretcher…read the directions…gave it a go…too cool to use the safety straps…until common sense overrode pride…those hands slip…one of us…is going flying…embarrassingly so…

And this is not a lesson…old gal me…wants to learn…the hard way…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

Exercising me…

Had an epiphany of sorts…watching the mirror…lifting those 6 lb weights…

Realization hit…that there’d been a thought change…a paradigm shift…the reason for being there sweating…suddenly different…

Aerobics in the 90s…cardio and weightlifting after that…it was all about being attractive…looking good…and now…

It’s about surviving…literally…do or die time…lower that cholesterol…strengthen the core…the reason for that back injury tipping the scale…

Those back muscles…beautiful as they may be…can no longer support the pelvis…say what…seriously…muscles just quit on you…is that really a thing…

Apparently…

Should be empowering…but honestly…it’s scary…but what’s fear…if not…a motivator for change…

Change in perspective…change in exercise types…and maybe one of us will see…a little bit of change…around that blobby middle…

Cuz if blobsessed me is going to work out to survive…she wouldn’t mind looking good…doing it…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Blanched just a bit…at the phrase…chair yoga…

Does this old body…look like it needs chair yoga…chair…yoga…like it couldn’t handle regular yoga…the downward dog…or the upward cat…

Which…no doubt it couldn’t…was a dancer back in the day…had a tap solo once…could flip and flop those feet like you couldn’t believe…but when it came to tumbling…had no flexibility…backbends…walkovers…splits…forget it…

And now…that lack of motion…rears it’s ugly head…finding out from that PT of mine…back pain…hip pain…just need to stretch those hamstrings…

And so it is in life…listen to your body…ask questions…seek answers…listen to your medical professionals…and listen to little old ladies who love chair yoga…

They just might know…a thing or two…
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And that physical therapist of mine…would agree…

This old gal…

Fell off the wagon…the lazy bones wagon…the slugbug wagon…the wagon…of lethargy…

Started with announcing…the I shoulds…the maybe I wills…the I really need tos…go and exercise…finally headed to the Y…had been 8 months…since walking through those doors…that back injury…the humidity…one of us becoming…a couch potato…

Picked up some weights…the mind thinking she’s 40…the body…saying otherwise…things a little tighter…a little weaker…the task…just a little painful…

When what to the wondering ears should I hear…an invitation…from a new workout friend…hey…she says…come join chair yoga…it’s great…for old gals like us…and…she says with a wink…we have fun…lots…and lots…of fun…

And just like that…exercising struggle bus me…could just about see a bright side…to this new…old gal…exercising journey…
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And that friend of mine…would agree…

Those girls and I…

Wrapped up that quick visit…the quizit…saying good-bye to that brother of mine…his beautiful wife…all the pizza making friends…

Took a walk around the town square…just the three of us…trying to stretch the time…knowing good-byes were near…

The quizit…grew up with the quizit…lived for years…with the quizit…in the same town with family…grandmother…mother…pizza making brother…stop in and have a visit…short…brief…but like…almost every day…

Have to say…mama me…is not exactly a fan…of the quizit…when it comes to those ladies of hers…usually…given the distance…visits have been stays…for a few days…where there’s time…

To do…to say…all that needs to be done…all…that needs…to be said…

Maybe one day…if she’s lucky…one of us will win the lottery…and build a commune…where these birds of a feather…can flock…and be…together…forever…

Until then…mama me will be thankful…for every precious moment she’s given…but that doesn’t mean…an old gal can’t dream…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

Young me…

Felt embarrassed…because of her socks…junior high…1970s…oblivious of style…hadn’t really mattered…wore what was comfortable…wore…what that mother of mine sewed…

Until it was made clear…that to be cool…one had to be in the knee high club…and bobby sock wearing me…was not in the club…

And so it is…50 years later…old gal me…no longer cares…about sock style…nix on the no show…uh uh on the crew sock…still dons the nerdy bobbies…loudly…and proudly…

And goes so far as to give that kitty loving birthday girl…her own set of kitty cat cuffs…to which she surprisingly says…

You aren’t going to believe this Mom…but these socks…are back in style…

Back in style…rebellious bobby sock wearing me…out of style so long…she’s suddenly…back…in style…
how fun is that…how cool…is that…it just goes to show…that some things…just take time…a long long time…
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And that daughter of mine…agrees…

Mama me…

Met up with those girls of hers…at the favorite pizza place…chat a little…have some pie…celebrate a birthday…like so many have been celebrated there before…

Without question…the place to go…on the big day…can’t have a birthday memory…without a Pizza Place…birthday memory…

That student of mine…confiding he’d never been invited to a birthday party…he and his brothers…all guests…to birthday number 2…

Family parties…friend parties…late night just us and their uncle parties…aka year 15…celebrating the fact there was cake…lots and lots…and lots…of cake…

So this…this Pizza Place birthday…felt right…was right…that brother of mine joining in…like he always does…like we hope he does…

The birthday girl smiling…laughing…speaking words…that warm the heart…but make it ache…just a little…

Ahhh mems…she says…another Pizza Place birthday…just like all the others…

Mems indeed…sweet beautiful mems…indeed…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This Old Gal…

Drove around Old Town…before meeting up with those daughters of hers…see what’s changed…see…what hasn’t…

Grandma’s place first to say hello…looked the same…except the beloved bridal wreath…no longer there…

The house where little me grew up…new blue roof…that bush in the front…as old as 62 year old me…ginormously ginormous…but still…looked like home…

The rental on Elm Street…same fiberglass awnings…new screen door…the flowers those girls of mine planted…starting to bloom…

And sweet Old Pink…hasn’t really changed at all…except for the fence…surrounding the backyard…cutting out…that precious lilac tree…

And so it was…truly…a walk…or more like a drive…down memory lane…those homes a vessel…those walls…still watching…still hearing…still taking in…

But forever…keeping secrets…of little girl days…days of joy…days of fear…days of laughter…days…of love…
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And those little girls of mine…agree…