Surprise Achievement!

Last week was weird. I dealt with stomach issues and was reduced to eating the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast) for a few days while I let my stomach calm down. Not having my proper nutrients exhausted me - I love my veggies and protein! My fatigue and stomach symptoms may also have been a small stomach bug going around, since some of my little patients had been sick that week.

Nonetheless, I decided to try a new workout studio on Tuesday, and quite enjoyed it. It was a pilates class that also combined some ballet components, while being a bit more high-energy than a typical barre class. I had been feeling so exhausted that day, but I decided to go anyway. Fortunately for me, it was one of those days that working out made me feel better, not worse.

Using the same principle, I decided not to skip my aerial silks class Wednesday night. I felt a bit better than the previous day, so I figured it couldn't be all that bad. I was wrong. After a few good climbs and a lot of breaks, I got pretty woozy up 30 feet in the air on the silks, and decided to call it a night a little early for my own health and safety. When I went up to my coach to let her know I wasn't feeling so great and was going to dip out early, she gave me an unexpected boost. My aerial coach told me that I was ready to move up from her beginner class to her intermediate class!

I was truly elated! There I was, feeling lightheaded and breathless and looking forward to just collapsing on my couch, and suddenly I felt so strong, so skilled, so graceful, so accomplished. After 3 months at the beginner level - learning to tape and splint my hands so I could grip the silks without subluxing my fingers, building the core and shoulder strength to successfully and safely connect series' of skills, and trying to remember terminology and sequences from week to week - I was finally ready to progress to the next level. Moving up to intermediate had not even been on my radar; I was so focused on just improving as much as I could, without any true measurement of my progress.

There are few feelings in the world that I love as much as the one of achieving a physical feat. Especially on a day that I did not trust my body, it felt so rewarding to have my progress on such a challenging physical task recognized and pointed out to me. I am prepared to be back at the bottom of the class when I move up, and I can't wait to have the stronger, more experienced aerialists in the class to motivate me in my aerial journey.

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