Moves Not Quite Like Jaggar

Contrary to the title of my blog, I will not always talk about nursing. Sometimes I will just be wordy AND some weeks just don’t lend themselves to nursing reflections. So far this week, many of my patients had abscesses. This is one of those topics that is probably better left untouched – possibly figuratively and literally. So, I will keep my thoughts on abscesses - although I DO have some -  to myself but now you are left to random ramblings.

I am a jogger. I like the simplicity of the sport. All I need is a pair of shoes and some motivation. When I run I feel like Steve Prefontaine. I FEEL fast, strong and confident – at least for the first ½ mile. I am always surprised when I get home and see a disheveled, red-faced, possibly middle-aged woman looking back. That’s not how I picture myself when I run. So, even though I may be kidding myself about the grace and strength I embody when I run, I still like it. The night shift job has made finding time to run more challenging. I decided that I might need to find an alternative exercise that accommodates this schedule better – something for the rainy nights when I am finally not tired but don’t want to go out in the darkness.

I have always thought Zumba sounded intriguing. Just like I fancy myself an elite track star when I am running, I like to imagine that I could be an amazing Latin dancer with some effort. When my very cool 70-year-old father-in-law told me that he does Zumba for seniors at the gym I decided it was time to give it a try. I am not totally delusional so I got Zumba for the Wii rather than sign up for a class. Last I checked, I don’t actually have ANY South American heritage so even though I fancy myself fairly coordinated, I knew the first experience might not quite be worthy of a public forum. 

It was a big deal in our house when Zumba came home. Audrey laid out the mats and put on her workout clothes. Even Mason was going to give it a try. And then it started. It is HARD. Sadly, I am not a Latin dancer. Turns out, I am really not even that coordinated. Mason threw in the towel early and seemed to be a little embarrassed that his mom was even attempting to move like the lady on t.v. Audrey and I tried to stick it out but pretty soon Audrey discovered that you don't have to actually follow the steps for the Wii to record your effort and for the trainer to say “great work” and “you got it.” So, while I tried madly to master the basic steps, Audrey danced like a crazy woman. At first I snapped at her and told her that we had to do it the right way if we were ever going to learn it but after about 5 more minutes of attempting things that my body will not do, I found myself turning to Audrey and saying, “Audrey, just dance.” 

I guess I need to buy some neon for those rainy nights that I will be out running.