I realized that I haven’t been blogging, but I’m feeling like I need to start doing it again. I need to start sharing more about what I’m doing with Treehouse Village and how I’m coping living in a small town in Nova Scotia. I feel like I’m a completely different person than the person who started this blog.
The topic of this post is related to a decision that I made recently. I’ve been participating in this thing here they call “multisport” – the idea is that for 6 weeks, you get to experience a new sport each week. Each time, it is a two hour introduction to a sport. It is just enough to understand it and get a sense for what it is all about. The sports are sponsored by local clubs, so not only do you learn a new sport, you also learn how you can get involved if you want to. It is really about helping people get out and get active.
Last week the sport was pickleball. I had only recently heard of it, but it is a big thing around here. I had no idea what it was – just that it was some kind of raquette sport somewhat related to tennis, badminton, and table tennis. I really enjoyed it, to the point where I went out and found at least one place I could go an play it. If I decide I want to, I can go to beginners drop in pickleball at the Michelin Social Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2pm. However, my body didn’t really appreciate pickleball. I don’t know if it was just that I had the wrong kind of shoes, but my hips were not happy – and it took the better part of a week to fully recover (of course going on 3km walks on the beach didn’t really help the recovery process).
This week the sport was boxing. I remember from the summer session of multisport that I really enjoyed boxing. I went into it with an open mind but didn’t expect to like it. It had never occurred to me that it might be something that I’d enjoy. It turns out the local boxing club is a lot of fun. What is also interesting is the next day I didn’t feel bad. It seems to be a sport that my body actually likes!
In the summer, I noted that I really enjoyed boxing but didn’t give it another thought. The idea of a sport that is about fighting didn’t appeal to me – but I now realize that it wasn’t that. I was more concerned about what others might think if I mention that I’m boxing. I was more worried about what others might think than about what I actually think. The thing is, boxing gets a bad rap – where other sports which are also about fighting are scene more as working the mind and making a mind-body connection and all that – boxing is seen more as bar fighting – which it totally isn’t. I have now learned that a lot of it is about technique and patterns, and learning to focus and control your body.
After doing boxing for multisport this week, I decided I would give the regular classes a try. There is a fun “stress relief” class that is Mondays and Fridays at 4pm for an hour. When we did our boxing experience with multisport, it was two hours which really stretched my stamina. One hour is much more manageable for me at this point in time. So tonight I did it. I went to a regular class and I loved it. It felt so good to get out of the headspace I was in before the class and after an hour of focusing and punching things I felt a lot better.
When coming to the decision to go to a regular class, I realized that I was letting other peoples’ values (or my perception of other peoples’ values) get in the way of doing something that is good for me, and good for my body. If this is something that I enjoy and it is a class I’m willing to go to on a regular basis, then it is something that I should not be ashamed to do. And so, I’m doing it. I’m going to give it a try for a month or two and see where I’m at after that. If tonight’s class was any indication, I’m going to feel a whole lot better.
