See Carrie’s short demonstration of a PNF stretch (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) performed in a chair.
Touching base with Carrie
So here we are, two months since the province enforced emergency measures due to SARS-COV-2. It’s all starting to feel more like routine, is it not? Staying home for days on end, meeting each other over the internet, a trip to the grocery store being executed as if it were a complex military operation; it’s almost feeling…normal?
When this new “normal” was first imposed upon us, I remember running the whole gamut of human emotions. We’re still trudging along and those of us lucky enough to still be healthy, we are getting through it day by day. That is one thing I have had to change in my outlook, just take it one day at a time instead of planning my life weeks/months/years ahead.
There is a lot that I miss about life pre-COVID-19. However what has been getting me through each day is remembering to be thankful for what I have now. These are a few of the things that make up that list.
Things that I am thankful for:
- My cat, my constant companion and source of entertainment. You may have seen her pop into view from time to time when I stream Restorative classes from my home. She is getting used to seeing you, clients, through the computer screen and visiting her through the internet. I am sure that she is also happy to have me spending much more time with her.
- This brings us to the second thing on this list: Time. This item has subsections as time can be a greatly overarching topic, but I have divided them as follows:
- Time to read, a very welcome distraction from today’s reality. All this extra time has afforded me the ability to read books for fun and not just texts related to my work, but I have been enjoying a couple of those as well.
- Time to cook and bake, I love cooking and baking. Twenty years ago I took a couple of Culinary Arts courses at George Brown College. Once upon a time I was at a crossroads in life and I made a decision to leave my pharmaceutical job. I surveyed my friends. I asked them, “Do you see me as a chef or as a Pilates teacher?” They unanimously voted for Pilates teacher. Thankfully I agreed with them because knowing what I now know about the professional culinary world (Hello, Anthony Bourdain! Rest in peace) I would have been eaten alive. However these essential life skills have never been more important. Cooking and baking are my prayer and meditation and I am very happy to have more time to nourish myself and those I care for.
- Time for creativity, related to point (A), I am reading a book that teaches one how to draw. It occupies my hands and challenges my brain.
- Music and Magnum P.I.: Two seemingly unrelated items, but they belong together here. It seemed like everything was bad news on the radio and TV and it became too overwhelming for me. So I switched to a radio station that played music that I could sing along with and dance to. After two weeks of watching the Prime Minister exit his cottage to give the daily COVID updates I stumbled upon a TV channel showing reruns of the original Magnum P.I. at the exact same time as the government’s daily briefings. The national networks have now ceased broadcasting the daily updates, but I am still watching Magnum P.I.
- Which brings me in a roundabout way to Hawaiian Hula, seeing as Magnum was filmed in Hawaii. My hula classmates have organized meet-ups over Zoom for us to practice our dances. It is like a weekly getaway of sorts to the tropical islands.
- Community: The Retrofit community of leadership, staff and teachers. I am glad to be on the same “ship” with you all, but not a cruise ship right now because, well you don’t need me to tell you why. To the clients, I am grateful to see your familiar faces and feel your presence through my computer screen. I have been thankful to be able to stay connected with you all.
So that, folks, is my list of things for which I am thankful. There are likely some items that I have forgotten and more that I will eventually add as these days continue. If that’s the case I will let you know when we meet again, in real life
