“Safer at House” a.k.a. Lockdown
Day 4
Name the movie!
Right! Legally Blonde. Good job.
And as much as that movie is considered fluff, I love it. However, this post was inspired by a different movie. As I continue my Meryl-a-Thon, my selection the other day was Mamma Mia (2008) which, of course, the Meryl-ABBA-Christine Baranski-Julie Walters fan that I am, I have on Blu-ray.
I have seen it countless times, and I know it very well. So, it is one of those movies that as it plays I can watch some, listen some, as I am walking around cleaning, straightening, responding to emails, reorganizing my closet, washing dishes, and the such. And that is exactly what I was doing.
At times I would hear a line and know there was an upcoming scene or song I wanted to watch and would rush over to the TV. Other times I would hear something from the other room and smile or laugh knowing what was happening as I continued about my tasks.
If I’d thought about it, I’d know my ‘anthem’ would be coming eventually, but it hadn’t crossed my mind as I went about my to-do list. Apparently occupied with other thoughts, I was snapped out of my own head when I heard Tanya (Baranski) shout, “Well, grow back down!”, then Tanya and Rosie (Walters) in unison,”Screw’em if they can’t take a joke!”
Instantly I set down the pan I was washing and hurried into the living room, getting there just as the two women started singing.
/ You can dance /
/ You can jive /
/ Having the time of your life… /
Next I know, there I am, with my bright red rubber kitchen gloves still on my hands, slippers on my feet, in my little Hollywood apartment, dancing all around on the hardwood floor to my favorite song, Dancing Queen.
And I mean, I was DANCING! Not simply standing in one place kind of moving my upper body a little, and occasional hip side-to-side. I was in motion! Quickly, I moved some things out of the way because, once Donna (Streep) starts singing with them, they take the song to the streets and make their way to the dock, and along the way, they are joined, bit by bit, by the women of the town. And once there, all those fabulous women sing Dancing Queen and dance their hearts out. And yes, I know the moves, I can jive. And yes, though I didn’t sing loudly, I danced my heart out right along with them.
After the song ended, I stood looking at the screen, catching my breath, full of joy and almost awestruck at the moment. Then I collapsed into my cute, vintage swivel chair and began sobbing.
The tears didn’t fall for a really long time, but I had been caught off guard.
Sure, so many emotions built up surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to make decisions and find answers–should I stay or should I go, how can I be as prepared and smart as possible without taking the toilet paper someone else needs more, how am I going to pay my bills, am I at risk, is anyone I care about particularly at risk, how am I going to get through this, how are we going to get through this, and a million other thoughts and questions consuming my mind and wreaking havoc on my body.
Why was I crying at this moment when I’d just had fun dancing to my favorite song?
Then it occurred to me.
Endorphins. For the first time in a long time, I’d let loose and really put my body in movement. I was releasing endorphins. A much-needed release.
Thus, the title above. As Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde states in defense of her sorority sister, a magnate with a huge line of exercise programs who is on trial for murder:
Sitting in that chair, I took a breath and admitted to myself that to give myself the best chance at not only surviving, but of being happy, and doing what I can to thrive during this state of ‘Safer at Home’, I am/was going to need to be assertive. A few stretches, and some crunches isn’t going to cut it. I was going to need to do full-on workouts. And I knew I would need guidance to do it.
So, this morning I opened up the drawer under my TV where I have two DVDs. One is a yoga one from my former roommate that I like and used to do when I first moved here, then slacked, then did again here and there.
However, in order to commit, I knew I was going to need to do something new, something to really get my heart pumping. I would need cardio. I took out the other DVD, Kathy Smith’s Moving Through Menopause. I’d purchased it at a thrift store probably over a year ago and not once had I watched it. Probably the only time I opened the case was at the store to make sure the disc was in there.
I picked up the remotes to turn on the television and the DVD player, and for an instant, knowing I wasn’t accountable to anyone besides myself, I’ll admit, I thought, “I could sit down and watch a movie.”
And I could have. I could have gone and made a cup of hot tea, heated up a frozen breakfast tofu burrito and sat my tush down in the chair and watched my next Meryl movie, or any other selection of films that would be a distraction from what my body really needed.
I didn’t.
Pushing the idea out of my head, I put the Kathy Smith DVD into the player and hit the play button. Since I didn’t know what to expect, I told myself that if I didn’t feel it was going to be something I would do, I would take it out and put the yoga one in immediately so in the least I would go through with exercising.
Fortunately, I really like the DVD. Smith begins with an introduction and information regarding what lies ahead in her program, as well as discussing menopause, symptoms and how specifically the exercises can help with those.
There is a cardio, a strength training, and a yoga section. I made it through all three, taking it easy if I felt strained or if a move was one I’m not ready for.
If you are a peri-menopausal or menopausal beginner, and looking for something to get you going without being overwhelming, I highly recommend Moving Through Menopause.
I am really looking forward to making it part of my plan to thrive during my time of self-quarantine, and hopefully beyond.
And if I ever need to switch it up, or start to slack as the days turn into weeks, and need a kick in the butt to get me going, I’ll always have Dancing Queen.
This Is My 50 