A New Facet of Me





This past weekend, I did something new.  I headed east to attend a training class to (hopefully) become a certified RPM instructor.  It's similar to spinning from what I understand.  I've only ever done RPM, so I'm not totally sure how they differ.  I've been taking RPM for a few years now and can honestly say I enjoy it.  What?  I ENJOY exercise.  My feeling is, if I'm lucky enough to have found a form of exercise that I look forward to doing and sad if I miss, might as well make the absolute most of it.  The instructors at my gym asked me if I'd taught before, because my "form" was so good.  Huh?  Umm,..no...but I rode my bike like a fiend growing up, maybe that's it.  They encouraged me to become an instructor.  I was hesitant at first, feeling like somehow over the last decade, I had lost that outgoing, extrovert, leader-esque part of my personality.

Wait.  Hold on there.  I lost it?  I used to LOVE that part of me.  The part that joined conferences and rose to be a driving force.  The part that adored being a freshmen orientation leader in college (yes, I was one of those  people who made freshmen do cheesy icebreakers).  The part that lead college campus tours, advocating the culture and quality of life at my school.  The part of me that actively encouraged others to get involved, do well and push harder.  Where did that part go, once I entered "the real world"?  I'm not sure, but I decided I wanted it back. 



So perhaps this weekend's certification wasn't "doing something new", but bringing that part of me back to the surface.  During introductions, we had to tell the class why we were there.  We heard inspirational tales of weight loss, post-accident recovery,....I explained I wanted to create a new "facet" of me (this was me tying it into my geo/rock background).  But now that I think about it, it's not a new facet, not a new side of me for people to see.  That part of me is just a little dusty and simply has to be shined up a bit.  So here goes.



I went through 3 full sets of clothes on the first day alone, and my two french braids were 100% sweat-saturated when I got to the hotel. Gross.  My cheeseburger tasted like heaven, and my head hit the pillows around 8:15.  Day 2 was coming, which included my presentation of a song and subsequent evaluation.  My song was memorized, I was as ready as I was going to be.

I passed training, and now have a few more small steps to take before I can teach solo. I have that nervous-excited feeling. That feeling you get before starting something that has the potential to be stressful, but you know once you get the hang of it, you'll love it.  It will be part of you from now on.  Like your first day of First Grade, your first clarinet solo, your first lead role in a play, the first exam in college.

Here's to resurfacing a part of me that has been dormant for a few years.  A part of me that will balance out the desk-bound engineer.  The vibrant part of me that does things, that leads.  It feels good.  I'm excited and proud.

And my legs are tired.