Life is Like a BOSU

The other day a few friends and I were sarcastically expressing our "love" for the BOSU on Twitter.  I admitted that I have a love-hate relationship with this piece of equipment.  Love because it's so good for so many parts of my body.   Hate because, well, it can really suck.  (Not to mention that it's a known fact at Clay that it's not safe to stand next to me when proprioceptive abilities are called into play, which they are every second you're on the BOSU). 

If you haven't used a BOSU I challenge you to try it (most gyms have them). Essentially it's half a balance ball with a flat middle that can be used for a million different exercises and for every part of your body.  At Clay we use it for everything from push-ups (inverted with the round part facing the ground) to jump squats and lunges -  and everything in between.  What challenges me most, however, is balancing on it.  


I fall off every once and awhile (ok, quite frequently) but I always get back on.  It reminds me a little of life and this journey that I am on.  Last week, for instance, was a fabulous week.  The kids went back to school, work started flowing, and I was back on my regular schedule at Clay. I lost 3 pounds in a week and felt like I was balancing with ease! This week, however, was quite different.  It started off great - with a killer workout at Clay in the new studio.  I was pumped when I left there - certain my balance was completely in check.  However, a few hours later it all changed.  M got a migraine that afternoon, the Spicy Chicken was really late from work and at 6 I realized I'd forgotten to defrost the fish so our healthy dinner didn't pan out. Tuesday I got a call from the nurse again and found myself driving to the school at 2pm instead of taking my afternoon run with Scout. Due to M's illness I had to miss an important committee meeting at 5, which frustrated me enough to eat chocolate for dinner.  On Wednesday school was on a 2-hour delay so I missed Clay and that afternoon K came home with a fever (again no run). The Spicy Chicken was late, stressed and drinking wine that evening so I, of course, had to join him. Today is Thursday and I am sitting in the living room with K at my side as we are waiting to head to the doctor's office.


Obviously I didn't just stumble off this week - I threw myself to the ground. As a parent, this is what you do when something happens with your kids, but it's where many of us let things get out of control.  It's inevitable that life is going to get tough and we're going lose our balance at times. Sometimes we even fall off. The important part, however, is that we hop back on and keep trying.  It's not always easy - and sometimes it's embarrassing (like in the middle of class - or on a public blog!).  But one thing I learned from the BOSU is that sometimes the falling off isn't so bad because when you get back on you discover that you're getting stronger and you can do it!


K is asleep on the couch so I'm heading to the garage to use the jump rope I got for Christmas (love this thing!).  I probably only have a 30 minute window before she starts calling my name again, but if I don't climb back on the BOSU right now I know it will be even harder to do tomorrow.