As part of the new schedule, Howard and I decided to make exercise a priority. We’ve been intending to do that for years, but this time we studied the finances and decided to try joining a gym. It isn’t cheap, but if we get the results we want the money will be well spent. Howard and I have both belonged to gyms before. When Howard worked at Novell, he made regular use of the gym they had on site. I last bought a gym membership right after Patches was born. It was my sanity time to drop the kids into the childcare and have an hour when no one required anything of me. But then Howard quit Novell and money was incredibly tight, so I gave it up. A part of me has missed it ever since.
I walked in today and noticed all the changes the gym had made since I was there last. Some remodeling had been done and machines had been moved around. Things were different, and yet they weren’t. The place was still full of people focused on fitness. Some guys who seemed to drip testosterone. Some women who were toned and perfectly made up for their workouts. Some people who were obviously out of shape, but determined to change that. The gym does feel a little exposed. A couple of times I felt like guys were staring at me and I was suddenly aware that for young singles the gym is a place to meet prospective dates. It made me feel self conscious. Odds are they weren’t even looking at me anyway.
Always before the gym has been a solitary pursuit. It was a place I went to be alone. This time Howard and I are going together. That changes things. It is going to take us awhile to get comfortable with exercising together, but I think it will be good for both of us. We’ll be healthier and have more energy for the other things that we want to do.
I feel like the rest of the new schedule is beginning to settle in as well. It isn’t habit yet, but I’m liking the new patterns I can see beginning to form. Howard spent all day yesterday at home, then in the evening we had a scheduled hour where the focus was on doing something together as a family. It was really good for all of us. Bedtime is working much more smoothly. I’m still sitting in the hallway every night while kids fall asleep. I sit where both Patches and Gleek can see me as they fall asleep. This also positions me to guard against kids getting out of bed or playing in bed. I’m focusing the time on teaching the kids how to lie still long enough to fall asleep. So far so good. They have started falling asleep in their own beds and they’ve even started sleeping there all night long rather than climbing into bed with us. Even better, the nightmares that both Gleek and Patches were complaining about seem to have tapered off. A few more weeks of stability and I think they’ll be back to only happy dreams.
The more I look at the house and family stuff, the more I see that I was letting slide, and the more I am convinced that this shift in priorities/emphasis is the right thing for all of us.