What a Day for a Daydream!

Editor’s Post by Deborah Hetrick Catanese

As we get ready to bring January to a close, I am reflecting today on Project Motherhood’s top themes for the first month of 2013…that of new beginnings, new attitudes, and new approaches.

I look back on my month as doing just that… reaching out, looking back, and reflecting inward, all the while seeking some change, especially when it comes to goals. Daydreaming again, you could say. And even though I joined the masses and was sick for almost a whole week of January, I still feel that I was chinking away at my checklist and my daydreams, for 2013. So far, so good.

One great thing about staying in bed when you are sick is that you get better faster.  And for me it even gives me time to let my mind wander, usually to places I have been or places, real or imagined, that I’d love to go. For example, I look at the photo above, which I took in Newport, Rhode Island, and imagine a story to go with it. NO, I am not losing a grip!  This is the type of thing we are doing in my newly started Creative Non-fiction writing class, to stimulate our creative juices! Thus, one of my first goals achieved for the new year is that I am actually taking this class, instead of simply talking about it.

The other great thing is about staying in bed is that it gives you time and permission to read!  So my next success story of the month is that I have already indulged in starting and completing two novels, both of which I borrowed from the Carnegie Library in Oakland. Since book stores have become fewer and more far between, browsing through pages and holding books in hand is something I appreciate more than ever. And while I was there, I also became a member of Friends of the Library.  What took me so long to make it official?  I have ALWAYS loved the library!

Another achievement for the young year is that I’ve lost a few pounds and resumed my exercise/rehab regimen.  I have a personal trainer, Dr. Pete Thomas, who is also a physical therapist, a movement therapist, a chiropractor, and a very wise young man, all rolled into one great asset to my life!  So I have resumed my twice monthly visits with him to keep me on track!

And when it comes to exercise, there is nothing better than actually reveling in it!  For me, that means taking Jordan’s Aqua Hustle class!  Start your day with great music while joyfully dancing in the water, with a vibrant young good-looking male lifeguard who leads his willing followers with humor and contagious energy in all the “moves”? How can you argue with THAT?! And trust me, if you have an injury of any sort, you will be amazed at how many things you can do easily in the water that would just KILL on land.  You could, of course, take instead the Arthritis Aquatics exercise class which does not feature music OR Jordan. But hmmm…which one would YOU choose? So yes, I’ve been back to Aqua Hustle this month!

Last, I wanted to remind myself that watching performance art is another source of immense joy for me.  So early this month, I nabbed a front row center seat for the premiere of “Flashdance the Musical”, which opened here in my hometown.  It is of course based on the iconic yet now somewhat kitschy movie about Pittsburgh in the 1980’s when unemployment was abounding and our still smoky city was trying to figure out how to reinvent itself while all the old ways of being were starting to disintegrate. (And, yes, this takes place in the era of HORRIBLE fashion and hairstyles, something women had to endure instead of enjoy! Leg warmers? Oh please, don’t make me do this again!) But, the underlying theme of Flashdance is worth a revisit, since it is all about grabbing your dream and overcoming the obstacles to get there.  And what a wonderful goal our heroine had!  She wanted to DANCE!  “What a Feeling!” I want some of that!

So, what do you do to keep your head above the gray winter clouds and your feet from slipping off your path in the freezing rain, my lovely Mamas? What are you doing to feel good and inspired as you move closer toward your goals? And don’t forget to think about where your daydreams are taking you…THAT is probably the place you want to go!

Fashionably yours,

Deborah