I already know that my title is just the worst pun ever, but I couldn't help myself! I actually want to share with you my experiences taking some community education classes this summer.
I am always grateful for my beautiful family and my growing business. As a wife, mom and small business owner, I find that I have little time for myself (wow, was that an understatement!). But you know how things can get sometimes: work, cook, clean, homework, laundry and on and on. It also gets isolating working at home. Long gone are the days of working in an office and going out with the gals for lunch. Going to Happy Hour on Friday's has been a thing of the past for quite some time. When the kids are in school, it's usually a very quiet day and while I'm certainly busy, it can be lonely at times. It is all wonderful, but sometimes I feel the need to throw something new into the mix. It is easy to get stuck in a rut, bored by the same routine day after day, and I know it is beneficial to myself and my family to try something new. So, that is exactly what I set out to do!
I flipped through the brochure of our community education's summer classes and circled the ones that intrigued me: coil bracelet making, coupon clipping, and yoga! Yes, I decided to mix it up a little and try some new things. I love Hobby Lobby and Michael's, but I never know what to buy in the glittery, sparkly, jewelry making section. I wanted to know how to put something together! I have been mystified by Extreme Couponing and wanted to know what it was all about, and maybe learn something new to save money on my grocery bills. And as a strong believer in meditation and yoga, I wanted to take some classes to really learn what to do. I have done yoga DVD's at home, but I wanted to experience it in a class setting. Yes, they offer yoga at my gym, but I actually felt the need to learn something before stepping into one of those classes. Silly, I know, but it's truly how I feel.
I am generally a pretty shy person in new situations, yet I am always willing to try something new, to put myself out there even if I feel embarrassed. It would be so much easier though to get to a point where I don't care and just enjoy it all! But I am a work in progress, and that is ok too. My first class was the coil jewelry class. It was my first attempt at jewelry making, so I felt a little anxious heading into the unknown. But I am attracted to anything sparkly, like a moth to a flame, so I knew this was the class for me! I thought about how I would feel meeting new people and walking into class by myself. I wasn't freaking out, but I definitely had some butterflies. And of course, I felt "mom guilt" leaving my boys, even though I know it's good for them to spend time with their dad. I also know that it's important as an adult to challenge yourself, try new things and never stop learning. It's important to show my kids that too, since kids learn what they live, not what you say.
So I arrived at my first class, greeted by the teacher: a lovely retiree, warm and welcoming. There ended up only being 4 of us in the class! There were two other retirees, who were delightful and a 16 year old girl who was super sweet. It was the teen's first jewelry making class as well. The two retirees recognized each other from the community education Mahjong class they just took together. I really stayed present in the moment, something meditation is teaching me. Everyone was supportive and appreciated each other's projects. I enjoyed the class, I enjoyed meeting the ladies and sharing this experience together. I enjoyed trying something new. I felt happy. I felt refreshed.
My next class was as few weeks later, the couponing class. I am going to save that whole experience for another blog, because I've learned it's a fine line between simple couponing and becoming completely obsessed. I'm in a 4 week experiment with myself to focus on this and see how much I can actually save. I will type up a full report when I'm finished! I will say though, the teacher was so much fun, so informative, completely delightful. It was a large class and there is a joy in learning something with a group of like-minded people. It is fun to connect with new people. Everyone wanted to learn, most participated, added to the conversation and asked questions. It was an evening well spent.
Yoga is coming up next week, and although I still feel some butterflies, I already anticipate that this will be a wonderful experience. I think that is one of the key parts to trying anything...expect the best. It always seems that you get what you expect, so why not go into everything feeling positive?
This experience in having experiences has woken me up. I have come home from each class excited to share what I learned with my family. I feel more energized for my family and business, after just spending a couple of hours doing something new, and just for me. I have found that giving to myself has allowed me to give better of myself to others.
Thank you for letting me share with you my experiences. I would love to hear what you do to shake things up in your life! What new experiences do you add into the mix of your life?
With gratitude and love,
Kerri
Suitable Gifts-owner
