Today brought with it some additional challenges to experiencing novelty. The state of Maine found itself pummelled by snow, which has NOT been a novel experience this winter! The forecast made it abundantly clear that I would be stuck in the house for the day with my husband, my BFF, (who trekked over with coffee), two children under two, and a 110 lb dog. I was going to have to find novel experiences within my own domain. Yikes!
It readily became clear that the greater challenge was going to be finding the time and space to attend to any planned activity in this very hectic, needy, mommy-focused environment! That afternoon, in the first moments of quiet that I was able to carve out for myself, I made my first attempt at novelty: A small "do-it-yourself-in-fifteen-minutes" home improvement project that had been sitting unattended for weeks.
After fifteen minutes had passed I had managed to pry open the packaging, found that I was utterly confused by step one, and realized that we lacked the necessary, (and very basic), tools needed to complete the project. The fact that messing up step one would likely end in my electrocution solidified my decision to attempt this at a different time with appropriate parental supervision. First attempt at novelty = FAIL!
By the time I had found another free moment to dedicate to this project it was 9:00 pm. I had decided to take on a small craft project that had been gifted to me two years earlier. It was entirely novel to me! I had all necessary tools! No risk of life or limb was involved! It was perfect! So I pulled out the supplies, did a google search about what to do, and... my son woke up screaming after blowing out his diaper all over the bed...
The next two hours passed quickly as my husband and I traded fussy, tired children to soothe and attend to... And, when all was quiet once again, I found myself in the final hour of the day. Crap! Was I really going to fail on day three???
Oh, Hell, no! My stubborn determination kicked in. I silently reviewed my options, came up with a decidedly lame, but novel idea and was about to make it happen when my gaze happened to fall upon a VHS tape, still in its plastic wrapper, by my ancient DVD/VCR player.
I honestly had forgotten that I even had this tape, despite the fact that it has been in front of my face for Lord only knows how long!. You see, for a long time now exercise in general has been more or less a novel experience all on its own. Morning sickness and my pregnant enoromo-bod made exercise cumbersome, if not fully impossible for the better part of nine months. Postpartum exercise had only been Ok'd by my doctor a few days before. And, though I have a number of extended family members who currently live in Hawaii, I've never had the pleasure of visiting and taking the requisite hula lesson. The thirty minute workout/lesson was the perfect novel experience for the day!
I popped in the tape, my husband settled into the couch for the show, and I began to hula my way back to my svelter, pre-pregnancy body. Through the tape, I learned some basic hula moves, a little bit of background information, and a fully choreographed hula dance: the Sunshine Hula. By the end of the workout, I was not quite a well-oiled hula machine and had given my poor, ravaged core muscles a well-needed workout (and my husband a good laugh for the night!) I can't promise you that I will ever hula in my home again, and it's unlikely to become a regular part of my exercise routine... But it was a great way to end a cold and snowy day in Maine!
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