Hoop Lessons

     First of all - WOW - really? My last blog was in July?  That seems crazy to me because I've had so many thoughts and ideas running through my head. Then I realize how life kind of took a turn and that I have been battling some health things since August - my energy just hasn't been what it was. So yes, really... but, I'm taking the time to put some thoughts down now.

     It's no secret I've found a love a hula hooping. My friend Jamie inspired me with a video of her hooping through her yearlong travels around the world. I had loved hooping as a child and, with said health issues, I was looking for a different way to exercise at home where I could stop and rest when energy reserves ran low. And so, I bought a hoop.

     When it arrived I could hardly contain myself. I unwrapped it (a more arduous task than one would expect - they shrink wrap the heck out of those things) and raced to my backyard to start hooping. I placed it around my waist, gave it a spin and... watched it clatter to the ground. Not to be daunted, I grabbed it and tried again. Same result. Again. And again. And again. I could maybe get it around three or four times but that was more from my initial push than from the skill. Over the years I'd somehow lost my childhood hoop rhythm.

Which brings me to my first lesson: EMBRACE CHANGE.
We are not who we were. We are the sum of our experiences, good and bad. Our bodies are especially good at reflecting that. We are not the twisty, bendy, springy beings we were in our youth, at least naturally. We have to work at it. Some of us, if those experiences have involved couch surfing and drive-thrus, may have to work harder at it. But just as we can embrace the changes already made, we can continue to make those changes and steer ourselves in positive directions. For me, standing there in my back yard, I had to find a change I could make. So, instead of my waist, I switched to hooping on my arm. I found some success there. I could switch directions and switch arms. I could swing the hoop around and dance with it. I learned to 'weave' before I knew that was actually a thing. But in those first few days, I knew that I needed more help - I really wanted to be able to hoop successfully around my waist.

So, lessons #2 and #3: ASK FOR HELP - BE VULNERABLE (Or:  It's okay to look/feel silly)
Asking for help does not come easily for me. Maybe it's being a firstborn girl. Maybe it's having been in charge of the "Solution Room" for so many years. Whatever the reason, admitting failure or shortcoming is not something that I do well. Or even at all. Except when I'm standing in my back yard with the coolest sparkly green and yellow hoop that keeps falling to the ground. So I asked (at least in my kind of indirect way) and my friend Jamie graciously offered so help. In this case, to allow someone to help meant I had to be really open with my shortcomings. I had to be willing to show her my failure. So, hoop around my waist. Give it a push. Watch it fall. Repeat. She offered a couple of simple corrections and suggestions and within a few minutes I was hooping around my waist. What had seemed impossible, suddenly became possible because I gave up trying to do it all on my own. It's a lesson for my faith too, one that God is constantly trying to teach me.


Lesson #4: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT FEED YOUR SOUL
I realized through asking for help - that part of the key was asking the right people for help. I couldn't learn to hoop on my own. And asking a non-hooper for advice wouldn't have been nearly as productive as asking my friend. She was the right person. A large part of what made her the right person was not only her expertise but also her example. She was kind and helpful. She was not judgmental. She was supportive. She was gentle. She is the kind of person you want to be around because she brings light into a room. I strive to be that kind of person. But also to surround myself with people who strive for the same and want to make the world better. I also want to live simply. This past year has been an effort to live and do less - some by design and some dictated by health. I have learned to say no to things and people that do not nourish or encourage my soul.


Lesson #5: LOOK UP

As I have continued to learn new tricks and skills with my hoop there are often those times that it just isn't happening. In those moments the correction is sometimes simply, "Look up!". When we get bogged down in the moment we often focus on the wrong thing. For me, I sometimes get hyper-focused on the hoop around my waist with bring my shoulders and hips down. When I look up, I straighten things out and see more success. The same way in life that our problems can see us looking downward and failing to see the joy and beauty around us or that it is only a small part of who were are or want to be.  My faith plays a huge role in my life and, though the reminder came from a hula hoop, the message is so important. When I'm struggling, I need to remember to look to the One who gives me strength and solace and to praise Him in the good times.

Lesson #6: FIND AND LIVE YOUR JOY - AND THEN SHARE IT.
I have found a lot of joy in hula hooping. I find joy in running. I find joy in my job and the kids and people that I work with. I find joy in photography (trust me, even though I may post a LOT of pictures, it is only a fraction of the ones I actually take). I find SO MUCH joy in my family and friends. I have learned in this past year that if I put effort into the things that bring me joy, my joy is multiplied. When it's multiplied it can't be contained. When you live a life of joy, it bubbles out. In a world filled with doubt, division and disrespect - be a wellspring of laughter, love, learning and light.

There they are. The lessons learned from a short six months of hooping. I can't wait to see what else my circle of joy and the rest of my life have in store. Practice. Persevere. Put forth good.

Blessings to all of you. Until next time. (which hopefully won't be as long)