For Me

I did something for me last week.

It wasn’t for my husband, and it wasn’t for my daughter. It wasn’t for my parents, in-laws, family or friends. It was completely and totally for me.

Samantha.

A person I’m struggling to remember in my day-to-day life.

If you remember, I’m a self-diagnosed exercisephobic. In fact, the last time I worked out is when I walked the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon… which was three years, 40 lbs. and a baby ago. I don’t belong to a gym, and I don’t like to sweat. Period.

But last week I grew a wild hair, as I tend to do, and I decided to stop in to a spinning class with my bestie Lana at our local Park & Rec. I had never been to a group fitness class, let alone a spinning class. I didn’t know what to expect (other than miserably sore legs), but against my better judgement I decided to show up.

I was sure I was going to be that girl in the back of the room, silently dying on her bike. I thought I would be the worst one of the group by far. I knew I would hate every minute of it.

Except I wasn’t. And I didn’t.

Something about my experience last week was liberating. Perhaps I found myself in the middle of that dark room with Katy Perry blaring over the speakers. I was standing and running on this bike, dripping with the dreaded sweat, and I was completely focused ME. I wasn’t concerned about what to feed my family for dinner later that evening. I didn’t care if Dorothy was having a meltdown at home while her dad was trying to work. I couldn’t have cared less about how I looked, or who was looking at me.

I didn’t have a thought in my head, or a worry in my mind. Other than, you know, “keep freaking breathing so we survive this 45 minute class.” For the first time in a very long time, I felt relaxed. And that’s the last thing I expected from Sami Cotten’s impromptu trip to the gym.

I went back to that class a week later, and I’m already looking forward to next week. I even bought a 10 session pass. Can you believe it?

Maybe, just maybe, I’ve finally found something for me.

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What do you do that is simply and completely about you? How to you remind yourself that you’re still a person, outside of your spouse and mommy roles?