I got an e-mail this morning that my gym freeze is almost over.
Did I say gym?
I meant club.
Club with the scent of Eucalptus, a never-ending menu of different classes, and an immaculately clean steam room. Club where I can find solitude after a busy family weekend, or community when the kids are in school and Greg is traveling.
Club with fluffy white towels, Kohls shampoo and conditioner, and my cheerful, thoughtful swim instructor.
I can’t wait to walk into the front doors, breathe in the scent of essential oils, and go upstairs for an excellent workout followed by a quiet escape to the steam room and a peaceful, uninterrupted shower. (Ohhh, the uninterrupted shower, with no sibling disputes to mediate. Luxury.)
I miss it so much.
I meant every word of the post I wrote last week about stealing bike rides when I can while we’re up in Maine for the summer near family, and loving the unstructured time I have with my kids in the great outdoors.
But I also look forward to being able to work out consistently. And it’s nice to have regular child-free time for household tasks so I feel refreshed and energized and ready to answer the eternal question “What’s for dinner?” when the kids come home from school.
I think the key to being happy about these two very different worlds, Maine and Massachusetts, summer and the school year, is not to resent myself for loving each one fully.
My gut instinct is to feel guilty that I’m excited to go back. But it’s fine to love the idea of going back to the gym and having the kids in school. There are many wonderful things to look forward to.
I can enjoy every glorious moment with family watching the kids dance in the waves AND look forward to returning to the gym, because I’m not sacrificing my summer for the fall. It’s inevitable. It’s coming. The kids need to go to school.
I might as well look forward to it.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and make a mental list of the things you’re excited for this fall! Pumpkin whatever? Cooler running weather? Halloween? It softens the end of August to look forward to something. 🙂
