day off

Day off translated to cleaning house, reading, watching some tv, cooking dinner and teaching one client.  Originally, I thought I would take the day to detox and had believed I would stick to it.  Then, I thought about what I would prepare for dinner and wine accompanies pasta too well.  I couldn't resist!
My client arrived around 6:30 and hung out with me until 7:45.  She likes to chit chat after the sessions which is lovely and, at times, irritating.  Last night, I was ready to be back in my own  space before she was ready to depart.  I understand wanting to hang out, I do.  Only, last night, was my only night off and I wanted to fully utilize it.  So, I made pasta and drank wine.
I attempted to make lunch plans with Roxie.  We had been practicing yoga fairly regularly until she experienced a shoulder injury.  It was an old injury that had been acting up and so after she had it checked out, she experienced a lower back issue as well.  Now, it's been six weeks since we practiced together.  It will be an interesting start of practicing together or maybe we will focus on the lunch factor.  She is still healing and so I don't even know when she is wanting to practice yoga together.  Plus, her job is requiring a bunch of her time and so I don't know how much free time she actually has to do yoga and or day drink.  I have clothes to drop by good will and should get that done.  It would also be nice to pick up a new vase for my gratitude bowl.  I have been slacking on my notes of gratitude the last few months.  Mostly because my vase is being used to house flowers on a regular basis.  I am trying this new thing where I purchase new flowers weekly and enjoy them until they are no longer fresh.  It adds a nice energy to my house and reminds me to be thankful on a daily basis.
My current book is challenging.  I am struggling to get vested into it.  I am still waiting for that spark.  You know the one I am talking about?   Where all you can do is read until you finish since you are so enticed by the author.  My current book is not providing any energy for me.  I am struggling to read it and if I make it to page 100 and still feel nothing, well, it will be going back to the free library.  I sort of have a feeling that is where it is destined to go.  I just cannot seem to get into this book.
I have others to choose from.  I could find something to occupy my time.  Make me day dream.  Reflect.  Release.  Absorb my thoughts as opposed to watching tv. I really should limit that time suck part of my life.  It seems too easy, at times, to fall into a show.  Especially late at night when I am not yet ready for bed.  I should make more of an effort to read or write, even.  Use my mind instead of having it crammed with reality tv.  Yes, I do get sucked in to some of that b.s.
I arranged another acupuncture treatment for this week.  It seems to be helping my ankle, immensely.  I am healing.
I looked at flights.  I always rely on travel as a gateway for fun.  I keep returning to heading to Aspen on a road trip.  Or, perhaps a flight to Seattle.  I have a friend that could be my tour guide in Seattle.  I see some wine tasting in that trip and perhaps some foodie driven experiences.  I should just commit to one or the other.  Not worry about the others involved.  It will work out the way it is supposed to.  I can delay or postpone my clients and create some space for a trip in my near future.
I should get up and greet the day.  Drop my clothes to good will and explore part of the city before heading into work.  I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work today.  It is an overcast day and inspiring me to be productive.
Cheers!

Healing and moving forward

More taking care of my ankle.
Ginger compress--check.
Magnesium salts--check.
Essential oils--check.
Tiger balm--check.
Acupuncture--tomorrow.  And potentially, Wednesday and Friday.  I have more sensation in my foot so I know there is circulation and that it is improving.  I am healing.  I will survive this and be able to return to a fully functioning life.
I feel some travel will be in the near future.  I would love to explore Aspen.  It is hard to believe that i have lived here since 2001, off and on, and never been to Aspen.  I tend to return to Santa Fe, often, as my go to place when I have two days off.  It is an easy drive and I love the food factor.  Still, I could absolutely go explore more of Colorado.  I hope to achieve a trip at the end of the month.  The Goddess and Sara are joining me the week of my birthday to go to Ojo Caliente and discover the delights of Santa Fe.  Lindsay has never visited there and so I insisted that we check it out as a girls' trip.  Perhaps one final trip this year, too.  I am trying to persuade a friend to join me on an adventure.  We have traveled together in the past to Chicago and Santa Fe.  I want to expand our list of cities to check out the food factor.  I mentioned San Diego, Austin, or Las Vegas.  All of the cities are easily accessible for two days off.  He would like to check out D.C.  I think more time is needed.
Yoga every day!  I taught Monday to Friday last week and have had the last two days off. I am thankful for the opportunity to teach and expand my practice as well as grateful for a few days of rest.  I think I needed it.  Yesterday, it looked like rain all day.  I could have remained in bed all day and been fine.  It would have been glorious!  Instead, I went to work and prayed for rain, lol.  Today, is beginning similarly.  I could definitely enjoy a full day off and remain in bed.  Maybe read or binge watch a show.  Reading would be more productive and should be my hobby driven way to spend a Sunday.  We will see.
I have loads of books to sort through as well.  My old colleague had an abundance of books that he gave me after he moved in with his partner.  He wanted someone else to enjoy his collection.  I am.  And, of course, I have also shared some of the books with my friends and the free libraries that are around town.  I drive by them and think--oh, there is another one that I should check out.  Later, I have no idea where I saw them.  I know of three locations that I frequent regularly.  There is one three blocks from me, one on the way to work along Race St and my favorite is near Colfax in East Denver.  I think I have re-gifted the majority of my books to that location.  I could walk to it when I first returned to Denver.
I must return to my attending classes.  It helps me see what is out there and incorporate it into my own teachings or not.  At times, I do.  Other times, I am thankful that I have a strong practice and do not rely on bullshit to bring to people.  There is definitely some bad yoga being taught around the city.  At least from my perspective.  I prefer a physical challenging class that is heavily sequenced.  I enjoy beginning with sun salutations and building a foundation.  When I take a class that is stretchy without movement, I get irritated.  Or is it is all intention based, I go insane.  I want a class where I can turn off my mind and be distracted.  Rarely, do I experience that here.  However, I should continue to see what is out there.  Look at new studios and what they are doing.  I attended a class in Minneapolis and the instructor had friends that were moving here to open up a studio.  I loved this  guy's class and style.  If he is friends that have similar teaching styles, I am all for it.  I truly enjoyed his class.  I might even return to Minneapolis solely to see what else this particular studio is doing.  It was epic!  Or at least to my way of enjoying yoga.
It is challenging to get up and greet the day.  I am tired and the overcast day inspires remaining in bed.  Contemplating life.  Resting.
I should find some green chile and or pozole.  It feels like a soup and grilled cheese sort of day.  We will see how it pans out.

acupuncture, essential oils and travel

Essential oils have helped, immensely.  I finally remembered that I have not yet tried acupuncture which is another healthy modality in healing the body.  I reached out to my community of practitioners--my massage therapist and personal trainer--to see if they had anyone they could recommend.  Each person responded and I considered the location of their preferred acupuncturist.  Matt's was in Arvada which is a hike for me and Courtney's suggestion is closer but I would not be able to see him until August 30th.  Ironically, I had dinner with Sara Jo the other night and mentioned that I was looking for an acupuncturist.  She immediately had an option for me.  It is community driven with a sliding scale.  I looked at the website and secured an appointment for yesterday.  It was awesome!  Not only was it near my area of town but I could also book an appointment for a convenient time for me.  I entered the facility and was attended too, immediately.  I explained the reason for my visit and of course, am still sporting the lovely ankle brace.  The doctor of medicine placed eight needles around my foot as well as a few on my knee, elbow, wrist and forehead.  I felt the sensation of circulation in my foot and forced myself to relax.  I sat there for thirty minutes while the needles worked their magic.
Afterwards, I inquired about my treatment plan. The acupuncturist feels that I should have two to three treatments a week until I feel better.  I will continue to apply essential oils, soak my foot in bath salts and keep my foot compressed.  I am adding a ginger compress to the mix as well.  Apparently, ginger aids in circulation which I need.  I need to be gentle and continue to take care of my ankle.
In other areas of my life, I have booked an Airbnb for a mini trip to Santa Fe with the girls.  We are going to try to do one last trip of 2018 together.  Ironically, this falls around my birthday which I always want to celebrate.  We are heading down on a Sunday and staying thru Tuesday.  In that time, we can soak at Ojo Caliente and discover some of the newer restaurants in Santa Fe.  It will be the Goddess's first trip down there and I am excited to show her my perspective of Santa Fe.  I see silver coins, soaking and green chile in my future.  We may even be able to explore the farmer's market before heading back to Denver.  It remains to be seen.
I might head west to Aspen with a friend as well.  I want to make the most of my year and finish big.  I have been to Santa Fe four times this year, Kansas once, Nashville, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Walla Walla and hoping to add Aspen to the mix.  That is a town that has eluded me in the past.  A few years ago, I was supposed to go to food and wine with the Warrior Prince.  Or, we had talked about it and then it never happened.  I would love to check it out.  I also flew to Puerto Rico in March to celebrate a friend's wedding.  That should have been the first place I listed. It was a lovely experience and I miss Tiffany and Dan very much.  Maybe I can venture there to check out more of the island and see their new wine shop.  That trip was fast and furious....
So, I will continue to baby my ankle and dream of travel.  Yoga clients keep me busy and inspired to check out new sequences.  I am busy and I love it!  I am off to purchase ginger and see how it works in the healing process.

Essential Oils to the rescue

Although my ankle continues to improve, it is at a relatively staggeringly slow pace.  I feel that I make progress and then regress.  I stepped into an uber the other night and stepped down funny which re-irritated my ankle.  I continue to ice, elevate and soak.  I feel that direct heat makes it worse.  It loosens up my tendons and then it hurts to walk.  So, ice and compression seems to be my best friends along this journey.
Then, I found essential oils.  Wow!  Specifically oils to aid healing bones.  I don't think I broke a bone, but I think I flirted with a hairline fracture.  The bruising and swelling has decreased, tremendously, but my ease with the functionality of my right foot continues to be spotty.  Part of it, due to the fact that I work and am on it every day.  I believe the essential oils will help me and heal.  I have incorporated fir and cypress into my daily regimen as well as lavender, frankincense and peppermint.  In addition, I have sprayed and soaked my feet in magnesium salt.  It has been educational and interesting in this process.  I feel better and know that soon I will be able to return to my training sessions.  And maybe start running again. I am ready to be doing more and increase strength, flexibility and endurance.  Having an injury reminds me what actually does work, amazing, until it doesn't. That what is my current frustration.  I had fully functional legs and took it for granted.  I thought about training for a half marathon and just postponed it.  There is never a time that is ideal.  I can always think of other things I would prefer to do.  Travel to Santa Fe, go to happy hour with friends or be lazy (in all honesty, yes, this, too is an option), anything, really to postpone running.  The Goddess is not available on a whim any longer.  She has kids that require scheduling a run which typically means we meet for happy hour.  Sara Jo has a chaotic schedule and likes to run when it is cooler outside.  And, Jenn has been nursing a knee injury for some time. She was told that she shouldn't run ever again.  Yet, she is stubborn and likes to run.  She attempts a jog every few weeks.
I am considering a return when my foot is at 80%.  I should pick a half marathon and sign up for it.  That would definitely help me commit to it.  I saw an Instagram post yesterday where a man wrote ten letters to people every day.  He felt that the commitment to writing created a different intention and a better reception of the recipient.  I would agree.  Sitting down and writing down a letter as opposed to email or text is more difficult.  It requires more commitment and execution.  Writing letters requires paper, stamps and a proximity to a mail box. It does take more effort.  And, I love receiving letters and so I think others feel the same way even if they don't participate.
I am off to do some body therapy.  I am overdue for a facial.  I could have booked one with my little sister while I was in Kansas.  But that would have taken away from hanging out with the Littles!  Next time, I will think about it.  My return trip to Denver took much longer than anticipated.  Plus, I was exhausted.  I found myself falling asleep while driving outside of Colby.  I actually pulled over and crawled into my back seat to sleep for twenty minutes.  I think I could have slept for three hours, lol.
So, I will do some health care before working later.  I have plans to meet the Goddess and Sara jo tomorrow afternoon for a much needed happy hour.  I think Finn will be hanging with us ladies, too.  There will be plenty of guacamole and chips involved, I am sure.  In the meantime, I will continue to apply essential oils to my ankle, calf and foot.  We shall see how it plays out.