Off-Season

Hey fellow bloggers! It has been a little while since I've had a chance to chat with you all. I've decided to give myself a complete rest from track and didn't think much about the sport or what was going on with track, etc, etc. I did keep up on a few of my favorite blogs, but that was about it. Since putting this decision into motion I have had a COMPLETE BALL. I haven't been doing a great plethora of things, but I've done some things that have kept my attention. For example, I've had the pleasure to visit 2 of Disney's many theme parks (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom). The last time I've been to the theme parks here in Florida was more than 20 years ago when we had a huge family reunion and, sadly, I barely remember anything we did. Even though Disney is more for kids and families, I did enjoy the "magic" that the place has to offer, and it was pretty exciting. I have been twice now and have been blessed to have not paid a dime for parking or admittance to the park...you know, I've got people lol. Nonetheless, I'm waiting for one of my roommates to come through for some tix to Universal Studios so I can get on some of those roller coasters.

I have been working a good deal more than I was, but I end up having more time to myself still. I've noticed that track season takes up a lot more time than I thought until my season came to a halt. Now I do fun stuff like study or read books on things of interest like nutrition, finance and investments, cars, and the Bible. I love to learn and since being away from the college environment my brain has consistently pleaded with me to feed it something. Plus I've realized after all the years my parents forced me to read semi-interesting novels as a child, that reading is THE WAY to learn outside of formal education.

Aside from reading up on things of importance to me I've had the pleasure to stay active as well. Since season's end I've been choosing to walk or bike to work which is a good source of exercise and way to stay active without 'working out'. After talking with one of my mentors I decided to do something I had always been at least remotely interested in...dancing. Don't get me wrong...I CAN dance and have good rhythm, but I have always wanted to learn partnered dances and maybe to a hip-hop dance class. I finally mustered up enough guts to go out to a salsa spot and enter in to the unknown. They had a beginners class where I learned the Salsa basics and had some great instructors. One young lady also took me under her wing, seeing how I was pretty rhythmic and decided to teach me a touch of another style (I don't remember the name now). I can assure you that I am by all means a salsa beginner, but some of the movements came pretty easy to me. The issue was involving your partner into the dance because in salsa, and many other Latin dance styles, the man leads the woman almost as if he were a puppeteer. The basics are pretty easy to get down, but with all things practice, practice, practice is the key. I hope I can turn this new interest into something that I will enjoy for many many years to come.

I have some more fun things in the works, and hopefully I can knock them off the list before practice starts back up in full force. I'll keep you posted on the rest of the fun. This is the life...of the off-season!