Time for change: Balance…and Burlesque!

 In Making changes

Well all in all it’s been a bit of a week and I’m only three days in!

Sunday: Waived hubby goodbye as he headed for Finland to visit a friend and participate in a week of boy’s own R&R type activities. Now all things being equal I imagine that R&R will include, chopping things down, bonfires, open camp cooking, wild swimming (poor fish) probably in lieu of washing and a bit of birching in a sauna somewhere. All of these energetic pursuit made more comfortable by the odd intoxicating libation!

No problem there then, I’m happy to chalk that one up under the loose banner of ‘spiritual renewal’. I meanwhile with a weeks freedom, resolve to deep clean the kitchen, sort out cupboards, and generally get on with jobs and all manner of life things that tend to act like blots on the horizon and weigh us down. Outside the sun is shining and the temperature rises. I however stay firmly on task and finish the day around midnight.

Monday: Up at un-godly o’clock, booted up computer, checked emails then opened Facebook to discover the affirmation ‘dance before the music’s over, live before your life is over’. Not a natural fit with yesterday’s household tasks I muse. Practice what you preach my inner voice urges, you must engage in 15-30 minutes self care daily to maintain your balance.

Time for change: Balance…and Burlesque!

I resolve to make more of an effort this week at this ‘self care’ since I have no need to cook, wash, epilate, make the bed or indeed engage in anything other than that which I wish because I am alone, without care or responsibility in the world. So with endless hours ahead of me I decide to tackle both the washing and the ironing basket which has been guilt tripping me from the depths of the utility room in recent weeks. Sometime later and with all clothes now pressed, I am ready to accept any invite that might head my way, safe in the knowledge that I will at least have something to wear. I congratulate myself because I managed to walk the dog twice today and I even noticed that the sun was still shining. I fall into bed exhausted, another late night.

Tuesday: Took elderly family member to GP, collected script, arranged follow up appointment, went shopping, cooked tea for ‘adult’ child, which I didn’t have to do but did choose to do.

I realise I am beginning to see a pattern here. It’s called ‘service to others’ often at the expense of self. A common but treatable phenomenon. I decide it really is time to make a change as the affirmation said ‘before my life is over’.

Recognising that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and that small changes have to start somewhere, rather than dressing the flower beds with wood chip which was the next thing to tackle on my to do list I decide to opt for some time out.

And so it was that I went to a ladies social club where about a dozen of us listened to a fully corseted lady wearing tasteful black satin and lime green spangles share a little of her story about her journey to become a professional burlesque dancer called Sensu’Elle.

300x450-burlesque-lady

Fascinating, especially as she had us all on our feet by the end of the evening learning how to ‘tease’ with a chiffon boa and speculating on what a girl might do with her pasties (not the Cornish kind). My boa was scarlet, since green has arguably never been my colour! Not quite the thing you might expect to encounter in a rural pub in deepest Dorset but nevertheless tremendous fun, made more so by the raffle at the end of the evening. Yes you guessed it! Yours truly, in this, her adventurous year won a prize (unheard of) and the prize? ……a 6 week course in how to do Burlesque! That’s scheduled for October.

Can’t wait for Wednesday who knows what will happen? But it will definitely include some time out for me. Meanwhile some bedtime reading in the form of a book entitled Burlesque Beauty given to me by Sensu’Elle which naturally enough is all about, boobs, booty and naturally enough burlesque.

The adventure continues, One life, Live it, Love it, Do it now!

Recent Posts