Hot Hot Hot

    So, I decided to change things up a bit for this little blog post and tell you about a new thing I have been into for the past several months.  Hot YOGA!  I have never really been a huge fan of yoga.  I have done regular yoga in the past because people in my past had done it,  but it never really clicked with me.  All the holding of poses and contortionism.  It just was more painful than fun for me. 
   Well, several months ago my friend Janette invited me to go for a free hot yoga class.  I was a bit skeptical at first, but decided to give it a go.  My first class I had one towel and decided I wanted to wear a tank top in so as not to be distracted by my body not looking the way I want it to, silly I know,  in any event I had not clue how much sweat would be pouring out of me.  I reached down during one pose and squeezed my shirt and it was like turning a facet on.  Then by the end of class there was a literal puddle underneath me.  I could splash in the water on my mat.  Haha.  After that I decided to bring more towels and wear less clothing. 
    The other challenge to hot yoga is the shower situation after.  At the conclusion of class the teacher is going through final calming words and ends the class with Namaste .  Well, once that word is said I learned to quickly get up and sprint to the shower.  I made a mistake one of the first times of  taking my time and relaxing my way out, I ended up in a nudist colony that is the mens restroom.  Most of the guys that go during the times I do are older gentlemen.  I admire them being active and doing these classes that are really challenging.  I don’t admire the fact that they seem to be totally ok with flaunting their wrinkled bits and pieces about for the world to see.  They will even wait for a shower to open completely naked.  No towel or anything.  More power to them I guess, but for pete’s sake please cover up at least some of  yourself.  The mental pictures haunt my dreams!
    Then comes the even more embarrassing moment when you realize you perhaps should have gone to the restroom before class started.  Not to dive into potty humor here, but it is a real life issue that I feel my readers need to know.  I can be a bit of a gaseous man.  Well, if I am not proactive in releasing this pressure before class it will inevitably come out at some point during.  This is especially precarious when you think that any gas release will become an atom bomb of destruction thanks to the extreme heat.  I was in a child‘s pose and realized that some gas was going to need to be let go.  I let what I felt was a little bit out.  Next thing you know Im choking on my own stank.  I am trying to not draw attention to myself and then I notice the people faces around me.  Glances of disgust are thrown but surprisingly not at me, the source of their torment.  They are all under the assumption that it is the older gentlemen next to me.  I chuckle internally as I think to myself  “ that’s payback for tormenting me with your nudity in the locker room!”. 
     The funny stories could go on and on. I think that is why I have enjoyed these classes so much.  You just never know what you are going to experience. Aside from the awesome stretching and the relaxation you can achieve through class,  you get to have a laugh at the quirky and unexpected events that will more than likely take place. So take a change and go to hot yoga my friends.  If nothing else it will provide a good story to share with others. 

Realization of an Insecure Actor

I think when I blog I always want to have something deep to say or appear to have learned something amazing.  Well, to night I am going to write a broken blog.  I am not perfect and I am far from put together and it is only by the grace of God that I am able to do what I do.
   It is off season right now for me which is the time for a performer in Branson where everything is shut down and you are out of work for a month or so depending on your job.  During this down time you can either vacation or stay home and enjoy the lazy days.  This year I decided, after debates and frustration, to stay home and relax.  I started out making sure I started a steady routine of physical activity and time with friends I didn’t normally see.  I took a little trip to see my friends in Arkansas and had a great time.  Once the routine has started and I slowly faded into the mundane boredom that is off season when you are single and alone in an apartment.  I have read 5 books and loved all of them, but I am tired of reading.  I have worked out like crazy but I am bored with it and unmotivated.  I have spent time with friends, but I also have to maintain a budget during this unemployed time.  So, I started to watch my friends in rehearsals for Jekyll and  Hyde  for the local community theater. 
   Here in lies my recent frustration. Show people can be really rude.  I don’t normally get an outside view of this because I am usually on the inside of the group, but my eyes have been opened.  When doing a show you are in rehearsals a lot and working with the same people for hours upon hours.  You build friendships that become like family and that is part of the reason I love theater because of the awesome friendships you build.  Here is the flip side to this situation.  If you are on the outside, you become invisible.  Theater people are known for being some of the most accepting and loving people, but they are also known for being the most exclusive. 
     The past 2 night I have hung out with my friends that are some of the closest too me.  I have known them since college.  During dinner I was surrounded by several people that we don’t normally hang out with which is totally fine.  Then I realize that I am completely out of the loop and conversation.  So I try and chime in when appropriate.  It seems like every time I do though I get the impression that it wasn’t my turn, or I was out of my element.  I quickly realize that even though I have known some of these people for a long time, it is now Show World, and if you aren’t in it….you aren’t in the group. 
     Keep in mind this is totally innocent though because they don’t even realize it most of the time.  I never really did until I experienced this other side.  So this awesome group of people all working for the common goal of the show, gets so caught up in their own world they miss out on the other people around them that are actually their friends as well.  I was talking to another friend about my frustration and she called me out for doing the same thing.  I was floored, but challenged to make a change.
     Each one of us has an opportunity to meet and interact with a myriad of different people on a daily basis.  We have an impact on each of them for either the positive or the negative.  We can either encourage growth and friendship or discourage through insecurity or lack of care.  As I start to approach my own rehearsal period for this upcoming season I am challenged to open my eyes to the outside faces I come in contact with.  Just because I am a part of a cast doesn’t mean I am to neglect the other people the Lord brings into my path during that time.  In a book I recently finished called Chasing Daylight the author was challenging his readers to not miss out on divine moments.  I feel this is applicable here.  I don’t want to miss a divine moment with a new acquaintance or an old friend. I want to constantly be aware of those around me and more sensitive when I am in my comfort zone of those who might be out of there’s. 
    Now this might be the dumbest blog that I have ever written, but I believe there is some truth here.  All of us need to open our eyes more.  To look outside the blinders of our own circle and see others as more important then ourselves.  We need to put aside selfishness more,  of how many friends we have or what show we are in at the moment, and focus on making every interaction we have with the people we are around count.  To take every opportunity to include rather than snub.  To focus on quality rather than quantity.  Stepping off my soap box now and ending my rant. Thanks for being patient readers with this silly…slightly insecure…blog.  Feel free to comment on these blogs btw.  I would love to be able to dialogue about some of these that I write.