Living on cloud 9

You know that feeling you get when you’re happy, when things feel like they’re flowing, when you have that skip in your step, that flush in your cheeks, that sparkle in your eyes?  We’ve all been there…

During the past few weeks, I really felt that I have been living on Cloud 9, and, I have been reminded time and again that life simply is beautiful.  I guess it has a lot to do with Zander and Mariné’s wedding day, which is now only 12 days away, and we are all bursting with excitement.

I am blessed with the most amazing husband, two of the most beautiful children one could ever wish for, a future son-in-law whom we all adore, a future-future-future-daughter-in-law who already feels like one of my own, supportive, loving family members and friends, and we are all healthy and well. 

Going into our Summer Challenge of 2022, I knew it was going to be a personal Challenge to handle everything, but I also promised myself that I would host a breath-taking Challenge, better and more exciting than any previous Challenge, and that I would not use the wedding as an excuse to not give 100 percent of my time and my commitment to the members and our studio.  Because, as always, our members are giving their all!

Life HAS been hectic.  And more beautiful than ever.  I have to pinch myself every day to know that the team of amazing instructors, whom everyone adores, are really mine!  These three girls are just as passionate as I am about everything concerning our studio, and I watch with so much pride and pleasure how they – Jacqueline, Michelle, and Carien, are evolving daily in strength, confidence, and skill!  (Carien will soon return from her honeymoon!)

There is an atmosphere of sense, direction, and devotion in every class, but also humour, compassion, and fun.  Lots of fun. It has been an amazing first five weeks of our Challenge, and I have experienced, with so much appreciation, how our 62 Challenge members have risen to the occasion, taking on every Mini-Challenge with enthusiasm and vigour.

Of course, there are always hiccups, but to me it seems that the joyful moments, in each day, has a way of overshadowing the negative, more and more.

The famous American writer, Mark Twain, once said: “Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”  (Challenge members, send me this quote before 20.00 for an extra point!)

…I recently watched the movie “Life is beautiful” on Netflix.  It tackles the life of a father covering the harsh reality they are experiencing, saying that everything they do inside the concentration camp is part of a “game”.  Guido (Roberto Benigni) persuades his son Joshua that they are not experiencing The Holocaust, by using his positivity, colourful imagination, and irresistible sense of humour to save his family from an unthinkable fate.

 To protect his son’s life, he teaches him to hide from the guards during the day. To protect his son’s heart, he constructs an elaborate fantasy that they are participating in a very difficult contest to win the ultimate prize, a real tank. And his son finds that this makes sense, and he goes along with it.

I think what struck me most, was that Guido managed to give his son a sense of control, by letting him think that he had made the choice to participate in the contest. And knowing that he had kept his child’s faith intact gave him a sense of purpose, that kept him going…

The American philosopher, Debasish Mridha, recently said: “Happiness is an indescribable intense ecstasy of life that comes from deep love and kindness for the world and all of its contents.”

I don’t know if it has something to do with getting older, but to me it just feels like I want to capture the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments in a jar and tightly close the lid, just to make sure they don’t ever escape…the way Chloe lightly touches our cheeks with her paw every morning, the laughter in class when we all loudly greet the distinctive roar from our neighbour’s Harley Davidson, every message on our Bonniebraes WhatsApp group, the excitement in Marine’s voice as she counts down the days, and the overwhelming feeling seeing her as she steps out of the dressing room of the Wedding Boutique in her dress and veil.  It’s those deep, meaningful conversatins with Eswee, and watching him become a beautiful young man, all grown-up.  It’s witnessing in wonder and surprise how our members dress up for our Mamma Mia step class, experiencing their excitement when we start a new step combo, and enjoying them as they sing along in a Bootybarre class…

I know, to you these things may seem stupid and insignificant, but I am a firm believer that the only cost to experience an ecstatic moment is a decision, and that reflecting on every small, precious moment, reminds us how much we have.

The famous American stand-up comedian, George Carlin, once said: “Cloud nine gets all the publicity, but cloud eight actually is cheaper, less crowded, and has a better view.”

Well, I don’t know about that, but what I do realize is that bad things still happen – we worry about our elders, we struggle to maintain our muscle mass, we miss a deadline because of load-shedding, we accidentally squash a snail walking to our car, we forget to sign in for class, we get sick, we lose a client…Life happens.  But that doesn’t mean we are suddenly deported to Cloud 8!  In fact, nothing can remove you from Cloud 9 without your consent! 

Just like Guido manages to persuade Joshua that they are not experiencing The Holocaust, you and I, we also have our positivity, our colourful imagination, our irresistible sense of humour, and above all, our Faith, to stay on Cloud Nine, regardless…Because life IS good.  As the 103-year-old George Dawson, a slave’s grandson who learned to read at the age of 98, said: “Life is so good.  I believe it’s getting better…”

You and I, we are stronger than we know, we are more blessed than we realize, we are worthy of success and happiness, and we all belong on Cloud Nine.  There’s room for all of us!

Life is a dash.  Let’s pause in the present, and highlight our worlds with all the magnificent things, no matter how small they are.  And, when we count our blessings, let’s count life twice.

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507