
I have an intense case of spring fever. I’m craving it. And because North Carolina weather is so sporadic, one day it teases us with loads of sunshine and then drops an inch of snow the very next. Preparing for spring makes me think of preparing for summer which makes me think of being in a swimsuit. And even though I think one-piece bathing suits are going to make a huge fashion comeback this summer season, you’re still practically standing in your bra and panties on the beach for public display.
I’m going to tell you something you’re not going to believe. You’ll literally read it, shake your head in disbelief and then re-read it. For the first time in our entire relationship, I went to the gym more times this week than Chase. The fact that my feet were enclosed in tennis shoes and even made it onto the property of a gym is a miracle. But for me to deliberately and intentionally go three times in a five-day period even makes my head spin. The main reason for this burst of motivation is really quite simple. I’m doing it because I’m not being told to do it.
I’m literally like a child. If you tell me or harp on me to do something that you want me to do, I’m going to want to do the complete opposite because I hate the feeling of being controlled. Even when it’s for my own good, some trigger deep inside of me is ignited when someone tries to take away or influence my independent decision-making skills. This is usually very evident when I’ve had one too many glasses of the Valentine’s Day Punch, tripped over the coffee table, broken a wine glass into the carpet and performed a lip-syncing dancing routine to “Adorn” by Miguel and yet thinks a birthday cake flavored shot is a good idea. Perhaps my ability to think clearly was clouded in that particular scenario but nonetheless, my reaction to being told what to do is the same as when I’m cold-stone sober.
For the last year, and estimating on the low end, at least once a week Chase would tell me to go cancel my O2 Fitness membership. He even tried to cancel it on my behalf but they wouldn’t allow him. I rolled my eyes each time he brought it up, refused to be submissive and continued to avoid going to the gym. His reasoning was justified. We were wasting money every month. I knew he was right. But I wanted to cancel the membership and accept my laziness in my own time and on my own terms. My therapist put it into perspective for me recently. If you tell a child to not run through the mud puddle, the focus is on the mud puddle and the kid will become infatuated with splashing through the water. You have to shift the focus to the sidewalk and pretend the mud puddle doesn’t even exist. Sadly, she was relating my mentality to that of a children’s book featuring a kid and a puddle but the example was effective. Perhaps Chase should have consistently told me how I would have an extra $40 to spend at Forever 21 each month if I cancelled the membership. If so, it probably wouldn’t have taken me until last week to sign the dotted line and part ways with O2.
I know I’ve confused you. In one paragraph I’m bragging about going to the gym three times in a week and in the next I’ve cancelled my membership. In my attempt to take control of the gym debacle, I’ve started visiting a gym closer to my office. And one of the countless benefits to now having a best friend live 15 minutes away is the encouragement and accountability of going to the gym together. We get to spend time with one another. We’re prepping our bodies for laying poolside and the proximity of the gym’s location to the rest of my life makes it significantly easier to fit into my daily routine. I’m not officially joining the new gym until I’m confident with my commitment but judging by the past two weeks, I’m extremely optimistic.
I’ll pretend the reason I haven’t featured a Friday Forever 21 Fashion Find in three weeks is because I’ve been so busy factoring the gym into my schedule and not because I misplaced two memory cards to my camera that contained the pictures. Regardless, it’s Friday and my face is back and plastered all over this page to showcase some serious flower power. Forever 21 presently has a complete section dedicated to spring pastel colors and soft hues that made my heart jump out of my chest as I rummaged through the racks. I decided to pair the vibrant flower-printed blouse with a pair of soft blue straight ankle trousers. A geometric blazer added a patterned layer. And when I tell you I love that blazer, I mean I’m obsessed with it. I purchased it months ago, ripped the elbow, took it to the tailor for repair, wore it, ripped it again beyond repair, got rid of it, found another one in Charlotte, bought a second one, wore it, ripped the elbow, took it to the tailor for repair and wore it again. Luckily both elbow seams are still in tact. To accessorize, I added a chunky rose gold link necklace, pale pink bangles, a taupe glitter rose ring, nude high heels and the cutest little square purse I ever did see. The Cupcake Shoppe provided the perfect setting for pictures about happy spring colors and what better contradiction than to start a blog at the gym and end at a cupcake bakery? Happy Friday!




