It says it "is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus", or more succinct: "a single-minded immersion".
Yesterday was that day - for all members of my household.
Gary has been swimming at the YMCA every morning trying to get his arm in shape. He toured the facilities (in Cinco Ranch for those of you in these here parts ...) and found it to be a beautiful, well equipped and clean place in which to workout - thus he signed up. And we discovered that for a mere $20.00 more a month we could get a 'Two Adult' admission.
So ... yesterday was the day for me to go and join. We needed to do it at O'dark hundred since lap swim is from 6:00am to 8:00am and then there is a gap until 10:00am and Gary most definitely wanted to be in another 'zone' by then.
He jumps out of bed and heads into the bathroom / closets - somewhere ... point being he was not near me when I muttered:
Lori: "You are one freaking crazy bastard..."
Apparently, Gary, not that far away, and me apparently not muttering very quietly:
Gary: "You talking to the dog?"
Lori: "Um, yeah ... did you hear that?"
Gary: "Not really ... Charlie - was she talking to you or about me?"
Charlie:
Lori: "Charlie said I was talking to her ... promise. Nothing important dear, she is just hogging the covers ..."
And I decide I better get up and get with the program.
Since I had no intentions of actually working out (I know, I know - WHY am I joining - we have a treadmill at home - but for practically no money a month - should the urge hit - I have a lot more equipment I can embarrass myself in front of fit people on) ... we took separate cars.
Went in, got the membership combined and on the right card to take out the monthly fees ... and I left....
... burdened with all sorts of information should I actually want to participate in something that I am actually paying for.
Zones? You ask? What zone? Well, I was in my "I am going to try to be more healthy .... OK, OK healthy more than sick" zone. But there is another zone here: that creepy "In the Zone" your healthy, freaky friends talk about that involves endorphins and euphoria and hitting some wall ... I gotta tell you - even back in my gymnastics and (very short) track days - I NEVER FOUND THAT ZONE!
When it comes to working out, sports, etc - I am zoneless.
Moving on.
I was all proud of myself for driving my car to the YMCA and getting a key ring pass letting me into the building should I ever be in the vicinity again, and driving back home ... I was feeling healthier already ...
... when I get the text from my son about a gunman on his campus, being in lockdown and sirens blaring. He was in his apartment, but since it is only one block from campus - this was not much of a consolation. So ... into the 'Concerned Mother' zone I went.
I vacillated between thoughts of this:
and this:
this ...
then this would invade my worries:
That went on for quite a long part of the day.
Others in the household were in other zones and gunmen weren't going to stop them ....
Gary returned from swimming (with a halo on top of his head AND a star on his forehead) and put on his refinishing shirt to get into the 'Refinishing Zone' (Refinishing? Since it is the first time you are putting color on wood, wouldn't that be called 'finishing' - but that seems so ... final ... whatever - you know what I mean). His refinishing shirt comes complete with a hole in the sleeve where Chance - our first boxer (... Chance was a good dog ...) hit him with his back paw jumping (all our dogs are jumpers and can jump HIGH):
And off into his '(re?)finishing zone'
At some point while I was in my "Concerned Mother" zone ... I got a call from my cleaning lady asking if I had bought a new vacuum - since the last one blew up on her two weeks ago, or did she need to bring one. I told her that yes, I had bought a new vacuum, then when Gary arrived, promptly used his superpowers and fixed my old one - thus I had two vacuums she could choose from tomorrow.
Cleaning Lady (Alma): "Tomorrow?"
Lori: "Yeah, two weeks ago when you came on Wednesday you said - "see you in two weeks?" and I said "yes". I know Tuesday is our regular day and I just assumed that you meant Wednesday again and that it would be our new day. But it is all right to come today - the house isn't that messy and I can have it picked up before you come."
Alma: (whose English isn't very good): "Excuse me?"
Lori: "See you in a bit"
Alma: "OK, Miss Lori"
And I forgot to be "Concerned Mother" for just a few minutes since the house really was picked up and so not much needed to be done:
Alma came with her sister, who (had asked permission from me) and brought her baby:
And ALL OF A SUDDEN ... I fell smack dab into that "I LOVE BABIES!!!" zone! But not for long - she got fussy and started screaming while I was trying to comfort her. When her mother took her off my hands I was rather relieved, but unfortunately popped back into the "Concerned Mother" zone and - again began scouring the web for information.
Charlie had been unceremoniously dumped in the backyard since she LOVES babies and the babies mom wasn't so sure about that, being that - had she wanted - Charlie could have eaten her in a few bites. So she sat outside the garage door waiting for Gary to come out and play Frisbee - so I guess she was sort of in a Zen Meditation: "Waiting for Frisbee" zone.
Come to think of it ... Charlie is ALWAYS in the "Waiting for Frisbee" zone ...
I got over the "Concerned Mother" zone and decided it was time for the "Photography Zone". There wasn't much to take photos of and since I was coming down with the 'Mother of all Head Colds' (yes, that is what I have now) ... I stayed in the yard and took photos of the other plant that lives outside and endures my neglect with aplomb:
S0 - that was just a few of the 'zones' I popped into and out of and most made sense to me.
But if someone can explain that 'In the Zone' during a workout - especially the endorphins and euphoria part ... I am all ears ....
1 comment:
i only get it AFTER i stop working out. that probably doesn't help you much.
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