OM - My Goodness, Where's My Bag!?

It was the Thursday before Mother's Day and it was our first real week at the gym. Zip, who was still feeling fragile about attending, didn't want to wear the tag and cried when I would say goodbye.

I'd thrown my things in a locker, run upstairs to check the childcare monitor, and upon seeing the boys playing happily I started my workout. I rode the bikes for about a half an hour and then went downstairs to see if there were any classes starting.

There was one starting called, Vibrant Vinyasa Yoga:

Set to contemporary music, this invigorating Vinyasa style yoga class is

a fun and dynamic way to practice Yoga. All levels welcome.

I went inside.

The teacher began the class by asking if any of us were new to Yoga. The only time I've ever taken a Yoga class was for a session of Mommy and Me when Tizzy was a baby. It was fun, but more of a bonding experience for the new mom's, rather than a proper Yoga class. I would definitely consider myself a beginner so I raised my hand. She advised me to just do what I was comfortable with and to go into Child's Pose whenever I needed. I couldn't do everything, but I made it through the class, and I loved it.

After the class I felt so invigorated. I was ready to conquer the world. Then I went into the locker room and realized I had no idea where I'd put my things.

The locker room is beautiful and understated. Rows and rows of pine lockers, silver handles, and coded locks, 15-20 per dressing cubicle. They all look exactly the same. I had no idea where to begin. I began where I was most certain I'd put my things. In the back row. The question was – Where in the back row?

I punched my code into my first best guess.

Nope.

Next best.

Nothing.

Each of the two corners?

Guess again.

I was certain I'd put my stuff in a top locker, so I started punching my code, arbitrarily at first, and then systematically, around the cubicle from start to finish. Not one budged. I started again with the bottom row. Nothing. This was when the room started to swim and I wondered if perhaps I was dreaming. "Take a deep breath", I told myself, "It's got to be here somewhere."

Thinking upon my hasty arrival, it was entirely possible my stuff was in the middle section. I sheepishly made my way next door, smiled grimly to the women getting dressed and said, "I seem to have lost my locker. Please excuse me as I try each and every one." They were very nice and said that they'd each done the same thing before themselves. I made my way around the second group of lockers with no success.

I had an hour before I needed to pick up the boys, but, I was starting to get a little panicked. What if I never found my locker? It was looking like I might not. What if, after looking everywhere, my stuff wasn't actually there at all? What if I'd slipped into some alternate universe, and I'd never actually brought my stuff here to begin with? Perhaps somehow I'd managed to drive myself here, check in at the main desk without keys or my wallet, and I'd only imagined putting those things into a locker!

O.K.

Now I knew I was panicking.

"Take a deep breath. It's got to be here, it's just a matter of where."

I went to the next row, tried every one, upstairs and down, and still not a single one opened.

I did this three times.

I never found my locker.

I met a lot of nice women that day.

They all claimed to have done the same thing, some more than once.

I suspected that most of them had possibly confused their locker, but I found it hard to believe that any of them had actually gone from row to row and still been unable to find it.

What I did see, which was comforting, were several lockers with hair ties wrapped around the handles. To me, that was proof that others had actually been in my shoes and didn't want to go there again.

I promised myself that next time I was bringing a hot pink hair tie.

The hour I had before needing to pick up the boys passed quickly, and soon it was time to wrap up my search.

I went to the front desk to find out what to do in my situation.

The guy told me he'd get someone to help.

Guess what happened while I waited?

The pager went off.

I called the daycare from the desk.

"You need to come get your kids." The woman said cheerfully.

"Let me guess. Zip?" I asked

"No. This time it's Tizzy. He's hitting."

"Really?!" I said, "That's a new one."

I told her I'd be there as soon as I could, but first I had to find my things because I didn't even have the tags I needed to pick them up.

The locker room attendant came and got me and with her special key, we went from the front of the room to the back opening each and every locker until we magically opened the door that revealed my bags.

It was the first locker that I had tried.

Perhaps in my rush to get upstairs I'd punched my code in incorrectly.

I'll never know.

"So much for the Yoga class." I thought. "How can I possibly remain relaxed now?"

The amazing thing is, I did remain relaxed.

That class got me through the rest of the afternoon and the next after that.

I am now, what you might call a Yoga Mama.

It is my new favorite thing.

Somehow I manage to get to a class nearly every day. Three days a week, I drag myself out of bed at 5:30 in the morning, and take a class to start my day. Gradually it's changing my body. My arms are getting leaner, my waist is starting to slim, and the other day, Zip reached out to "Squish yer belly - Squish yer belly - Squish yer belly," and there wasn't as much to grab onto. Beyond my body, which is nice and definitely part of the goal - most importantly, it's clearing my mind.

I am much more patient with the boys. I'm much more patient with Brad. Surprisingly, I'm even more patient with myself.

That is worth it's weight in gold. And, on the weekends, I've even gotten Brad to attend a class with me.

This gym just may change my life!