This week, I did my first yoga class since before Kenya, which was humbling, to say the least. I think (/know!) I was the least flexible person there.  I was real sore afterwards!

During the class, while the instructor absolutely crushed our core with a sequence, she said, What if you acted like you actually wanted to do this? After she said it, the entire group's energy shifted. People went from groaning to taking a deep breath and pushing through. I went from feeling tense to smiling and relaxing into the sequence. I paid for this pain; I wanted this to be hard! I thought as I held Boat Pose just a litttttle longer.

She's been in my head since Monday as I have gone throughout my days. To best honest, this week has been nuts. We're still settling into post-Kenya reentry. I was pretty sick the first few weeks we were home, we've had (amazing! and awesome!) guests in town, I'm catching up on Letter Requests, email, writing, blogging, life... Basically: I feel behind.

As I started to feel stressed about it, inwardly groaning, I caught myself: What if I acted like I wanted to do this? I thought as I plowed through work. I did, after all, choose it.

The simple mindset shift changed my week. I found the administrative tasks to be more enjoyable. I didn't let myself perceive stress, but, instead, focused on the excitement of what I was doing. When I felt worried that I was behind, I tried to remember to breathe. I tell ya, does anyone else ever get in bed feeling like it's the first deep breath they've taken all day? Intentionally taking deep breaths is a game changer!

I tried to take everything a little less seriously, remembering I'm grateful for another day. I am grateful for the life we live. I want to be here and I want to do this.

Have the best weekend!