hey hey, barrebabe,
i hope this finds you well even though it's 1) still a pandemic and 2) still freaking snowing and cold and 3) monday vibes can be stressy and weird. i get it! have some vitamins and think sunny thoughts, and we will get through this!
today i have for you some birthday-related reflections.
but first, please let me say that last saturday's post-class hang was SO FUN! seriously, shooting the breeze with you babes for a little while was warm and fuzzy and ultimately so rejuvenating for me. i love hearing about where you are and what you're up to, plus everyone is soooo interesting and badass. there is nothing better than having a community of rad babes and i am the luckiest in that department, so thank you all for showing up!
39 is divine
growing up, i was taught that after a certain, unspecified age, it was considered rude to ask a woman how old she is. since no one has asked me on the past few birthdays, apparently i have reached that age myself, but i don't mind telling you that i just turned 39 and feel pretty freaking awesome about it.
there's so much dumb negativity around age in our culture, particularly for women, and i'm calling bullshit on all of that, right now.
our bodies, priorities and interests change, but that doesn't automatically mean these changes must be shrouded in expectations of misery. while i may have more forehead lines at 39 than 25, i also have WAY better style, and while i may not be willing or able to drink 100 margaritas all night and be fresh as a daisy in the morning, i know how to take better care of my body overall, and it shows. overall, my experience of getting older has been that many, if not most, things get better, provided we are kind to ourselves (and do lots of pilates!)
obviously i'm nowhere near old yet (isn't 40 the new 21?) but there's plenty of pop culture out there that says otherwise. i found myself watching "sex and the city" the other night and thinking how foreign the characters seemed to me, fretting about their 36th birthdays and pricey shoes and such, and how much older than me they seemed. in the spirit of carrie (i love SJP, don't get me wrong!), could it be that my generation is redefining ageing for women?
i think maybe we are. but either way, it got me thinking that i'm actually living/slowly ageing proof that pilates, barre, and a beginner's mind really does keep us healthy and youthful, just like i learned from my incredibly gorgeous-at-all-ages pilates & dance teachers and other role models.
joseph pilates said "if your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you're old. if it's completely flexible at 60, you are young," and it so far seems to be true that we are only as old as our spines - and our dispositions - are limber. so wherever you are in your years, keep moving, keep learning, and please keep pulsing with me :)
that's it for now, babes. hope to see you onscreen soon!
with love & planks,
Annie
