Self enlightenment the good old fashioned way

Today I participated in my first Spinning class. According to a friend of mine, you are guaranteed to burn 1000 calories in 60 minutes. Self-imposed ass kicking at it's best. As the instructor is setting up my bike for me he says, "Your goal as a first-timer is simply to finish". Damn if that isn't the best introduction to a workout I've ever heard. Just finish.

I did indeed finish, and it ended up being as intense as everyone said it was going to be. My thighs were burning and my legs were all wobbly when I stepped off the bike. It was excruciating. I won't be able to walk for days. My legs are sore in places I didn't even know muscles existed. I absolutely loved it.

Lately I've been feeling very old. I came across some pictures a few days ago, some photos of me at my Senior Prom. I looked so glowingly happy and pretty that I barely recognized myself. It's hard to remember what it felt like to be 17. That girl in those pictures has no idea what cellulite or crow's feet are. She has no idea what it feels like the have her heart broken or what it's really like to stress about money.

These days I look in the mirror and all I can see are these adult realities staring right back at me. Where did all the innocence go? As far as I knew I still had a least a little of it left over, getting me ID'd at restaurants when I ordered a glass of wine with my steak, but lately it seems that my eyes give me away. They reveal my old spirit.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to spend some time rediscovering my inner child. I'm not really sure how to go about doing that, so instead I'm working on rediscovering my high-school ass through intense aerobics! Seems like a fair trade to me.