On most days, it’s just a simple pair of workout leggings. You know. The spandex kind that I should never ever ever wear in public with a short top. The kind that holds everything in tight and you actually feel like there is no more fat to jiggle. That kind of simple leggings.
But last Tuesday morning, those leggings became a little more than that. They were a statement to myself.
You’ve probably heard that we’ve had a verrrrryy long winter here in Minnesota. And as I write this little note in mid-April, we’re waiting for another icy, windy blizzard, and another 73 inches of snow during the next couple days. Have mercy.
During these gloomy, grey, cold days, it’s easy to start to feel … frumpy. Tired. Old. And for those of us who haven’t vacationed where the sun feels warm and there’s sand between our toes, our pale faces have become almost translucent.
When you feel tired and frumpy and old, it’s easy to get comfortable in the comfortable. I realized I was spending a whole lot of time in baggy pants and baggy t-shirts. Comfortable. Close to actual frumpy.
Until last Tuesday.
In my Bible reading that morning, I read Isaiah 43:18-19:
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing.”
It was the “new thing” that caught my attention.
I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of grey and gloomy and old. It was time to switch something up that would create a little bit of energy in my world.
I needed a new thing. I chose spandex capris.
This is obviously not a big deal in the big scheme of life. And I’m sure that Isaiah never anticipated that his words would influence what I wear during my exercising.
But you know, the leggings made a difference. I felt more energetic. Less frumpy. Younger. Like I could maybe finish the exercise routine without collapsing.
Whether we’re in a rut with the weather, with our job, with our routine, with our clothes … whatever our rut looks like, we can choose to help ourselves get out of it. We can try something new.
Do you know what I mean?
In a rut? How will you jump out of it?
What can you do to switch things up?
Where can you find a breath of fresh air? Change your hair color?
Change a routine? Try a new workout routine – or try a workout?
Get outside and breathe deeply (unless you’re in Minnesota in the middle of our own polar vortex)?
Spandex hasn’t changed my life, but it helped change my mood.
What’s your spandex?
