More than a Week’s Worth of Wows #17

It’s been several weeks since I’ve shared some of the wows I’ve had. Life got overwhelming and then it went still. My friend Kelly recently wrote about letting your field lie fallow, and I realized that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I needed to let my body, mind, and spirit replenish itself. So, I did. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t wows along the way. Oh, there were several. Here are some of the most memorable.

I did dog yoga! The local animal shelter launched a dog yoga class and I was lucky enough to grab a spot. As an instructor led us through positions and flow sequences, volunteers brought in dogs, one at a time. The dogs weren’t sure what we were doing, but they had fun checking us out. I got to spend time with Sallie Mae, a beautiful Great Pyrenees, who was as sweet as she could be.

I took a mystery writing class. I love reading mystery novels and wondered what it would be like to write one. When my local writer’s community offered a mystery writing class, I signed up. The class was taught by local author Lauren Thoman who was as engaging as she is talented. When I left, I decided to take an essay I’d written about my upbringing and turn it into a YA mystery novel. A few days later, I was going through some boxes at my parents’ house, I came across an old real estate listing picture of the house that prompted the idea. Why was this mixed in with family photos? I have no idea. Well, actually I do, because I believe in signs.

I took a baton-twirling class. I saw a Facebook post from someone in my city who was gauging interest in offering baton twirling lessons. A former majorette at Auburn University, she shared pictures of herself, including one with flaming batons. That caught my attention because #5 my Wow List just happens to be to be “learn to twirl the baton.” Well, most all of the responses were from moms interested in lessons for their daughters. I reached out and asked if she’d be open to teaching an adult. She graciously agreed to indulge someone old enough to be her mother. Let me just say, I am not a natural. But I had fun taking the lesson. I need more practice, but I’m proud of myself for trying something new … and a little unusual. 

I re-joined “Team Wow.” I was out on a walk one day, contemplating whether or not I wanted to continue blogging. I started this project as a way to process my grief and continue to live. In some ways, I felt I had moved forward and no longer needed to post. But I missed looking for and sharing wows. Just as I was telling myself, “you’ll know if you should continue,” a man ran past me on the walking path. On the back of his shirt, it said “TEAM WOW.” I stopped walking. Then I fumbled for my phone and snapped this picture. It’s hard to make out the words, but I took it as my sign.

My cousin made me cry. But in a good way! I got a letter in the mail from my cousin Rick, telling me about a wow moment he had while driving through Virginia in the early morning hours. He was soaking up the picturesque scenery as his family slept in the car. He told me, “I had this moment I will always remember. It was perfect, and I’m not sure I would have had it without you and your writing. I’m so grateful for that.” I was deeply touched. His letter became a wow moment for me and confirmed my decision to keep blogging.

What wow moments have you had lately?