8 Days to Go: The Mat with Ella, The Quiet Wins, and Setting the 4:30 AM Alarm

Tuesday was a whirlwind from the second my feet hit the floor.

When we are home between trips, our house becomes command central for health logistics, and that includes our sweet 13-year-old pup, Rindo. We had her groomed on Monday so she was clean and pretty, and first thing Tuesday morning, we dropped her off at the vet for an all-day dental under anesthesia. Taking care of her needs while juggling our own is just part of the rhythm of being home, and knowing she was in good hands gave me a pocket of space to turn toward something I desperately needed: movement.

I headed over to Lifetime Fitness to meet Alyson and celebrate Ella’s birthday. I have known Ella since the literal day she was born. I’ve watched her grow into this fiercely capable, radiant human being who graduated from KU and is now out canvassing for Planned Parenthood. Two summers ago, she came through my 200-hour Teacher Training and was pure magic.

Now, she is officially stepping into our world at Five Parks Yoga. She’s starting to help us with social media, and just like Tricia, she is preparing to step in and teach classes for me on the channel while I am in recovery. I’m filming a class with her this week to introduce her to our community, just like I did with Tricia. Standing next to both of them is hysterical, they are each about half my size and look nothing like me, but between the two of them, I have an incredible team ready to hold down the fort.

I surprised Ella with a big birthday hug, and we rolled out our mats for a class called SOL, an unheated, Ashtanga-inspired flow.

And then, something miraculous happened: my body actually cooperated. The trigger point injections Dr. Erin gave me on Friday, paired with my meds, finally seemed to take the vicious edge off the guarding muscles. The pain didn’t vanish, but my body felt ready enough to move without that agonizing, white-knuckle brace. I felt good. The movement was medicine, the vibe was easy, and by the time we showered and parted ways, my spirits were soaring.

I came home riding that high, ready to turn my attention to the camper. But the clock was ticking, and hanging over my head was a 4:30 AM wake-up call for a top-secret mission the next morning.