Third Time's the Charm

I'm back in school.  Most of you know this and have been very supportive and encouraging.  Thank you.  One of my classes is Algebra.  We won't talk about that.  Another class is Kinesiology.  Or Wellness.  Or Health.  You know, that basic gen/ed class where you have to fill in the blanks about the cardiovascular system and take your heart rate and all that.  I hate it.  This is my third time to take it.

The first time was my first semester as a college student way back in the 1900s.  I was lazy and ended up dropping the class before I could fail it.  The second time was just two semesters after that.  I was so far into a depression at that time that I dropped the class...only to learn that I never officially dropped it.  Turns out I just quit going.  Yeah, those weren't my best years.

Anyway, so here's the charm and I started strong!  I love my teacher (which, let's face it, adds a lot toward motivation to go).  Coach Clay Beason at Harding University is a fantastic person and I highly recommend him if you have the choice of teachers.  He's funny, sincere, compassionate, Spiritual, and he knows his stuff.  (He's also in good shape.  I loathe taking health advice from some overweight idiot.)

So, I am all gung-ho the first four weeks of class.  I mean, I have done the work and turned it in early.  I sit at the front of the class.  I am a note-taking machine.  I've GOT this.

Until the 3-minute-step-test.  How many of you know what that is?  Yes, those of you turning pale and starting to shake...you know what I'm talking about.  For the rest of you, it's where you must step up/step down on a foot-high step (bottom bleacher usually) for three minutes.  You must keep pace with the wonderful BEEP that seems to get faster, but in reality stays the same rhythm (you just get slower).  After three minutes, you take your heart-rate and write it down and you're done with class for the day.  What could be easier?  And Coach Beason doesn't grade you on whether you do a great job.  He grades you on the fact that you showed up and are giving it a go.  Great, right?

Rewind a bit.

I'm not the healthiest person.  Y'all know that and I won't go into all the yucky details.  Like how I take three pills every morning and have to drink taurine in order to move around; and how I have to nap during the day if I'm supposed to do anything after 5:00 in the evening; and how I take 4 pills and two hormones every night (plus melatonin); and I usually go to bed by 8:00 because the joints are aching and my muscles are jelly; oh, and how, because of essential tremor, I shake all the time, making me look like a 90-year-old.  Nausea, low-grade temp, inflamed lower back, headaches...this is my norm.  So, I thought taking this class would be GREAT because I'd learn a lot about physical wellness and maybe something would help me feel better!

Oh, and nosebleeds.  I sometimes don't have one for days.  I sometimes have five in one day.  They're lovely.

Now, back to the 3-minute-step-test.  I had a major nosebleed just before class started.  Now, the difference between a nosebleed and a "major" nosebleed is this.  Nosebleeds require lots of tissue and a trash can near by.  Major nosebleeds mean I have to hang my head over the toilet because tissue doesn't cover it and I'm going to throw-up blood at the same time.  So, there.  Beautiful.

After the nosebleed, I didn't have time to eat anything and was almost late to class.  We started our step-test.  The bleachers look so funny when they swim around and then come up to meet me.  I almost passed out just 90 seconds in.  I remember seeing Coach pulling a trash can up to me (said something about me looking white) and Sarah McGaha (another gem in the gym) saying something about getting security to go find my husband.

I faked some focus and told them I'd be fine.  But I wasn't.  Not for awhile.  I was so frustrated.  When my vision cleared and the nausea passed, I drove home.  I sent an email to Coach Beason and told him there was no way I could come close to meeting all the physical requirements for this class.  We were later going to have to do sit-ups, push-ups, run a mile, etc...  It's not a simple case of me being out of shape (although I'm more out of shape than a deflated beach ball), it's about my body not being up to snuff period.

Remember how I said Coach Clay Beason is awesome?  He is.  He is awesome.  He visited with me and concluded that I can take the class online from home.  FROM HOME!!  :)  Yay!!

I am still meeting the physical requirements, but I have all semester to build up to them.  It's not going to be near the monster I thought it would be.  Sometimes, things really do work out.  Including me!  Sometimes I work out!  Ha!

Now....about Algebra..... *sigh*