I am incredibly exhausted. I got a great work-out at Tae Kwon Do, but I didn’t stop there. Oh no, I didn’t do the smart thing and take the rest of the afternoon off after the most intensive workout I’ve probably had in, oh, six years. But I’ll tell you about that later.
The class went really well. I kept up much better than I thought I would and I only had to stop and sit down once because I could feel the stress on my left foot. My doctor told me to take it easy on my little toes because if I put too much pressure on them the bones could very easily snap in half. That would be a very bad thing.
I think what caused the problem was the initial set of jumping jacks at the beginning of class. 50 of them, and then because we didn’t all count out loud the instructor had us do another set of 50. After 30 more I just quit, and the instructor gave me the thumbs up to tell me that was more than okay.
We ran through several step punch and kick combinations. I did pretty well for my first class, but I got a few things out of order. Extra points for me; I tied my belt right! I’m apparently not very good at Simon Says, though. The instructor, Mr. C, would explain what we were supposed to do and *then* tell us to start. I was so tired that I’d hear the instructions and want to start doing it without waiting for him to tell us, “Go.” Thankfully, though, his assistant was right there and worked with me throughout the entire class. When I’d mess something up he’d very quietly and privately help me out, and then when I did something well he’d praise me for it. It was perfect.
A few times he’d have us stop and do push ups and sit ups. I did about forty of those and that was fine. Not that I wasn’t exhausted – I was so tired I was nearly braindead. But it was good, and I forced myself through it when I knew the pain wasn’t going to do any physical damage. I only allowed myself to stop when I could tell my left foot was close to giving out.
To give you an idea of just how braindead I was, the instructor got confused and started calling me Wendy. When he started doing that I was so tired I was afraid if I tried to correct him the only thing that would come out of my mouth would be something to the effect of, “Wllkejr, ka laksdiu oiusd Heatkjerlkjasd.” I decided to just go with it, it’s not the first time someone’s called me Wendy. It’s one of the top three names that people usually attribute to me, and I knew once he got back to his office after class he’d realize what my real name is. So why even bother? No one else was really calling me by my name because I think they remembered my name from when I introduced myself. It was just entertaining for the time being, and like I said, I was *way* too tired to bother having someone get my name right.
During the last twenty minutes of class we paired up and practiced punching and kicking. I got teamed up with a very nice woman who’s a brown belt. We took turns beating stuff up while the other held the target foam pad thingie. (My English skills are going – I’m very, *very* tired so please excuse me.) I think the only things I really had major problems with were my hook kick and one backward punching combination. The others I got into the rhythm for pretty quickly, and while I’m not saying I’m going to be a sensai any time soon, I think I did really well for my first class. My instructors said they were very impressed as well, and that I lasted a lot longer than they thought I would. Ditto to that, for a while I thought I’d drop dead in the first fifteen minutes. It’s been ages since I felt that tired.
A thought hit me this afternoon when I was thinking about just how much my foot hurt when I sat down that one time during class. I realized that last year when I had the toe amputated, my Doctor told me I shouldn’t expect to be walking and running normally for an entire year, that most people have to learn how to walk all over again. And there I was today, just over one year later, doing Tae Kwon Do. I’ve gone far beyond most people’s wildest expectations, even beyond my own. I’m proud of myself for not only going so far today, but for knowing when to sit down.
After class when my father picked me up, as soon as I got in the car I felt like a blob. I didn’t feel like I could move a muscle. They didn’t hurt, they just felt like they weren’t there. But, what was really funny, was I think I sounded a bit like I was on heavy medication. I was babbling about things and I don’t even remember what all I said. I just started talking. I bet I was… entertaining. 🙂
Once I got home I took a shower, but that’s where I got stupid. Afterward, my Dad and I went right back out again and spent the entire afternoon walking around a gigantic car lot, test driving various cars so we could eliminate a few models from our list of possibilities. We’re trying to find a car for me to drive, and the hunt is getting ridiculous. I have no idea how I managed to walk around from 3 in the afternoon until around 6 o’clock this evening.
I’m not going to tell you which cars we test drove. There were too many of them and I just don’t care at the moment. I’m too tired. But, I will tell you the highlight of the evening. After we left the big huge used car lot, I convinced my Dad to go down the street to the BMW dealer. 🙂 He wouldn’t stay long, and he didn’t want to go on a test drive (I tried to take his temperature, he must be sick!), but he did agree to stop. So that was something. 🙂
What was so fabulous about just stopping at the BMW dealer? It was all worth it when I got out of the car, walked to a lovely cement circle in the grass, where it sat silhouetted against the dark evening sky by a soft white uplight. Z4. Mmmmm. I just walked around it and around it, tracing its contours with the tips of my fingers. What wouldn’t I do for that car? Just when can I trade in my first born? Hehe, just kidding of course. Well, about the first born anyway.
I am surprised, though, at how cheap it is. It’s no where near as much as I was expecting it to be. The one that I was oogling over had almost all the available features, right down to wood trim, and it was only $44,100. Only, I know, is a pretty silly thing to say when it comes to $44,100, but look at it this way. At the used car lot I test drove a 2001 Nissan Maxima that costs $23,998. That’s just over halfway to a Z4. Base price on that car is apparently $33,100. True, that’s my entire college education just about, but the art, the engineering, that purr of the engine… Mmmmm. I suppose it will have to wait until a few years from now, unless the President of BMW happens to have a son my age who’s willing to marry a nice little American girl. Haha, just kidding… I think. 🙂
To bed now, because I think I only have enough energy left in my muscles to lift my legs and pull myself out of this chair. Thankfully from there I don’t have to do anything but let myself fall, since my desk is so conveniently located next to my pillow.