Magnificent, Marvellous, Mighty Monday and My Cousin Dimity

Today I didn't feel like my usual inspiring Monday post. The hot weather in Sydney seems to have zapped my brain and I could barely move, let alone think. I had my ballet class this morning and it was like being in HELL. I've had three lessons so far and the tin man is still rusty as the tin man was three lessons ago. My ballet teacher told me about one of her latest students who is in her eighties. Can you imagine? She can't do the jumps but she does pretty much everything else. I'm willing to bet that she's more flexible than I am at the barre. One of the other students had her adorable baby daughter who was running around in her nappy as we sweated it out. I watched that child bending and moving to the music and had to sadly admit she was even more flexible than I am.
However, I am a sucker for torture and punishment and so no doubt I will be back next week trying vainly to do an arabesque as I contort myself into impossible positions.
My mother told me tonight on the phone about my third cousin ( I'll call her Dimity) Anyway, Dimity has long been an inspirational figure in our house. She's in her eighties and beautifully groomed and styled on a quite modest pension. She spends her free time doing beauty treatments for women who have been through chemotherapy for cancer. Dimity is eighty-four (oops, gave her age away there) For the last few months she's been sneaking out of the house on Sundays telling people she's going to church and she's been actually going to karate classes. She is working her way up through her belts.
I'll think of Dimity when I'm standing at the barre feeling like a total pants fool next week. It's never too late and you're never to old to have a bash or make a pants fool of yourself.
Enjoy your week.
Argue for your limitations and you get to keep them - Richard Bach

all images courtesy of weheartit