March Matness- Scissors & Bicycle

Dear Scissors & Bicycle,

You demand a lot of flexibility. And balance. And control. I have fallen out of this plenty of times. But falling is not a bad thing. Falling teaches you how to catch yourself. Falling is one of the things I do best. There are times I’ve had to step away from these exercises. I worked on the return. When it’s been successful it's always felt like triumph. There are plenty of times that even though I had the flexibility, balance and control it didn’t happen. But the great thing about Pilates is that you don’t have to do the same thing all the time. Sometimes you have to go back to basics and there are still new things to learn. There are still ways to challenge yourself and build strength without getting your butt up in the air.

Behind me is the Tennessee State Capitol where people put themselves on the line and often fall on a regular basis. The capitol is a special place for me because the Southern Festival of Books, my favorite literary event in Nashville, held part of the festival here for years. I heard some of my favorite authors speak here. Inspiration for my own book, But First… A memoir of a backwards life, was sparked in this building mostly reserved for politics. Writing my book and putting it out there for people to read was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. I had to work my flexibility, balance and control in a much different way. Pilates taught me how to do that out in the world and with my career, by starting in a safe place on the mat. Thank you Pilates for helping me push myself in the ways I needed.

Love,

Heather

Photography by Jennifer Gouge