pole

Y’all know I’ve been getting frustrated with pole. I feel like I’ve hit a wall–I’m bored with what I know, but I’m just not building the strength for the intermediate moves I keep encountering. Aerial inverts have been wrenching my already iffy lower back, while slipping and sliding and just trying to stay off the ground while learning stuff has just been overwhelming on top of the new skill.

Layer that with the additional constant pressure to “know this by now” because I’ve poled for a while and you get this face:

😐

So instead, I’ve been trying to build my strength and flexibility through other means–hoping to return back to pole with some new skills and a different outlook in a bit. Right now I’m doing flex, ballet, and my long lost friend…

….HOOP!

OMG HOOP.

Reasons I love hoop:

1. So much to hang on to. Are you kidding me? The best. You can also sit and rest between moves. Are. You. Serious.

2. Very similar moves and muscle groups as pole, but without the slipping/smashing/indian burn issues (I’ve bruised a little on the bum bum and behind the knees from the pressure but it’s really not the same as those screaming friction feels from pole).

3. I’m totally new at it so there’s no pressure to be amazing/no progress shaming

It’s also really refreshing to take a break from super sexy. I’m feeling the lyrical flow of hoop, and it’s the MOST satisfying pay off for my work in ballet and flex.

Ahhhhh, just thinking about it makes me feel relaxed and so much happier. Not that it’s not hard work–it’s just the work without all the emotional baggage that’s built up for me with pole. And it feels great!

Mkay, so I’m boyfriendless.

I am okay with this, mainly because I don’t have to deal with any

And who could have known… I was already straddling my dream date.

rollercoaster emotional stuff, but also because, without all the “quality time” nonsense, I can take good care of myself–cook well rounded meals, paint my toenails regularly, get 7.5 hours of sleep, yada yada yada. I realize this makes me sound old, but with 3 jobs and a 1-1.5 hour commute, making myself a salad before I collapse is kind of a big deal. So I’m enjoying it.

Besides, boys are fun, but if you see the relationship through its natural trajectory, it becomes horrible and exhausting. Like, you take an adorable puppy home, but then it gets big and pees on stuff and bites your friends.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is probably going to be like every time I have a bad hangover and decide to not drink a certain kind of liquor again. I love boys. I’ll get back out there. I’ll fall madly in love and get my heart broken, and then write another post like this in 6 months.

(Just like every time I forget about the dry heaving and think it’s a good idea again to shoot whiskey on an empty stomach again).

BUT FOR NOW: I’m in a new kind of committed relationship, and his name is Pole.

Why Pole Is Better Than Any Boyfriend I’ve Ever Had:

1. He’s always hard

WINK.

2. He’s supportive

Seriously, I can swing circles around him.

3. He ALWAYS wants to dance with me

…and he never does the white man’s overbite. Better yet…

4. He always lets me have the spotlight

Pole, u so secure.

5. He lifts me up and makes me stronger