Friday, May 14, 2010

When Dr. Phil Shaved His Moustache



I remember the first time it reared it's head. I had been dating Nic for quite a while and was pretty comfortable with the fact that I was going to marry him. I had gone to Walmart to buy some high quality fashionable summer duds on my GAP employee budget. I settled on a pair of elastic waisted blue stretchy capris. We were at his parent's house and I was walking up their purple carpeted stairs and Nic was behind me. He must have wondered how to phrase it, finally choosing: "Whatcha wearing?"

The truth was, I chose those capris out of the granny section. The section where they sell button-up tops with embroidered butterflies and right next door - a dazzling display of mu-mus. I felt safe in the fact I had snatched me a man and now felt okay shopping in the granny section at age 23. I defended myself by informing him that capris are all the rage! They are a perfect mutation of shorts and pants...all the stylish Mormon girls are wearing them now etc... He looked at me and proceeded to tell me about a lady he knew growing up who somehow told herself it was ok to come to church in a house dress with a zipper. I know he was picturing me 30 years from then in my Sunday mu-mu.

I'm talking about The Rut. Did I like how I looked in those capris? Not really. Would I have worn them on a hot date when I first met Nic? Nope. It's just easy to get into a rut. *DISCLAIMER: Do we all need a day in sweats and no makeup? Yes. Do we have to be smokin' hot mamas all the time? No. That's not what I'm talking about.

The other day on Oprah, Dr. Phil was saying everyone should do something that wasn't the norm to feel more alive. To demonstrate his point he shaved off his moustache that he had worn for the last 40 years! I was inspired! (Snort, giggle) Yes I was! When he turned around and revealed his new face, he looked great! He asked everyone to consider doing something they hadn't imagined for themselves. Why not?

What are your ruts? I have my routines, some necessary, some REALLY not. I wondered what I could do with my time that would be better.

Guess what? This girl who hasn't exercised since college recently became a runner....jogger...okay shuffler. For the last 6 weeks I have worked myself up to almost three miles. Never in a million years imagined that for myself. I still have voices that tell me I'm a fool. That I should succumb to the elastic waist band and give up any notion that I can be an active person. That rut feels mighty deep sometimes.

It's exciting to challenge your rut. I want to find more ways to do it. I have more moustaches that need shaving! Why not?

What fleeting dream do you have for yourself that you never thought you could do? Say it! Tell me!

12 comments:

"M" Clan said...

Ruts of my own: not doing my dishes the day they are dirtied :) Adam loves that one! I have the classic mormon/polygamist hair do...OH YES I DO and possibly this fall it will finally change. I have NEVER been in good physical shape/health and feared failing achieving it, until this year. It is a year for change, a year to start/finish whatever we possibly can, this life is for living...You go girl!

Unknown said...

I am the same way, I practically live in my sweats and sometimes my fiance just shakes his head when I leave the house in them. They are just so comfortable! I'm trying to break my rut by forcing myself to put something decent on in public lol.

Love your blog, please check out mine! http://jessraquelmyeternallove.blogspot.com/

Lisa said...

Angie, you write the greatest posts ever! I love reading your blog!

Congrats on doing so well with the exercising! You look great. :)

Stacie said...

I loved reading that! Sadly, I think I have many moustache-esq things in my life. Number one being my music. I'm nowhere near where I had always wanted to be in my life, I have just become comfortable where I'm at...and now it's my rut. Hmm, I think you've inspired me to 'shave off my moustache.'

Way to go, Angie!

Christene said...

Love it! I am a jogger (shuffler) too! Or I was...before baby four. Now I'm trying to get up the nerve to get back into it and work up to a 1/2 marathon sometime soon. I've always wanted to be a published writer and I'm taking steps to get there. There are a lot of mustaches I want to shave right off. I love the inspiration!

Cyndi said...

You are so cute! Ok so I was telling my mom about this "rut" of mine (not exactly the same words I used but anyway) and I told her that I had gotten up and gotten out of my rut. I haven't really told very many people about this because I don't want to have light shone on me when it's unnecessary but to get out of my rut I have been volunteering at the Bishops Store house every Tuesday for about two months now. It's been the best rut remover ever!

The San Diego Mills said...

What a great post, as usual! I think we all get stuck in ruts, in the daily routine of being a wife, mother, etc. I was telling my husband the other day that I realized one day that I was saying almost the exact same thing to my daughter every day when I put her into her high chair to eat breakfast. Not that she cares, but I do! I hope the exercising routine continues to go well for you. One dream of mine is to own a cookie business. Not sure how I would go about it, but I love making cookies of any sort!

meleahlee said...

Recently, I also went “rut”. I just kept remembering young, active, fun Meleah I loved so much. Meleah then always had something exciting to get dresses up for, was the life of the party, and never missed a hang out session. Meleah now, does not get enough sleep and is ALWAYS in a hurry praying not to be late for work, only to come home just to work harder. So I thought, what made my life “better” when I was young? And I finally got my answer. “YES”. When I was younger I never said no. I was always up for whatever. I didn’t want to miss anything. I would never be caught sitting at home watching a movie at 7:00 on a Saturday night! There was to go much happening. So I started saying, yes. If a friend had a silly candle party they wanted me to go to I said “yes”. If there was a free show downtown my friend was playing in I said “yes”. I would even watch my sisters kids if she asked (stupid yes policy) and would just chalk it up to spending quality time with my nieces and nephews. I will be honest. Turns out that the 10 year gap from 17 to 27 dose play a toll on my bones, so about 3 weeks later I stopped saying yes all the time. But I am more willing now. Which I think was a good lesson to learn.

i said...

I'm trying to remember the capris. :) I LOVED hearing about your shaving. What an inspiration! Now I need to go do something with my dang hair. :)

Anna said...

Good for you for running. Love it. And you look great. Love the capris story. :)

mimilove forever said...

Ah, I think my life is one big rut but I'm kind of lying in it gazing at the stars...I am devising a rocket ship to reach them one day though! ;0)

(And I probably have to literally shave off my tash soon...I'm getting to that age now!)

Big Mimi Loves to you and the crew!!
xx ;0)

Audrey Taylor said...

You are such a good writer! You make me laugh!! I have wanted to cut my hair really short, but Ben says NOOO. I'm turning 30 in Sept. I don't know, I have a lot of moustaches too. Hah!