Weak Sauce

Yes folks, I'm still hibernating. :) Actually, since the off-season began in November, I was going to practice about once a week, and stressing out over not going more than that. Then after having to miss a couple practices in a row, I thought - you know what? Eff this noise. This is the off-season, a time to re-assess and get all my little derby and non-derby duckies in a row, relax, enjoy, get fat, etc. etc. I keep getting trapped between having to miss practice for one reason or another, and then stressing/obsessing over what I missed out on. I did enough of that at the end of last season, so I need to end this trend NOW.

Derby is incredibly demanding and can swallow your whole world up if you let it. For some people, that's what they want, and that's awesome. For those of us who are a bit all over the place, want to do EVERYTHING they're interested in all the time, and forget you need time to work and play and socialize and run errands and work on art projects and work on writing/illustrating books, ... it gets a little stressful. So I started to neglect derby. A LOT. And it's not something you can ignore or take lightly (see above with the swallowing).

I'm not saying you can't do derby and do other things. That's what I'm trying to work out at the moment. I just think everything that deserves your attention deserves ALL of it. So if it's Monday night and you have practice, you go to practice. That time has been allotted for derby. End o' story. If it's Tuesday and you could go to practice or catch up on stuff you've been neglecting, catch up. And so on. Make time for derby and put all your gusto into it, but treat the rest of your life the same way. I'm trying to think of it as tunnel vision. Or as my multiple personalities kicking in. "Derby Monica can't hear you right now, unless it's about Derby. But talk to me after a couple of hours, and Friend Monica or Illustrator Monica might be able to answer your question."

So in emphasis of this fact, I quit going to practice half-assed in the off-season. I said, I am taking time off, this is the date when I will return. And once I return, I will be newly committed. And until then, I'll still be exercising and stretching because - oy. Those muscles do disappear fast!