AKA Welcome to me doing/throwing anything and everything (including the kitchen sink) to stave off a big serve of the post show blues.
I mean they did warn me about this a few weeks ago…
‘It’s not you, it’s me..’ – The show
Look it was inevitable really:
-Boy signs up for charity dance without a single dancing bone in his body.
-Boy starts off horribly and amuses everybody in the process
-Dejected boy wonders why the hell he agreed to this
-Girl teacher comes along and slowly but surely gets him up to speed
-A point in time is crossed where boy manages to do the complete routine
-And then the opening one. And in the introduction dance.
-Suddenly boy realises he can do this without a) Falling in a screaming heap at the end of things or needing a ventilator and b) without wanting to torch the place in frustration.
-Things go so well at the end performance, boy and girl place third in the judges category. All involved absolutely ecstatic and party long into the next day.
-Event over.
-Life resumes
-Excitement hits the brakes
-Post show blues drops round for a cuppa and a chat
And like I said earlier, they did warn me about the post show blues early on. Because I’d have on average two or three dance lessons a week and more often than not I’d finish my morning show and then catch up with Abbey my dance teacher soon after. Then there was the group dance, learning to dance a specific routine along with the rest of the other stars involved. Then there was the fundraising – the contact, the travel, the photos and social posts, the asking and picking up donations from businesses around town and the actual events themselves.
My diary had something on just about every day over the time of this challenge. And if it didn’t, my wonderful wife Donna who organised so much of the behind the scene stuff did. Once in a blue moon we’d do something with the family or I’d squeeze in a small workout but usually it was work/dance/fundraise/sleep when possible.
Then the last week before the official show arrived and we turned the heat to maximum. As many last sessions as we could do, group training and dress rehearsal, one more go over with a prop we’d never used bird (a birdcage trolley – hard to find in town, even harder to spin freely with two fixed wheels..) and then the big night where I found myself wanted to punch passing cars slowing me down all afternoon in the lead up to it as my nerves came to a complete boil over.
(For the record I kept my rage to myself..)
Suffice to say it was a non stop action packed thrill ride with the occasional bout of frustration thrown in across the journey:
And after going on last, dancing up an absolute storm and picking my jaw off the floor (and the post show celebrations) I realise I’d just been part of one the greatest experiences I’d ever agreed to partake in. I’d come so far and finished far better than I ever thought I could. And I’d dare say the other 10 dances all felt exactly the same.
But then it ended and here we are.
Post show blues feels like a break up really
Because there isn’t any cooling off here. It’s been foot to the floor, work on the routine across the week, think about the routine when you’re not working on it across the week, throwing everything at your fundraising, messages, email, travel, promotion, everything. On top of work, life, kids, drama, everything else. Sadly life didn’t go on holidays while i was doing this.
And then suddenly it’s like someone’s pulled back on the hydraulic handbrake and brought the hurtling missile to a complete standstill just when you thought you couldn’t love something anymore. You do the night, your confidence is at an all time high, then it’s all over red rover and thanks for coming.
I’ve been married for 12 years now so it’s been quite some time since I’ve had a break up but the feeling is kind of hard to forget – and this time it’s a whole bunch of people involved. It’s hanging out with Abbey, seeing good mates Geoff and Jebb at group dance, having people like Louise help me out with my fundraising and then the family and I grabbing a snag at her sausage sizzle. Chatting about how you’re going with everything on your dance plate and finding out how everyone is faring, celebrating successes, reminding yourself and others you can do this, going to everyone’s events, promoting what people were up to because you’re all fundraising for the same cause, dancing into the night and coming home so buzzed it took a long time to switch off again.
Thing’s ain’t been the same since the blues walked into town..
-Alabama 3, Woke up this morning (Theme from the Sopranos)
I got so used to all of this and found I really enjoyed it (save the lack of sleeping of course.) Then the record stopped and the post show blues stepped onto the dance floor as the crowd exited. Not just for me, but from everyone I’ve talked to. We’re all in this together it seems, the good times and bad!
Which is why I’ve dedicated this week (and more than likely the next one too) not to dwell on missing amazing things and people, rather do what I can do to punch post show blues in the nether regions.
Al’s guide to beating the post show blues
This is what I’m currently doing this week, if your own activity life has come to a screaming halt too why not try some of these on for size:
Keeping active. Oh god is this one important. Because you can’t go weeks of occasionally fast paced physical activity to the point where your body becomes conditioned to it and then all of a sudden go cold turkey and almost rooted to the spot, your system will want to throw itself into the nearest wall in frustration.
Therefore I’ve made sure that each day I’m walking (easy mode) and or doing some kind of weight related exercise (not so easy mode.) I have my Samsung watch set to cheer at 11k steps and given the sunshine out at the moment, that’s easy to finish off (unless I’ve done too many leg exercises the day before). Downstairs in the workshop/dungeon I have my barbell, dumbells, kettlebells and bench. Even light lifting feels better than no lifting but I’ve also asked ChatGPT for a workout and it’s a nice hit of dopamine every time I log something into the Hevy app.
Keeping social. Naturally you’re not going to mesh completely with every single person in a group. But if there’s one or two you really clicked with, make sure you keep in touch. I had a two hour coffee session one of my fellow dancers yesterday and it was one of the best chats ever because we talked through how we felt. No boasting, no hiding, we both admitted how much we missed things and how things got very emotional at times. We talk about the night, compared future plans, had a laugh, great time. Welcome to being human.
Do the things you haven’t done in a while. The 3d printer downstairs has been gathering dust so I promised myself I’d clean it up and get it printing again. And after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, the fourth time I tried to get it to work, it worked. Of course it’s currently printing just the first part of a multi part model which means there’s heaps more opportunity there for it to crack the shits again but if I keep at it, I’ll have something to put together and to paint and that will be a lovely distraction from the rather annoying post show blues.
I’ve also gone back to writing again this week. Not just this blog naturally but book writing. I have half an idea in mind, I keep adding ideas to it in moments when I’m doing anything other than writing, I’m a couple of thousand words deep at the moment. Will it pan out? No idea at this stage. But it’s reminded me that I enjoy writing and a big creative session has been well overdue.
Music. Stupidly powerful, listening to what you love. Especially if it gets your blood pumping and your spine tingling to the point where you want to stomp a mudhole in your post show blues. How good does that feel! (I may have mentioned this before but the track that does this for me is Ennio
Go to the places that make you happy. For me that’s the library, various op shops and scenic parks. While find your happy place does sound cliche, it’s perfect here. And if there’s a coffee in my hand and earpods in my ear then the happy place just got a whole heap happier.
Sometimes the simple things in life are best. I love to cook, I love cooking when the nearest Google device is playing something lofi, lougey or trip hoppy like Massive Attack. I haven’t read for ages because my eyes and small print get into fist fights, so I changed the font size on my kindle to bring the joy of reading back again. I have time for my favourite series, so I’m watching The Thin Blue Line with Rowan Atkinson again and catching up on the always amazing Dark Side of the Ring episodes. I’m remembering to give myself more time with the spikes and more time cuddling when I can because who doesn’t enjoy that? With everything that’s been going on, it’s something that’s been a bit overlooked as of later. Time to get back into it – take that post show blues!
And finally: Stop and appreciate the things around you. (This actually inspired the post earlier today.) My son has a basketball hoop out in the backyard. The last time I shot hoops with him or just by myself? Er…January when we moved here. It’s now mid May. But I saw it today and thought ‘You’re not too busy to take ten shots are you?’ So I did.
Then I enjoyed that so much, I shot ten more. More than half went in which was a bonus!
Twenty became forty. Then sixty. I came inside, started writing this post, went off to pick up the kids, came back, wrote some more, wandered out to finish off the 100 I promised myself and then came back to finish this all off. Of course Jackson heard me shooting hoops and came out to join me which made the experience even more fun. Even fate laded the 100th shot through the net.
I don’t know how many times I’ve walked past the hoop and not throwing something at it over the last few months but today it gave me something to do, helped me rack up the step count and I had fun with my little bloke. How’s that dropkick to the knees feel now post show blues?