“I Haven't Had This Much Fun Since I Was a Kid"

Looking to hit Escape on her tiredall-the-time daily grind, Judi Ketteler discovered her childhood joy in gymnastics held the key to bringing her adult life back into balance.

- Judi Ketteler 

LAST YEAR, I MADE A RESOLUTION to be a more fun parent. Some time around January 3, I resolved instead to be a more fun person. With two little kids, a full-time job (I’m the breadwinner) and a busy volunteer schedule, it didn’t seem like an easy resolution to keep. But given my growing sense of resentment over my general load of responsibilities, I knew it was one I needed to make. So here’s what I did:

The first Thursday evening in January, I drove to the YMCA. I walked into the gymnastics center and gave a nod to the other moms sitting on the bleachers. But instead of joining them to watch tiny tots learning to do handsprings, I took off my shoes and stepped onto the mat to start stretching. I pushed into a downward dog and did some gentle wrist circles — the whole time feeling the weight of the moms’ eyes on me and guessing at the questions forming in their heads. Isn’t she one of us? Does she think she’s a gymnast? Literally?

Yes, yes and yes. I’m 42 years old, and as of January of last year, I’m in gymnastics again. At 5' 6" and 140 pounds, I am neither tiny nor a tot. I’m a grown woman in an adult gymnastics class, reliving the glory days of my childhood sport, and it’s brought me back to myself in a way I hadn’t known was possible.