Coffee Talk Tuesday #116

It’s…a day! Let’s pause and have a coffee chat.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that this time last week, we were on our cruise to Cuba! We cruised with Royal Caribbean on the Majesty of the Seas. We started in Ft. Lauderdale (side note – Port Everglades is MUCH better than Port Miami. So well organized), cruised to Key West, and then spent 2 days in Havana, Cuba. WOW. Just, wow. I was so excited for this trip, and have wanted to visit Cuba since the travel ban was lifted.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that my favorite tour in Cuba was the Classic American car tour we did with Urban Adventures. We had a local guide as well as a driver. We got to see Old Havana, Modern Havana, and we finished the tour at Hotel Nacional de Cuba. We traveled through the “Forest of Havana,” saw the Green Elephant, and learned about history and revolution. The pace struck me the most — it’s definitely “island time” in Cuba, even though you’re surrounded by European-looking architecture. It all seems out of place. Simple living surrounded by complex architecture. I keep telling everyone that it was crazy to see how time stood still all of those years in Havana. We reflected a bit on the possibility of changes now that more people are able to travel to Havana, but I imagine it won’t grow as quickly as an American town. I shared a bunch of photos and descriptions of our visit here.

If we were having coffee together today I’d tell you that I’m reflecting on my word of the year for 2019: PRIORITY. Here are a few of the priorities I’ve outlined for the year. Why priority? My attention is divided into many different areas. I have a part-time position with MBRT in the local schools, I teach and train for fitness classes, I’m always working on learning a new class style, I train myself, and I develop and manage content for various local businesses. It’s easy to work all the time. I like the idea of optimizing my time, learning better to say no to things that do not fit one of the major priorities of the year. I struggle with appropriately charging for my services (getting better!) and saying no/turning off the work hat. I almost always give more than is expected, which is part of my work ethic, and it definitely costs me a lot. Making this a priority in 2019 (dedicating more of my work time to ME), I hope, will help me say no.

If we were having coffee together today, I’d tell you that I’m in the middle of a fun two-week class schedule that includes things like Glow Zumba and Hip Hop Buti. I love sharing these fun styles! I can’t believe 2009 marks TEN YEARS of teaching group fitness. I haven’t yet decided how to celebrate. Please share your thoughts if you have ideas to celebrate group fitness with everyone!

That’s all for now — I’m working on a post with thoughts about Tidying Up – have you read the book or watched the show? As someone who has moved A LOT, what she says resonates, and I’ve learned a few tricks to keep things simple and organized. Can’t wait to share!