Hoop Therapy

I used to be a runner. I loved the road and my headphones and the miles underneath my feet. It was my therapy.

In the last couple years so very many things have changed in our home. We sold our house, moved three times, adopted a child with special needs, and faced medical crisis as a family. So much changed that the running fell by the side of the road. No pun intended.

We have been "on the road" for 4 months now. Shortly after we got to California the kids and I went to buy the supplies to make our own hula hoops. As a crafty girl, I think I was more excited about the making than the actual hooping. We spent a good afternoon assembling and taping. My 12 year old son wasn't sure he wanted much to do with it, but he went ahead and taped his with the rest of us girls. (Guess who is a great hooper now?)

After all of the transitions we had just been through to get here, it was nice to just hang out and do something fun together. We started watching youtube videos and then I signed up at Hoopcity.ca for their beginner class. It seemed like a fun way to get some exercise and to spend time together as a family. Even our three year old has her own hoop and can join in.


It has become a great way to connect with others in the campgrounds too. We've been able to make hoops and give them away. And a few weeks ago riding my bike around the park I saw hoops next to a tent. I became determined to hunt down the owner and we connected later that day at the pool. It turns out she owns her own business near San Francisco and her son was the same age as mine. We spent sometime on a Monday morning hooping together. It's a great way to make friends.

But mentally it's turned into even more. It's become a new therapy. At the end of a long day, I love to put on my headphones, turn the music up loud and hoop away. Sometimes the kids join me, sometimes I wait until they are all tucked into bed.


One of the really great things about hooping is that you can do it anywhere. We even took our hoops went to Hippie Hill in San Francisco. I could've hooped for hours to the sound of the drum circle.  I have missed the feel of the road underneath my feet and I won't give up the running forever. But in this season, I can slip out the door to work it out for a bit.

I love the challenge of learning a new trick, I love pushing my body to do something new. I love how good it feels to move. And yes, I love the pretty colors of my hoops.