In a Barbie World

Sometimes my life feels like a bizarre scene out of a Malibu Barbie dream sequence.

This morning I dragged my lazy butt out of bed and joined a flock of women for a spin class. If you have never tried spin, you basically toil on a bike for about 45 mins without the climax of actually arriving at a destination.

The female citizens of my fine town are big fans of this self-torture. When I arrived for my class there were already 37, jittery, borderline starving, silicone injected housewives standing in a line that snaked around the corner of the gym. It's a little like waiting in line for the Teacup ride at Disneyland- except instead of waiting to lose your lunch from swirling in a giant cup and saucer you are waiting to lose your powerbar from pedaling your legs faster than you ever thought possible.

When we were finally let into the 'spin studio,' a dimly lit, sightly damp workout chamber, the housewives' chatter burned my ears. "We listed for 2.3 million," to my left. "We're cutting back this year and only spending 3 weeks in Aruba," to my right.

Just as we are about to start pedaling, the instructor announced that an NBA player was joining us in class before he began his pre-season with the 76ers. The women perked up like peacocks and little giggles tittered across the rows of stationary bikes.

Umm. How did I get here?

After being back for nearly a year in California, I am convinced that I have been placed among these 'real housewives' to be a gentle reminder that there is more to life than workouts, lunching and making sure that 'Billy' gets into Stanford in 15 years. I might be guilty of bleaching my hair, but it's time to get real ladies. Malibu Barbie is plastic and her lifestyle only satisfies for a nano-second.

The Gratitude Project Cont.
71. Sleeping in.
72. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.
73. My two-year-old's princess dance shows in the middle of our living room.
74. A healthy heart. Both physically and spiritually.
75. The ice maker in my refrigerator door. I feel like the kind in trays never tastes as good and soaks up the scents/flavors of the freezer.
76. Joy.
77. Airplanes. Not only does Lil enjoy pointing them out every time one passes by, but they make our world so much smaller and accessible.
78. Parties. All types of parties. They make our lives way more fun and exciting.
79. My camera. A visual reminder of a full life.
80. Meeting new people at where they are at in their life.