A Little Inspiration for the Day

Mystic Lantern Light Tours

The Mystic Lantern Light Tours

When I was in high school and college I used to perform in the Mystic Lantern Light Tours. They are what they sound like: tours, led by lantern light. Walking along the dirt streets at the seaport is like stepping back in time. A period-dressed guide takes a group of people from historic home-to-home-to-ship-to-pub throughout the seaport and in each location a scene is acted out by a group of actors. It’s a walk through a restored village of sea captains and merchants before women wore pants and planes flew overhead.

One year when I was a tour guide, Matt, my boyfriend, came on my tour. A few scenes into the tour, I escorted my group into the pharmacy. In the scene, as we entered, one of the actors was supposed to point out that I was standing under the mistletoe. My character was meant to blush and move away, never insinuating to desire a kiss as a good colonial lady. But the night Matt attended, he improvised […]

Mystic Lantern Light ToursMaggie Downie2018-11-21T11:14:46-05:00

Practice Makes Perfect…or does it?

Every Christmas I make our neighbors suffer while listening to me carol. Good thing I have friends who can carry a tune and nice neighbors!

The saying “practice makes perfect” is an expression that dates back to the 1550’s when the phrase was actually “use makes perfect.” John Adams may have been the first to express the idea in the United States.

While we have been using the term for nearly 500 years, it couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve heard “perfect practice makes perfect,” which gets a little closer to reality, but would be impossible. Then I saw “practice makes progress” on a meme recently. How brilliant. Now that’s an accurate expression.

We never reach perfection. It’s an unattainable goal. I see it in Pilates all the time. In fact, it is my inability to perfect my Pilates skills in this ever changing world and my constantly changing body that, in part, keeps me interested in the style of movement. I prefer the idea of constantly progressing. Not only does the concept take some pressure off, but the idea reflects that […]

Practice Makes Perfect…or does it?Maggie Downie2018-05-04T10:23:02-04:00

Plank Story: Milk a cow

It was suggested to me that this is the best angle to photograph milking a cow.

Finally!!! I milked a cow. For years I’ve wanted to milk a cow, which is a challenging task to complete in Connecticut. If a farm sells their milk, they are not allowed to let uncertified hands touch their cow’s udders. Unless you have a friend with a cow, it’s unlikely you’ll be milking a cow in this state.

That is until Matt discovered Local Farm in Cornwall, Connecticut. Debra Tyler, the owner for Local Farm sets up a great day for groups. You milk a cow and within an hour you have made butter, cheese and have prepared yogurt and sour cream that will be ready the next day. Within two hours, you have made ice cream. You enjoy all the food with the others at the workshop pot luck style. It’s a wonderful way to spend three hours.

In Awe

I was amazed all day. I had no idea how much food a single milking produced. It’s truly unbelievable how much food one cow creates. Using only our small sample of people as a gauge, I […]

Plank Story: Milk a cowMaggie Downie2018-11-27T07:39:02-05:00

Gratitude

Every year I like to pause for a moment and reflect on what I’m thankful for. This year I have so much to smile about and appreciate. I’m filled with gratitude.

Family

My family is always there for me and we have fun together. Family always make this list, but this year we gained two new nephews. They are already adored! When I’m stressed, I ask my sister and sister-in-law to text me a picture of one of those treasures, and it brings a smile to my face. Matt is a wonderful travel partner who is always up for an adventure. He always makes the grateful list, too. The team at Personal Euphoria provides great classes to our all our clients. We have a wonderful group of instructors, but we have a few behind the scenes people that do billing, organize all our mailings, and help me understand social media. Each person plays a role in us bringing the best to our classes.

Clients

Our clients show up week after week. They pick us to trust with their bodies. I’m ever grateful for that, because I know how important a healthy, functional body is to […]

GratitudeMaggie Downie2018-11-06T12:23:35-05:00

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

My Grandma at 88 on a Stability Ball.

Life and age can alter our perspective. Years ago when my grandma was in her eighties, she hired a man to paint her house. When talking to my mom, she would say that the “kid” kept taking breaks while he painted. My mom pictured a kid slacking off, but then one day she was at my grandma’s house when the painter was there and the “kid” was in his sixties. He may have thought or felt old, but my grandma, twenty years his elder, didn’t see it that way.

Recently, I was asking my grandma questions about her life. One question was, “Who would you most like to have for dinner?” Her response was, “Right who I have now. My family.” What is so spectacularly wonderful about that comment is that she actually has exactly what she wants.

When I responded to the same question, I wanted Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, or one of my dead ancestors that I never got to meet. The people I would like to host will never come to dinner at my house. My instinct was to reach for impossibility, […]

Guess Who’s Coming to DinnerMaggie Downie2018-05-04T16:30:03-04:00