In the Hoop

I've had an off and on relationship with my hula hoop for a long time. But even though I don't have the opportunity to swirl as often as I'd like these days, hooping is something I've loved since I was a little girl, which earns it a very special place in my heart. I've always been drawn to circles, spirals, and swirls...so it makes perfect sense that I love hooping. I feel such a happy energy in the hoop, and I love to surround myself in that energy.

The picture above was taken 10 years ago as I happily hooped in my tiny apartment. I gifted the attendants in our wedding with hula hoops. I know it seems kitsch and even cheap, but I can't think of anything that represents happiness more than a hoop. When I was pregnant with the twins, I picked up a hoop again and found that it helped to relieve some of my back pain. Hooping became my Sunday morning ritual while Nate took the boys to the bagel shop. This Mother's Day, Nate and the kids bought me a beautiful Hoopnotica hoop, which I proudly display in my living room. As a long-time waist hooper, I decided it was time I learn some fancy tricks. So I took a hoopdance class with the amazing and gorgeous Ms. Bliss. Talk about a workout!

Now each of the kids has their own hoop, even the babies. The boys rock the neck and arm hooping, and the babies love to just spin their hoops around the sidewalk. The new tricks I am learning give me cool cred with my kids, which is always a plus.

Perhaps my recent reunion with the hoop can be summed up in this lovely quote from the beginning of a recent Hooposophy blog entry, aptly titled "Hooping IS Mothering".

As women who inhabit the dual worlds of possibility and responsibility, I think Mothers have a
unique dance. It's the dance around a cluttered kitchen and the stride that carries a child, three
hoops, and a backpack where they need to go. A Mother’s dance welcomes the moon and
celebrates sunshine. The Mother’s dance teaches others to twirl." - Tangled Macrame