Finding Balance Between Motherhood, Dance, and the Daily Grind

Spring has sprung, and so have the tales from my life as a single mom, salsa enthusiast, and all-around chaos coordinator. Imagine juggling soccer balls, Easter eggs, and court dates—all while rocking out to Latin beats just a stone's throw from home. In this episode, I'm peeling back the curtain to share how I navigate the whirlwind of full-time parenting, the sweet solace of dance, and the small victories that come with both. Plus, I'll whisper a heartfelt thank you to you, my listeners, for being the wind beneath my wings, especially when self-doubt tries to take the lead in our dance of life.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hello everyone and welcome back to this Is Me podcast. I am your girl, marilyn, and happy second quarter, happy April 2nd. Can you believe we're in April already? Wow, it's just crazy. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend.

Speaker 1: 0:21

I had a fabulous time with the babies. Let me tell you, rome just started soccer and it is the cutest little thing his pup belly running around that field kicking that ball. So, anyways, I had like a whole festival and activities thing going on and we did that for about four hours. Then on Easter, we went to my girlfriend's house. She's been having like Easter brunch for the past three years and it's been nice. So it was just thank God. Sunday was just absolutely beautiful, but you know, every day is God's day because without him nothing is possible. Nothing is possible.

Speaker 1: 1:06

All right, what do I want to talk about today? I know so as of late. First of all, I, just before I get started, you guys know I have ADD where I jump around, but this is why y'all love me, because you know, you know your girl. I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who reaches out, shows love, just gives me my flowers, and it really, really it doesn't get old. It doesn't get old, because when I feel like I'm not doing enough or I don't see progress you know, because we tend to be our own worst critic you guys come and just remind me like I'm doing, I'm doing it, I am doing it. So thank you. And I say that to say because I was on my TikTok live this morning and everyone was just so gracious. I got into a phone call, spoke with an old friend, said listen, for what it's worth. I just want to tell you that I'm proud of you, seeing how far you've come and it just feels good Like you just need that reminder when you wake up so tired because, listen, I have been exhausted, I have been exhausted, I have been exhausted. You all know I have these kids right now completely full time until whatever happens in court happens in court. I'll talk about that next week. We're back in court on Thursday, but in any event, which segues into what's happening.

Speaker 1: 2:42

So, because I've been having the kids literally full time, your girl is tired, I am tired. I have not had a second to just like take a beat, and last week, wednesday, I think, I was laying in bed. Fortunately my niece was over, you know, she spent the night and it was like eight o'clock at night and I'm like I cannot stay in this house. I need to get out. And, granted, I do go to the gym. You know, it's my way to my me time to decompress, but I still don't have the gym bug. I'm going hard in the gym right now. I mean I'm you can't see me right now, but your girl is working but that's not what I'm working. I'm not like whosying and relaxing, I'm still working out, I'm still tired. So I was just laying in bed and I'm like you know what? I just need to get out. I don't care where it is, I just need to get out.

Speaker 1: 3:44

And I started Googling Wednesday night restaurants because you know, I'm on Long Island in New York and everything closes early, especially in a weekday. And fortunately, fortunately, I found a place less than 10 minutes from my house where they had Latin night. I'm like, look at God, would you just look at him? Because, if um short story about me, I love salsa class. I mean salsa dancing. I love salsa dancing.

Speaker 1: 4:13

And my first job ever was at a bakery. Shout out to Campbell's Bakery in Brentwood. It is like a staple, still family. I walk in and it's still as if I still work there. You know, it's what 20, 30? How old am I? 25, six years later, anyway.

Speaker 1: 4:36

So when I used to work at the bakery I was 14, 15 years old my paycheck, I would take it and go pay for salsa classes because I loved it so much and I wanted to perfect it. You know, I'm Dominican, so I grew up with that in my household, so I already knew how to dance, but I wanted to be like a professional, you know, with all the twirls and everything like that. So the reason why I stopped taking salsa classes was because I was going so much and doing so well that at the time they wanted me to like compete. They were like pressure me, like you should compete, you're really good, so forth and so forth, and I just felt the pressure like, oh my God, how am I going to be able to afford this? My parents couldn't afford it. Like those costumes, the competition, everything costs money. So I quit. I quit for, for, uh, I quit, I quit for monetary reasons. And so I go to the place by myself.

Speaker 1: 5:38

And it's funny because when I lived in Atlanta I used to go out by myself all the time. So I don't know what my reservations were about doing it in New York, but I did it and I had a time. Let me tell you, you just have the best time when you go out by yourself. If you're a big networker, go out by yourself. And it was just like so nostalgic for me. It's like in my element, this is what you do and go out, have a good time. I love to talk to people. I love to meet new people. I'm just fascinated by different people's walks of life. And I went in it was late at night and you know, I ordered me a little drink. Drink and the music the DJ was so good and I just I did not come off that dance floor, I was just dancing and I asked I ended up dancing with the DJ and I'm like, hey, I've been looking for salsa classes.

Speaker 1: 6:30

Do you know Benny? He's like oh yeah, and right away gave me an Instagram. So I started following the person and the next day, on their story salsa classes 7.30. I said you know what? I called my son? I said Kayden, come watch your brothers. Yeah, he's 17. Come watch your brothers. I said mommy's going to salsa class. And he came and he watched the boys.

Speaker 1: 6:57

So I walk into the salsa class and it's an intermediate class and it didn't even dawn on me. So once they start, I'm like in the back, literally two left feet, and it's five, six, seven, eight, five, six, seven, eight. I'm like, oh, I'm like all over the place and I'm just like, oh, my God, marilyn, what did you get yourself into? I just felt so stupid. I'm like you can't walk out now, like you just do it. And then I'm like you know what? I put my big girl drawers on.

Speaker 1: 7:30

I said I told myself, you know how to dance, it's not like you don't know how to dance. I said pay attention and get these damn counts down. And that's what I did. I mean, I wasn't, I wasn't a pro, but my phone just fell, guys, while we were recording. I wasn't a pro, but I did it. I did it and midway through class I started getting the steps, I started keeping up. Okay, I started keeping up, and at the end of the class the instructor's like, listen, you're not a beginner, but let's just freshen up your tools. I'm like, yeah, dust me off, because it has been many, many years, many, many years.

Speaker 1: 8:16

But I say that to say that prior to me just going out on my own. I was feeling very overwhelmed and I didn't understand why or where it was coming from. And I think that in life, we forget what the purpose is. And for me, despite what I'm going through with my ex-husband, for me, despite what I'm going through with my ex-husband, I'm good. I'm very, very grateful for the life that I'm living. My children are great. I have a roof over my head.

Speaker 1: 8:44

I took a leap of faith last year you all were with me during that journey and quitting my corporate nine to five job and becoming a full-time content creator and a full-time realtor. And it's scary. It's scary because I have to fight for the next meal, so to speak, and God has just created this safety net, this comfort. He has been by my side and holding my hand through it all. So everything is a growing process, right. So now it's like okay, what else do I need? What else is part of my growth? What else is part of my journey? Because we're never satisfied and we always want more and more and more and more. But I think for me, the more that I need is just to remind myself that, as hard as you work, you should enjoy life just as hard. Enjoy life with the things that you love to do. So I had to ask myself what is it that's missing? And you know, you write it down, you write your gratitude list and all the things that you are thankful for, and I'm like one of the other things, besides podcasting and talking to you guys that fulfills me, as my passion is salsa.

Speaker 1: 10:07

The dance is such an art. There's such a sexiness to it, not to mention the exercise. When I tell you, by the end of that class it was an hour and a half I was hurting. I was hurting really bad. I'm like, girl, you are not going in the gym hard enough because the endurance level was not endorsing Okay. So I even took my ass to the gym right after that Cause. I'm like, no, you got to keep, you got. Now, you did your cardio, now you got to go do your weights. So I did go to the gym right after the class.

Speaker 1: 10:40

Um, but it's me pushing myself, challenging myself, and I think that that's where I am in my life right now is just really challenging myself. Um, it's almost like well, what else can I do? Well, what else can I accomplish? Well, what else? You know, and that's the part of life and not being stagnant. And if you're not happy, guess what? You have the control to change. You have the control to write your movie. That's what my sister says write your movie, girl, because my life is literally like a movie and I should share it more. And I am going to share it more and I try to be a little bit filtered to respect people around me. But it's not. That's not.

Speaker 1: 11:25

I can't happen anymore, because you need to know all of the details in order to be like oh my God, you're going through that, oh my God, that happened so literally I wake up every morning like, all right, what's my movie going to be today? All right, what's the miracle, god? What's the win? Kid you not, I, kid you not. I wake up every morning I was like okay, okay, god, thank you for the day, thank you for all you have blessed me with, thank you for all the opportunities that you have given me and are going to give me. And what is the win today? God, show me a miracle, show me who you are, show me your blessings. I'm telling you keep god first, worry about your daily bread, and your life will be right in your head, it'll be rent free, you will not live foggy and listen, I'm not perfect.

Speaker 1: 12:17

There are days where I'm like, oh my God, because I'm thinking about something next week. So I have to check myself, like, what are you doing, chill? What are you going to do today for next week? Chill, don't get ahead of yourself. So yeah, that's what's been happening. That's what I did. I went up on myself. I'm taking salsa classes oh, speaking of which, with this whole full-time content creator, because literally it's waking up, answering the emails, doing the content, negotiating your prize and I am happy to say that I made good money in one month and not to say that that's going to be every month. As a content creator, same thing as a realtor. Understand, if you get one fat check, there could be a possibility that you're not going to get a one fat check three months later. So you have to chop it up and make a stretch.

Speaker 1: 13:22

But I'm in a good place, I'm heading in a good place is just a confirmation to me that you have to take a leap of faith. You have to take a leap of faith. The world is worlding right now and it's the energy, the people, things are just shifting to just not a good space I just don't see. That's why it's just so important for you all to just make sure you continue to stay grounded, to continue to stay in your prayers, to continue to stay in your purpose and set your boundaries Boundaries Y'all remember I was huge on them boundaries, because the devil will come disguised in any which way. So that is all I have for you guys. I just wanted to share. Um, you know, still in my healing journey and my growing journey and taking leap of faiths in different areas, who knows where I'll go with this salsa class. Maybe I'll become a profache, you just don't know.

Speaker 1: 14:34

But a hobby can turn into something. A passion could turn into a hobby, can turn into a profession. But you don't know, unless you leave your house, unless you try different things and unless you get out of your own way. That is the message today Get out of your own way. That is the message today. Get out of your own way, live your life. Don't wait until, don't wait until. Oh, I'm going to do it next year, I'm going to do it in six months. You know what I'm going to do it Just do it.

Speaker 1: 15:00

Just do it and don't worry about if you don't have money. I know that's crazy. There are you barter? I bartered myself a a trainer at the gym. You just barter. What do you have that you can offer someone that they don't have? It works. If you get stuck on. I don't have money, I can't do it. I'm gonna wait until honey, you do that forever. You're gonna be sitting there forever because a bill is always going to have to get paid, a problem is always going to arise, because with the good comes the bad. So if you want to do something, you manifest it, manifest it, see it, write it down. I want to do this, I want to do that, and don't worry about how it's going to get done, because it's going to happen. Believe in manifestation, believe in God, believe that your prayers are heard. Lord hear my prayers, he hears them. You just got to believe it. All right, I'm done. I'm done with my rant, as always, thank you. Thank you for the continued support. Like comment, subscribe and, as always, I will talk to you.