One of the great joys of the English language that I use to spin my tales is the homonym; words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings. Spinning, I have discovered, is a homonym and can have many meanings.
About a year and a half ago, my husband and I enrolled in a spinning class. This was the second class we took together (if you exclude the three, yes, THREE, marriage prep classes we took!). The first was during college; we took psych. 101 together. Big mistake. What we learned from the psych class was that we should not take a class together. I am an over-acheiver; he is not. We function quite well in the same house together, but we do not belong in a classroom at the same time! We especially should not try to study together! I don't know if we simply forgot the lesson we learned from that psych class, or if we thought that an excersize class would be different (no studying?), but what ever the reason, we took the class together.
I loved the class. It was motivational; I even thought it was fun. As added bonus features I lost 10 pounds, shaved a whole minute off my 800 in the pool, developed more endurance during running, and became much more comfortable on my new (then) road bike. I think my husband thought I was nuts. When time to enroll for this year came around, he wasn't interested so I didn't bother. We did like doing it together, so maybe it wasn't as bad as the psych. class...
I joked the whole time we were in that class that I was going to sign up for a spinning class at the Yarn Barn in Lawrence so I could take spinning and spinning at the same time. I finally did take the other spinning class this past weekend. For those of you who are confused, think Snow White, and be aware that I came home with a skein of yarn I had spun. I loved this class too!
Spinning and spinning are vastly different. In one, you pedal as fast as you can at times; in the other, you aim to keep the wheel moving while treadling as slowly as possible. However, they are also very similar; they are really both about coordination and balance. They can also both be very good for you and relaxing.
Then there's Spin magazine. Spinning means something entirely different to a DJ. Does Spin magazine even exist anymore?
How about the spin cycle? We all know, hopefully, that the washing machine would not be the same without this little invention. Just imagine all that wringing and the length of time in the dryer!
I've already alluded to the idea of spinning a tale, which a good story teller or writer does well. Spiders spin webs. The Merrium-Webster Online Dictionary lists 11 entries for "spin" and 8 for "spinning". It was here that I was reminded that spinning can also refer to a type or style of fishing. And what do we say when we're dizzy?
Particle physisists also know a thing or two or even several thousand about spinning. As do astronomers. I'm sensing the the centrifugal force might be even more important in our lives than we realize or think about of a daily basis.
I'm also beginning to recognize spinning as a theme in my life. From biking to yarn to laundry to gravity, spinning has become an integral part of my existence. Does that create an excuse for me spinning my wheels at times? That really could explain why I am having such a hard time getting the guest room closet cleaned out!