How many of us watch the Olympics and suddenly become inspired to attempt some of those amazing feats ourselves? Of course, we talk ourselves out of it. After all, leave it to the pros, right? But a part of us still thinks…wouldn’t it be fun to just try?
One mom decided to abandon inhibition and follow those urges, setting up her own gymnastics stadium (i.e. a kid’s mat on the floor of her kitchen) to channel her inner Simone Biles.
In a now-viral video posted to her Instagram, we see Breanne Allarie wearing a swimsuit as a leotard as she switch leaps, handstands and even attempts the Shushunova—which ends up looking like a glorious belly flop.
In an interview with Today, Allarie revealed that she in fact does have a gymnastics background, and at one time wanted to compete in the Olympics. But life—and injuries—changed those plans a bit, though she did end up dancing professionally on cruise ships.
So when she says “I feel like I could do a backflip” in the video, there’s merit! But with her husband’s protest, she played it safe.
Still, people were totally impressed by the tricks she did manage to pull off, and charmed by her enthusiasm.
“10’s across the board,” one person wrote, while another quipped, “The whispered ‘nailed it’ 😆 So good!”
Many former athletes reached out to thank Allarie for essentially living out the dream that still remains in part of their hearts.
As one person put it, “All of us former athletes out here pulling muscles and throwing tricks to prove we still got it — when in fact, we don’t fully still got it.”
Allarie told Today, with her signature sense of humor, that she wants to show that world that “midsize moms can do it, too … maybe … sort of.” Although she would also like everyone to know that Olympians “make it look so much easier than it is.”
And perhaps the biggest takeaway of all was the amount of joy she felt, which was palpable. May it be your official permission slip to do something just for the fun of it, regardless of whether or not you’d win a gold medal.
We know that trying new things, even if we won’t be the best at it, is important for our well being in multiple ways. And yet, it’s so easy to talk ourselves out of it and remain in the comfort zone of longing for more.
So take a page from Allarie’s book. Do the thing. Have fun. And be sure to give yourself a pat on the back when it’s done.