Feel Good Friday 16
Hello friends, and happy Valentine’s Day if you’re into that sort of thing! We don’t go all out, but we’ll be spending the evening with our kids, doing something romantic together, like watching the CW’s legacies. Nothing says Valentine’s Day like a show filled with teenage vampires, werewolfs, and witches. Maybe we’ll throw some chocolate into the mix. 🙂 Actually, that’s beginning to sound a lot like Halloween and now I am totally confused. Anyhow, whatever holiday it is today, it’s also Feel Good Friday 16, and that means it’s time to share some things that are bettering my life lately, and hopefully will better yours as well. Let’s get this weekend started with good things!
Eat the Damn Cake– First off, I want to share a local treasure to Greensboro, Maxie B’s. Full disclosure, this is a bakery with indulgent treats, known for its several varieties of cake. Will it help you maintain a healthy physique? Heck no, but I believe everything in moderation is OK in life, and sometimes you just have to eat the damn cake. Anyhow, Maxie B’s offers a plethora of decadent cakes and treats, and I have had the chance to go there for events and dates a few times in the past month. In my defense, I only actually ate cake once, and the other times I brought it home for the kids (while stealing bites of theirs!). As a family, we’ve collectively had their apple cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing, oreo cake, pumpkin chocolate chip cake, and lemon cake. Valentine’s is the perfect time to share a piece of cake with someone you love. By share I mean you each get one and then each share so you still get a full piece, but two flavors. 😉
All Y’all– I was recently asked to help Jenni Earle launch her new bandanas, and I was so excited to say yes! She’s a local business women who creates hand dyed bandanas featuring her illustrations and inspiring words. I received the “All Y’all” and it truly spoke to me and the importance of inclusivity. I shared what it meant to me here, but I wanted to show off the new bandana in this post. This past summer, I was lucky enough to hear Jenni Earle speak and tell her story, and it moved me and inspired me. To be asked to be part of this launch was an absolute honor. (As you can see from my photo, I was summoning my inner 60s housewife with big dreams look.) 
Words to Live By– I listened to Marie Forleo interview Danielle LaPorte this past fall and as I was walking had to stop to take note of something LaPorte said which is actually on her site as a truth bomb. She said, “The best self help is self compassion.” Take a minute to digest that thought… Growth and self improvement can’t happen without loving ourselves first. If you feel discouraged, or like you aren’t getting anywhere, reflect on that and ask yourself if you are treating yourself with the love and respect you deserve. I’ve also heard it said similarly like this, “You would never talk to your best friend the way you talk to yourself so knock it off.” I am a huge self doubter, and constantly belittling myself in my head, and I’ve been working hard to correct this and practice positive self talk. Every day in my journal I write down an empowering belief, and sometimes it’s really simple. Monday I was teaching my second evening spin class while the regular instructor is out on maternity leave. That day I wrote in my journal, “I am an excellent spin instructor.” Maybe it sounds cheesy, but I went into that class feeling confident and I taught the best class I’ve taught so far out of the 4 I’ve done this month. I received compliments afterwards, and I know it had to do with my positive self talk that day.
More Self Love– I happened to tune into this episode of the Rise Together podcast where Rachel Hollis interviews Amy Porterfield about body image. I view Amy as someone who is strikingly beautiful, talented, highly intelligent and successful, and here she was talking about how she has struggled with her body image and weight and has always thought that she would love herself when she reached her “goal weight.” This episode really dug deep into what it means to struggle with and overcome body image issues. As someone who has struggled with it much of my life, this episode really hit me hard. In it Rachel talks about taking care of your body BECAUSE you love yourself, not so that you will love yourself. The bottom line is that if you want to love yourself tomorrow, you have to start by loving yourself today.
Ethical Chocolate– Who doesn’t love chocolate? Wouldn’t you love it more if you knew that it was being ethically sourced? I actually first heard of Taza chocolate a few years ago on a podcast, and felt that they were perfect to share on Valentine’s Day! I have not yet had their chocolate, though I would love to try it. Their chocolate is simply made and and stone ground…. “doing less to bring you more.” They also source their cacao ethically, and maintain direct contact with their farmers. Additionally, their company is based out of Somerville, Massachusetts, and I am proud of anything that comes out of that state and is good! I was born and mostly raised in Massachusetts. By the way, if I were to start a band, I might name it ethical chocolate… first I just need some musical talent and some cymbals.
Well friends, that is all for this week’s Feel Good Friday, at least all that I have for you. However, I would LOVE some new podcast recommendations if you have any for me! I am feeling the need for something fresh. Thanks in advance!
