Feel Good Friday 18

Hello friends, and welcome to another Feel Good Friday!  This week has been utterly insane… Wilder and I both came down with colds, and we had a shoot at our house which required lots of cleaning, prep, and a full day of crews in our home. I am SO ready for this weekend and am looking forward to relaxing at least just a little bit.  I’ve just finished a book, so I am looking forward to picking up a new one this weekend. Today I want to share with you a recipe Chris and I have loosely followed this entire winter that we both love, a podcast episode that I was shouting “Amen!” along to, and more!

Vegan chili recipe– Lately, I’ve leaned very heavily into eating vegan foods which has made it a little more challenging when it comes to planning meals for the family.  However, I made a black bean quinoa chili this winter that Chris loved, and we’ve now made it several times.  We use this recipe, but like to add corn and I don’t bother with the tomato paste. I add frozen corn about 10-15 minutes away from being finished.  We like to top it off with Chris’ homemade guacamole.  He once worked for Chipotle, so he has it mastered. (By the way, their guacamole recipe was released so anyone can make it.)

Women supporting other women– I listened to this episode of the Business Boutique podcast recently, and I couldn’t agree more with everything that Christy Wright discussed. In our society, it’s so common to look at other women and see what they have that we don’t, fall into a trap of insecurity, and then in turn we’re filled with jealousy and anger towards them.  However, we live in an abundant world where there is plenty to go around for all, and we grow as a society when we cheer one another on through the good times, and offer a shoulder in the hard times.  In this particular episode, Christy offers 5 tips towards becoming the type of woman who champions other women.  As Christy states, “It all starts with the woman in the mirror.”

Surrounding yourself with motivation– Speaking of women supporting women, I asked Emmy to decorate my B School binder for a couple of reasons.  I knew that she would come up with something beautiful, motivational, and clever.  More importantly, I knew that every time I opened my binder and worked on my B School course work, I would see her hard work and be reminded of why I am putting myself through this program.  I want to create a business that my family is proud of, and I want to provide a better life for my kids most importantly.  Her binder cover reminds me of exactly who this class is really for.

Picking up the phone– I remember about 10 years ago, standing at the front desk of a gym I was teaching at to log my spin class for the day.  There were a couple of high school kids talking about hoe someone broke up with someone else over text. I couldn’t help myself, and mentioned that I felt something like that deserved a real voice or phone call.  I hold strongly to that belief, but I also think that the phone should be used more often for the day to day conversations.  While I don’t always make time to have a long chat with a friend and often fall into the trap of texting because it’s convenient, nothing will ever be as emotionally fulfilling as hearing the voice of a friend, and audibly laughing with them through the line.  I had a long conversation earlier this week with a close friend, and it lifted my spirit for the rest of the day.  A voice conveys love, friendship, care, empathy… so much more than any beautiful words one can string together in an eloquent text.  I encourage you to close your eyes and think of a friend.  Pick up your phone and call the first friend that popped into your mind.  Let yourself be immersed in the conversation 100%!  You will feel absolutely amazing afterwards, confident in the fact that someone loves you and thinks you’re pretty darn special.  Additionally, you can smile knowing you just made someone else feel that way as well.

Snow in NC–  Last Friday it snowed here in Greensboro!  It was just enough to be beautiful but not enough to be disruptive (although school was closed last Friday, and I am not sure why…). I am sharing it here as a Feel Good item because it was beautiful, but mostly because it was the first time Wilder was old enough to really be excited about it.  We let him play outside for a bit, and he just thoroughly enjoyed the magic.  (Also, he refuses his mittens, so I only let him play for a few minutes.) His face says it all though…

I’m not crying– OK, I am.  Ugly crying.  This video is a must watch for all the parents out there.  Get your tissues ready.

And with that, I leave you.  It’s been a long and exhausting but exciting week over here, and this girl is ready to kick up her feet.  Have a great weekend, friends!