Hello friends and happy Friday! I am writing this in advance because I am actually in the great city of Austin, TX for a conference this week. Years ago, 17 to be exact, Chris and I moved to Austin when he took a promotion with Abercrombie & Fitch. Speaking of that time in our life, as a district manager for Abercrombie, Chris had a Jeep Wrangler (the company car) and when he went out of town he let me drive it around. One morning I took it to work, and when I came out in the afternoon, the sky was gray and rain was approaching. I didn’t really know how to put the roof back up, but I did my best and hit the road. I had to take the highway home, and naturally the speed of the air rushing towards the car as I drove pushed the roof back. There I was on the highway hanging onto the roof for dear life, afraid it would blow off. I pulled over and put it back down because I couldn’t figure it out, and just drove in the rain. Another time he went out of town, I got a flat tire in my own car and one of his friends rescued me and got me to work on time. Even after all the car trouble I had in Austin, it’s still one of my favorite cities in the US. There are so many great outdoor activities, a fantastic live music scene, and the Tex Mex can’t be beat! I am thrilled I had this chance to come back to this city, and so grateful that we have Uber these days. 😉 Anyhow, I’m so glad that you enjoyed last week’s introduction to this series, so I am back again with Feel Good Friday 2, and I’ve got some awesome inspiration for you.
Podcast Episode you must hear: I have mentioned The Moth podcast here before in the past because it is one of my all time favorites. Everyone on our planet has a story to tell, and The Moth opens our eyes and ears to so many different experiences. The weekly episodes are generally just under an hour, so I save them for my weekend run. With October being breast cancer awareness month, this story I am going to share with you is highly appropriate. A bout a month ago, I heard an incredible story Dr. Mary Claire King told at the World Science Festival. In this story, Dr. King tells a hilarious, but moving story about facing a very hard time in her life and striving for her goals anyway, with help from colleagues and strangers. I don’t want to give away too much, but you have GOT to listen to this story. She broke through such adversity with a little help from the universe in the form of Joe Dimaggio, and because of him she was able to go on to do wonderful things for breast cancer research. And yes, this is all true. Joe Freaking Dimaggio. It’s one of those stories that shows you that life will always give you lemons, but if you try to rise above, the universe will rise up to meet you. I am embedding it for you below.
Life Hack to Get You Moving: Last week I mentioned getting up early every morning to run or walk. I wanted to share with you a little trick that I have used for years to help me get out the door faster… or at all, really! We have a chair in the corner of our bedroom and, to be perfectly honest, no one sits in it. However, I will never remove it because this chair holds purpose. Each evening, I check the weather, and I pull out everything I need to run… shorts, shirt, sports bra, running shoes, my belt for my phone, reflective vest, headlamp, and headphones. I place everything in a pile on the chair, my shoes right under the chair, and when I roll out of bed in the morning all I have to do is grab the items and head to the bathroom to get dressed. That way, there is absolutely no excuse. I have used this practice for years because when I roll out of bed, I am still in a fog and I don’t need to think. I’m ready to run before I have even had time to think about it and then talk myself out of it. DO NOT PRESS SNOOZE. Just get out of bed, grab your clothes, and head out the door before you can get in your own way. For the record, here’s my chair looking lovely from my fall tour, but it’s generally the keeping place for my headlamp, vest, and the things that don’t need to be laundered.
A Pump Up Song: This time of year, I am all about very melancholy and depressingly sweet music. I can’t help myself… However, sometimes you need a song to just inspire you to move and keep on keeping on! Lately, that song has been Don’t Give up on Me by Andy Grammer. I’ve been a fan of his music for a long time, and his song, Good to be Alive, is one that helped me through my second half marathon and ironically played as I crossed that finish line. Anyhow, Emmy and I love to play Don’t Give up on Me and sing loudly along with it. It lifts our spirits and encourages us not to give up on whatever it is we are fighting for or dreaming about. Check it out below if you have’t heard it.
Parenting Tip: I am NOT going to become a parenting blogger- at all. First of all, I respect my older kids’ privacy so much that although you might see them here, I don’t believe it’s my place to talk about any kind of personal issues they might be having. Secondly, I am not an expert on parenting at all. I am the best mom my kids will ever have, but I am not the best mom. However, one thing that I have noticed throughout the years is that music always brings us back together. When any one of us is having a bad day, all I have to do is play an uplifting song we all know and love, and before you know it, Sawyer, Wilder, Emmy, and I are all dancing in the kitchen. (That’s why it was so important to me to have space to move in our kitchen!) If your child comes home after a rough day, just play one of their favorite songs and sing and dance it out! Emmy babysat the other night while I was at a meeting, Chris was out of town, and Sawyer was at practice… when I got home, she proudly put on Footloose and showed me how much Wilder loved it. She knows how much I love that song, and she knew I was exhausted after a long day of parenting, working and meetings, and it was just the thing I needed to walk in and hear that song and break it down with two of my kids. My spirits and energy were immediately lifted.
That’s all for this week! I can’t wait to come back from Austin energized, having learned new things, and with some new tips to share with you. I hope you have a fabulous weekend and get to sing and dance your heart out!