It's that time again. Time to pack up my little red lady, my bed on wheels, and wake up in another zip code. My backseat is loaded with pillows and blankets for when I need to take a rest, and nestled safely in my passenger seat are two of closest friends: a cooler filled with food and a bag of books.
I'm set. GPS on and Pandora tuned to the Avett Brothers station, I am once again reunited with my own true love, the open road. I drive through the night and keep my self awake by singing along to my favorite songs or looking out for deer grazing by the road.
Every time I leave home, I feel the conflict inside myself. I am filled with anticipation for what lies beyond the next bend, but I leave some of myself at home. Ten days of new adventure, of different faces and voices; ten days of no kisses in the morning and no cuddles goodnight, no teasing banter and familiar smiles. Every time, I ask myself: am I running toward adventure, or running away from stability? Is every jaunt into the unknown simply to undo all the things I have built, to prove that I am just a rolling stone?
Too many times we look at something that is good, something that is fulfilling, and we run the opposite way in blind fear. We fear love because it asks so much of us, and guarantees so little. So we run-to anything and anyone that promises to keep us safe, to not ask too much, to stay just a little bit distant. Little by little the color and vibrancy is wiped off our smile, till we have nothing left to run to.
By all means, run forward. Drink in every new sunset and every different smell, climb mountains and swim upstream. Just remember, in the movement forward, to hold tightly to the things that make the journey worthwhile. Savor friendships as they grow and change, gaining the patina and strength of shared memories, cherish the days that waste away slowly in the warmth of familiar companionship.
Sometimes, the greatest adventure we can experience is the one we live every day.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Gym. Tan. Laundry?
Things you learn working at a gym:
10) Yes, some women do roll out of bed looking gorgeous, and even in ratty sweats they will still look radiant.
And yes, it is revolting.
9) I am not one of those women.
Don't get me wrong, on a good day, using instagram filters and a flattering pose I think I post a solid 7. However, 8 am in gym shorts and last nights make-up is another matter entirely.
8) You are never too old to act like a bumbling idiot in front of an attractive man.
At 25 you think you are over that blushing, stammering stage-until your making a smoothie for blue-eyes and you forget to put the lid on...
7) Stereotypes about fit people are often false.
As much as you would like to blame your body on your busy lifestyle, many of the most fit people I have seen hold jobs and/or go to school. Don't be so quick to write off the guys as "meat heads" just because they're big-some of them might be smarter and more educated than you are.
6) Sometimes the stereotypes are true.
These guys can talk for hours about protein and supplements, but don't expect them to know who Donne is. Or the current president for that matter.
5) Men really don't change.
The guys watching the girls on the treadmill or the squat rack wear the same face, whether they are 16 or 65.
4) Not everyone should wear yoga pants.
At some point you have to look at people and wonder "how did they look at themselves in the mirror an walk out the door?" I'm not saying that all body types are not beautiful, but you should know what yours is and dress accordingly. To the size 14 in a size 4, you are not rocking it. You are not "owning your body", your body is owning you.
(To be fair, I have done this. I will grab my tiny sister's clothes when I have no clean laundry, and I am properly ashamed).
3) Gyms should have an age requirement
Or at least stamp the hand of minors. Just because he can grow a beard and has a cute butt does not mean he is over 18. The horrified feeling when he walks in with his class of '14 sweater on will haunt you forever.
The two most important things working at a gym has taught me are:
2) It's never too late to change. I see people into their 70's hitting the weights and staying healthy. If they can do it then there is no excuse for me not to.
It's not about being skinny or even looking good, it's about making time to be active because it feels good and keeps you young. I no longer view fitness as simply something to make me lean and attractive, but something that I can do to make myself healthier, stronger and more energetic.
1) No two bodies are the same.
Even fit bodies are different, so stop comparing yours to someone else's! You can do all the butt lifts you want, but if it's not in your genetics you will never have ScarJo's curves. Often times women that have a body you would kill for are still insecure. Be comfortable in your own skin, push yourself to be your best and be satisfied. Getting down to your goal weight or level of fitness will not make you love yourself-if you don't love yourself now you never will.
Happy New Years!
10) Yes, some women do roll out of bed looking gorgeous, and even in ratty sweats they will still look radiant.
And yes, it is revolting.
9) I am not one of those women.
Don't get me wrong, on a good day, using instagram filters and a flattering pose I think I post a solid 7. However, 8 am in gym shorts and last nights make-up is another matter entirely.
8) You are never too old to act like a bumbling idiot in front of an attractive man.
At 25 you think you are over that blushing, stammering stage-until your making a smoothie for blue-eyes and you forget to put the lid on...
7) Stereotypes about fit people are often false.
As much as you would like to blame your body on your busy lifestyle, many of the most fit people I have seen hold jobs and/or go to school. Don't be so quick to write off the guys as "meat heads" just because they're big-some of them might be smarter and more educated than you are.
6) Sometimes the stereotypes are true.
These guys can talk for hours about protein and supplements, but don't expect them to know who Donne is. Or the current president for that matter.
5) Men really don't change.
The guys watching the girls on the treadmill or the squat rack wear the same face, whether they are 16 or 65.
4) Not everyone should wear yoga pants.
At some point you have to look at people and wonder "how did they look at themselves in the mirror an walk out the door?" I'm not saying that all body types are not beautiful, but you should know what yours is and dress accordingly. To the size 14 in a size 4, you are not rocking it. You are not "owning your body", your body is owning you.
(To be fair, I have done this. I will grab my tiny sister's clothes when I have no clean laundry, and I am properly ashamed).
3) Gyms should have an age requirement
Or at least stamp the hand of minors. Just because he can grow a beard and has a cute butt does not mean he is over 18. The horrified feeling when he walks in with his class of '14 sweater on will haunt you forever.
The two most important things working at a gym has taught me are:
2) It's never too late to change. I see people into their 70's hitting the weights and staying healthy. If they can do it then there is no excuse for me not to.
It's not about being skinny or even looking good, it's about making time to be active because it feels good and keeps you young. I no longer view fitness as simply something to make me lean and attractive, but something that I can do to make myself healthier, stronger and more energetic.
1) No two bodies are the same.
Even fit bodies are different, so stop comparing yours to someone else's! You can do all the butt lifts you want, but if it's not in your genetics you will never have ScarJo's curves. Often times women that have a body you would kill for are still insecure. Be comfortable in your own skin, push yourself to be your best and be satisfied. Getting down to your goal weight or level of fitness will not make you love yourself-if you don't love yourself now you never will.
Happy New Years!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Potential
Seeds are not pretty. I have never heard someone stop and remark, "what a lovely seed!"
Seeds are usually withered and dark, small and insignificant.
All of their beauty is tightly bound up where no one can see, hidden on the inside.
But, oh!
When the sun comes, and the rain, the seed cracks open and reveals its true self.
Tendrils of green and white arise, roots and stalk and leaves,
The seed, the shell, long forgotten
In the beauty of new life.
You and I, everyone of us like a seed
contains a pent-up beauty, a life within a shell
Whether a stark beech, or a fragrant sage,
Hungry for the sun and thirsting for the rain
We still cling to our shell, like only humans can
Hiding our life, our beauty, our potential.
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