That's a big stretch

 Walking in the door to a tired face that I rudely woke up by existing, then a big stretch and either a drive-by or a shift from one nap spot to another.   Hey Old Man.

It seems like a silly little thing, a part of life you are so used to doing that you can't imagine not doing it until it is gone. 

I have said hello and goodbye a lot in my life; yes we moved but I am also the type who doesn't talk to strangers rather, they are just people I haven't met yet.  I like to say hi to people as I am out and about with a smile as you never know who might need it.  I might not be a touchy feely person but I do love a smile or a wave.

These past few years, my family and friends have had to say goodbye far too much.  Some goodbyes are for people to take on their next adventure and those goodbyes are full of adventure and intrigue.  These goodbyes, while sometimes heartbreaking, have a silver lining as I love when people get to take a next step.  The final goodbyes can have a silver lining but it doesn't make them any less painful for those of us still here.  The silver lining is harder to celebrate and can be impossible to see.

Just like saying hi to people with a smile to feeling a connection, the final goodbyes are mine to experience in my own way too.  I believe in God, I believe he is waiting in heaven to embrace us and let us know how loved we are, how lucky we are to be chosen as one of his children.  I know when we say a final goodbye there is something waiting to embrace those whom we are saying goodbye to, there is something better than a smile.  

I know that there are times you have to let go, it is the right and kind thing to do - it is a smile in its own right.  

But then those times sneak in where I just want to say 'That's a big stretch!' one more time.

Together, we fly

This morning, I had the opportunity to meet with my mentee, Kara, face-to-face for our second networking session.  She told me that she has to write a brief reflection after our meetings, how very Jesuit of the Marianists, and I decided I would as well.

From our first Zoom, I already knew Kara was a determined young lady – no doubt she was going to fit into the Flyer community – I am even more impressed now.  Kara did not blink when I said we were going to eat with the alumni leadership, embracing the chance to see what it is we did.  The conversations we had about her job, classes, network; the way this freshman in college discussed with drive and passion her situation, talking to others in the room (after being exhausted from a day of IACT, work and post-basketball events), welcoming advice and counsel from every direction – impressive is not a strong enough word.  I find myself in awe of what the Flyer Promise program does for our students, how it only improves what the UD community is and what it will be in the future.

Kara is working with ESPN+ & Flyers Sports TV, she is a Pi Phi, in the communications business fraternity, surrounded by friends – side note, she introduced me to one of her friends as I dropped her off, what a great surprise for this Forever Flyer – Kara is already taking on the world and I have no doubt she will do so.

Here is my reflection, as this sounds an awful lot like a reference letter and not a reflection, Kara is what the Flyer Community is, and I am lucky to have the opportunity to continue to be a part of it.  She and I discussed that, more times than not, life is about who you know more than what you know; I am honored to know her.  I am honored to work with such an amazing volunteer community at UD from the administrators through the student undergrad volunteers.   This weekend was the end of a very long two weeks for me; I would not trade the experiences for anything, the time with work colleagues, family and friends all lead to the full life I lead.  Breakfast with Flyer friends, including my newest one, Kara, followed by a self-guided tour of the place I called home for so long, and still do, was the perfect way to tie a bow on the latest chapter of my adventure book.  

We are UD and together, we fly.

Find your throne

I listen to lyrics in songs, and right now I keep hearing a chorus in my head: 

If all of the kings had their queens on the throne
We would pop champagne and raise a toast
To all of the queens who are fighting alone
Baby, you're not dancin' on your own

Trying to lift all of us up - including myself as self appreciation is not easy for me - today’s throne was on Clayton’s fishing boat. No, I didn’t catch dinner but we had a lot of fun, He taught me how to cast to just that spot - I have an odd talent for that - and I did get to learn about bass on his catch so that counts (kind of, not really but go with it). Now if you want a pro instructor for catching lily pads, I am your girl! 

Go find your own throne today - we are all dancing with you!

 

Teamwork makes the dream work

I hate when the kiddo feeds me that line, such coach speak and yet, it is big stick week which always gets me thinking.  Teamwork makes the dream work.

Right now, I am in the middle of a very busy year.  This is a great year, and keeps getting better, but it is busy and it is easy to feel overwhelmed and then...teamwork makes the dream work.  If you have read this blog ever (okay, more than for just a post) you know that I like to workout.  That might be an overstatement, I workout because I can and I like the comradery.  During April, I was doing the OTF Marathon Month for ultra miles and, as is my custom, did too many inclines and hurt myself which meant biking.  Then, last week, I started my first Peloton PowerZone challenge which mean biking.  Catch a few themes there?

Yes, I am biking a lot (I have padded shorts, don't worry).  Yes, I am probably working out too much as I have had 4 days of 2 a day workouts over the past week.  Why you may ask?  Well, we have weekend plans and I will NOT let my teams down.  Sometimes, you have to dig deep and stand up for your teams.  

My OTF crew is bad ass.  We are running, walking, riding, whatever we can to get our miles in studio with guidance from true coaches; the competition is only against the person in the mirror but you never know who is being motivated by you.  I can promise you, people would be amazed to know they motivate me - although I tell them as soon as I remember to tell them.  Today was the last day to get our miles and we did it, I even got to run my last set which I hadn't done in 2 weeks (slow and steady but damn it felt good to run again).  We all cheered each other on when we hit goals, even if we hit them weeks ago - we made it through the month together and that was worth cheering.  Why did we do this?  A cool pair of orange socks. We did not let each other down.  We are a team, we made the dream work.

My Ride or Die Trying Peloton group is also badass.  We aren't in a studio, most of us haven't even met, yet we are doing our 3 + 1AR rides a week to get our team points.  As is the case with the OTF crew, we high five (virtually), we cheer each other on through messaging, we are there for each other.  Today ended week 2 for me, of 8 weeks - we have a long way to go but we will not let each other down.  Why are we doing this?  Satisfaction and bragging rights.  We are a team, we make the dream work.

What else has me going?  Event planning is one of my passions. I love hosting people, throwing big or small parties, big or small events that make people feel special.  Then I had to plan my own wedding.  I never thought a small beach wedding would stress me out but here we are.  Let's talk about the wedding crew.  Most people don't know they are in it.  We aren't having a wedding party other than our amazing boys yet I am getting more help and support from people than I ever knew I needed, and I need it.  Some of the support is hands on, some of the support is talking me down (this happens often), some of the support people don't even realize they are giving.  It is support via SoMe posts, jokes sent, texts, snapchats, phone calls (when I answer the phone) that have nothing to do with the big day (112 days to go).  To stay consistent I can ask why are we doing this?  True love and a lifetime together.  This teamwork that is happening?  Well, it is making our dream work - actually it is making my dream come true.

Are you still there?  Big stick week was all about coaches being there for the kid, his community being there for him, his crew being there for him.  Well guess what y'all, my coaches have been there for me without even knowing it, my community has been there for me, my crews are here for me.  They got me through every class, every ride, every oh what the hell moment of the week, every wedding planning moment.  Without even knowing it, my crews, my teams are my big stick - they are making my dreams work.  I only hope I am doing the same for them. 

Let is simmer - in a good way

Crafty people love finding old pieces of furniture, or junk, to recreate into something new.  Heck, American Pickers is on in my house often and it is amazing what those guys find and it is a treasure.  I have watched many a trash to treasure show and wished I had that kind of talent, alas, I have it in my head but not in practice.  However, let's move to my favorite room in the house - the kitchen.

I have this knack for making leftovers into something completely new and creative, in fact, some of my friends can attest to my reinvent left overs dinners I have hosted.  I don't even admit they are reinvented leftovers until after the meal is over of course, I have to have some secrets!  This isn't about those, if you want some ideas, you know how to find me; this is about reinventing something used into something new, specifically a chicken carcass.  Stay with me now - I promise I have a good point.

My mother recently taught me how to make chicken stock from scratch (yes, she held out on me for YEARS, what is that?!) - any stock actually.  You put the bones in a pot, cover it with water, add spices - I use mine on the stem from the garden - garlic, carrots, veggies that are ready to be used, whatever you want.  Simmer in your crockpot or on the stove overnight, strain, cool, scoop fat and freeze in 1 cup bags.  Who cares?  Why are you still reading?  Good questions, I don't know but here is what I think...

Today's world is in such a hurry to change, such a hurry to get things done quickly, such a hurry to buy convenience,  such a hurry to throw things away, such a hurry to be in a hurry...is it so wrong to slow down, throw things in a pot and let it simmer?  This doesn't just go for the broth (that is making my house smell amazing), this goes for life my friends.  Before you lash out from behind your keyboard, simmer your thoughts; before you react to a situation or an option, simmer the facts, your experiences and the facts and experiences from the other side; before you write something off as trash, simmer how you can turn it into something new that will open doors for life.

Take a minute to let things simmer and blend into something new, you might just be surprised at how amazing things actually are, or how amazing things can be.

Thanks Mom

5 months and 7 seconds - oddly like life

Full disclosure time, as per the usual, this morning, I was doubting all the things (code for myself) and almost canceled my OTF class this morning as it was the one mile benchmark. 5 months after the last blog entry, here I am writing about the mile benchmark again - wow. 

 But Erin, you like endurance runs. 

Yes, self, yes I do. But I am also a very competitive person and having taken the second month of quarantine pretty much off from working out other than a run from time to time, I am really only one month back into workouts and a mile benchmark (1 mile timed) 5 months to the day after the last one was daunting. 

See, 5 months to the day ago I was still working out at least 5 days a week consistently, traveling, working and functioning like a normal human - if there is such thing as a normal human. Today? Well, I am not sure what this has been but normal is not the word. Back to the fear and dread of the 1 mile. I am competitive with myself, and only myself as I think other people are amazing at what they can accomplish even if they don't believe it, and I knew that 5 months ago I rocked a benchmark at a studio in Oregon in no small part because of a letter that was waiting for me with altered song lyrics from Coach Stephanie and Teresa letting me know I wasn't running without my peeps. 

Back to today, I am intentionally trying not to push the speed to much in my tread blocks as not getting hurt is the goal which means I have to accept that, in order to stay healthy, I may sacrifice some speed and that is okay - it is GREAT. Today I was back with our OTF Murphy 6:30am crew, even showed up way early so Teresa and I could be next to each other on Tread 1 & 3 (socially distance tread spacing thank you very much), Khahn rocking tread 5 and Penny rowing us through it. Coach Hannah on the mic with her ornery demure, at .5 miles you are half way through you know you can probably add a little more if you feel like it smirk that makes us all smile and dig a little more. I was singing lyrics to no necessarily (not even close) the music that was playing in my head and had the mandatory in my life towel covering my total time. I stuck to my plan and increased at every hash mark on the 'track' (1/4 of the 1/4 mile) until I hit my stride then stuck it for .25 miles until an increase, then a .1 increase for each of the last hash marks. I did not die, I did not throw up (yes, the thought was there, it is a much mental as physical for me), I pushed my towel off at .2 to go and realized I wasn't going to hit my last time but at that point, there wasn't anything I could do about it and that had been my plan for myself. 

Self, you don't need to prove anything to anyone other than yourself and you rock today. You can push as hard as you know you can and no matter what the clock says, you are back in the swing of things and doing work. Well done self. 

That self talk was mixed with other salty language cussing myself out about getting it done and not quitting. Let's be honest, we all talk to ourselves and sometimes, it is not nice. In the end I added 7 seconds. Let me put that correctly, in the end, I only added 7 seconds to my mile benchmark after a very interesting 5 months and I am not in pain. You know what? I am pretty proud of myself at this moment. In fact, after the weight floor, I got back on the tread (we had to, this wasn't something I just did because I am crazy even though I am) and worked to get my 2+ miles today because I knew I could. 

This year has not been the worst year ever for me, while it has been hard and sometimes has beat me into submission (also known as me curled up in the fetal position rocking slowly), it has not been the worst. The boys both are college graduates and have jobs lined up in their fields, Bill and I have jobs and stability, my family and friends are healthy. For me, that is not to say this has been a great year, but it has been not been the worst year, let's say it is 7 seconds more than it was when it started in January, and 7 seconds? Well that is damned good considering the insanity the last 5 months.

Yesterday you just smiled at me

A big day - Alex turns 22, the Flyers play SLU, I am starting a fun week in Oregon (it is nice to be able to work from everywhere when you are morning person so time zones aren't scary), and it was 1 mile benchmark day. While not nearly as exciting as Alex turning 22 (did you see the baby pic? oh yes, I did post it on his wall so all his friends could enjoy it too - you should check it out), the thought of a mile benchmark got my heart racing and BP up - just like the thought of labor, all 2 days of it, did 22 year ago.

Let's add to the fun, like I do, and leave the state and comfort of my home OrangeTheory Murphy studio for the benchmark. After much convincing from the incredible Teresa & Stephanie, I swallowed (pushed down in places we push things down to) my fear and went to the studio this morning for my benchmark alone. But wait - what is this? A note waiting for me in West Linn OTF?

In a way only the Barenaked Ladies can, Teresa & Stephanie sent me a note to keep me motivated and on track (literally, let's remember I have fallen off a tread more than once) for my benchmark!!!

I did not cry, there is no evidence I even teared up, and knew I could do my mile. All I had to do was not fall off the tread and match my last time. Well, I did not fall off the tread since July 10th through 6 months of hip issues, 3 months of rehab therapy exercises, 3 weeks of 100% rest time on various beaches, and on 5 hours of sleep after a 4 hour flight, I cut 18 seconds off my mile time. 8:23 is now mine.

I have to tell you, yesterday I posted about how amazing people are, today was further proof. Andrea cheered on our crew at home while not being able to workout herself; Teresa & Stephanie cheered me on from afar; the front desk crew at the West Linn location cheered me on & said to pass the cheers along to our Murphy studio for being so awesome; sometimes people make life hard but really? People ROCK. Thank you to all in my life who make this journey fun. And thank you for reading all of this - now Harrison Ford is getting Frantic, I look like Hot Wasabi when I bust a rhyme, and, let's go folks, Get it together and come back and see me! 💪🤜🤛🧡