If You Read One Piece of Advice This Week, Make It This (Don't worry, it's short)
Amazing wisdom delivered during a morning workout on my birthday. Best gift ever. And now I'm passing it along to you.
So today was my birthday. (And by today, I mean 9/9, the day I wrote this.)
It was an amazing day where I felt all sorts of birthday ❤️ in the form of texts, social media messages, a surprise gift card to Starbucks, a ZARA package, and lovely gifts from my family and husband.
Wondering my age? Since numbers are so overrated, I’ll give you some clues. I’m sharing some of my childhood favs below, and if you can relate, you’re around my age. Simple as that. And …if your mom can relate, tell her call me, and we can go for a walk together in our weighted vests. (After our 50-gram protein breakfast.)
That said, my childhood included:
All the shows… Dukes of Hazard, Love Boat, Fantasy Island (though the clown episode haunts me to this day), Facts of Life, Little House on the Prairie (still traumatized by the blind school fire), the Walton’s (haven’t gotten over Grandpa’s space heater fire either) the Bionic Woman (no fires, but did you know I met her - six years ago and yes, she signed my Bionic Woman lunch box), Gilligan’s Island, and Land of the Lost (Wasn’t Will a hottie?). Plus of course, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, and don’t even get me started on As the World Turns talk. (I was hooked in 8th grade and when I didn’t tape it on our VCR, I’d bring a transistor radio to my (Catholic) school to listen on the playground. Solid 8th grade entertainment.)
Cosmetics like Bonnie Bell Strawberry Lip Smacker, Kissing Potion, Love’s Baby Soft, and later, blue eye shadow and even bluer mascara. And do we need to discuss Wet-n-Wild makeup? Bargain of the century.
Next stop shoes. I’m talking clogs, Dr. Scholl’s (bought at a drug store), jelly shoes(you can still see the pattern grooved in my feet), duck boots, penny loafers, and Kangaroos (because every tennis shoe should have a pocket).
And, did I even have a childhood if I don’t mention Mork-from-Ork-rainbow suspenders, monogrammed sweaters, designer jeans (I asked for these, and instead got grey Gloria Vanderbilt cords), heart turtlenecks (I had this very one), or leg warmers? Throw in a few puffy blouses buttoned all the way up, and not only is your circulation cut off, but you’ve got yourself a child of the ‘80s.
So there you have it. My age revealed through pop culture and fashion.
Now, let me tell you about my birthday.
Like every other day, I started with a morning workout.
Some might say, “It’s your birthday, sleep in, take the day off. Get some rest.”
But if you know me, you know extra rest sounds like punishment. The morning is my golden hour. And working out in the a.m.? It’s my favorite way to start the day, so why wouldn’t I on my birthday?
So I headed to my hot yoga/fitness studio and got ready to get my butt kicked. Because in addition to being my birthday, it was also leg day. And leg day at this particular studio can be brutal.
The only takeaway I expected was a sore butt and screaming quads.
But then, not even five minutes into the class, the instructor innocently changed the way I’m going into my next trip around the sun. (Thx, Katie!)
And I’m guessing she wasn’t even trying to be deep - she was just leading us in a hamstring stretch.
And wouldn’t you know, that hamstring stretch happens to be What I’d Rather Be Talking About this week.
Okay so it wasn’t the stretch.
It was what came after Katie showed us how to do the stretch.
Katie said,
“Come on you guys. Try to really focus on the stretch…
…don’t just go through the motions.”
And right there in the middle of my stretch,
something snapped.
Luckily, not my hamstring.
It was her words.
I thought, “DANG. That’s actually good birthday advice.”
I wondered, how much of my life had I just gone through the motions?
Not on purpose, but because I’m human, and that’s what we tend to do.
Don’t we all specialize in going through the motions?
Think about it.
Whether we’re stretching our hamstrings, getting our kids ready for school, making dinners, getting together with friends ~
How often do we do things, completely unaware of what we’re doing?
Too often is the answer that came to my head.
So I made a decision right there, mid-stretch, that I was going to:
Stop just going through the motions
and try to be more aware of my life and the amazing people in it.
Because I’ll tell you what ~
it sure does go by fast,
and I’d hate to miss it by just going through the motions.
This is obviously not me. Photo by LittPro Inc on Unsplash
But enough lessons, let’s get to my birthday treat for you.
Since it’s my birthday… I have a special offer for you!
For nine days only… annual memberships are 44% off. If I could do math, I’d tell you how much that is per day, but I don’t, so let me just share that it’s a sweetheart of a deal. Why 44? Obviously not my age, but rather, because my mom was 44 when she had me, and I thought that would be a nice sentiment and number to settle on for a birthday deal. Get that deal here.
A trip down my Substack’s memory lane:
Before I get to this week’s links, I thought I’d take a minute to share some of the more popular posts. A bunch of new subscribers have recently joined our little Substack party, and thought they might like to see what’s gone on the past year or so.
Welcome, new subscribers! Here are a few issues you may have missed:
Do you like the travel features? If so, buckle up as I’ve got a bunch of trips planned this fall and will be doing quite a bit of trip-stacking.
Plus, special behind the scenes pics and destination guides in the works for paid subscribers. Stay tuned for more details!
Apartment Therapy has a new organizational system for your kitchen. What do you think of the color, “Yellow Pear” on this kitchen organization system? To me it feels like listening to your favorite song when the volume is too low. I could like it, but I’m simply too annoyed.
Things are getting chilly, which means bring on the comforters. If you live the reality of blanket wars, check out this marriage saving idea.
Okay, I’m sorry - I just don’t know about this therapeutic gift idea. Creepy.
Speaking of creepy, are you an early Halloween decorator? If you remember my Halloween Substack last year, you know I’m definitely not. But I recently bought something with definite creeper/ Freddy Kreuger vibes. I’m using it to address the sun damage from years of ignoring my mom’s advice to “stay out of the sun.” Paid subscribers get before and after pictures so we can see if these masks work.
While we’re talking decorations, let’s talk design. In this episode of my favorite design YouTube, Caroline Winkler transforms a living room for ZERO dollars.
Looking to save on groceries?
