use the Sunday mug

My father, with whom I had many discussions about financials regarding both real and imaginary dollars, gave me a mug years ago. 

Need I really give any reason why I love this mug?
I mean, come on!
My father and I shared both constructive conversations and laughs...usually the bawdier the better. 

I find myself being so protective of this mug. The 'spinner' with YES/NO/? is on a little metal pin.  Dishwasher? I think not! I'd get a little twisted when I'd see it there. How many times have I quietly removed it to hand wash it...passive/aggressive doesn't work. No one really ever 'hears' you!


I also have a newer mug that I bought for myself a couple years ago.

I call this my Sunday mug.  It has great colors, a good size and the lip of it, as you can see, splays out in a perfect way to cradle my lips as I sip my Sunday coffee.  As for Sunday? It's a one of my favorite mornings. 
The Sunday paper is delivered.
I usually don't have any plans for the day outside the house.
I'm up early enough to enjoy some time alone.
My Sunday mug (clearly connected to my emotional attachment to my relaxed Sunday mornings) is awaiting the first pour from the carafe while I await my first few sips. (I start thinking about it Sat night before I go to bed....sad, I know!)
The paper is mine until Laurence gets up. muahahahaha
After we've both been up for a while I make a big breakfast and as Laurence continues to read through the paper, I work on one of the crossword puzzles over breakfast while sipping on more coffee out of my perfectly 'lipped' mug. 
It's part of the Sunday package.

Until recently.
Now I'm using the Sunday mug on Tuesday and not getting so tweaked when I find my Wall Street mug in the dishwasher.
I mean, WTF?
THINGS...just things. 
My conversations...and jokes...with my father are with me all the time, whenever I want to reference one.
My Sunday mornings are not the only mornings that deserve a relaxed sigh with a special mug.
If anything gets broken and I no longer have it, my memories and my Sunday mornings will still be intact.  Shocking, I know.
So I'm going to keep playing with the 'spinner' on my Wall Street mug while it continues to work and I'm going to use the Sunday mug any day I damn well please.
Just know that if you want any financial advise, you'd better ask before the 'spinner' breaks.

today

Today is where you are.
Today is where you begin anew.
Today is a good day!

I am a human. Yes.
I am a woman. Yes.
I am a CrossFitter. Yes.

CrossFit is all about today. 
It's not 'just' about staying fit and get fitter.
It teaches us that every day is new.
It teaches us that every day is an opportunity to be kind to ourselves by either pushing ourselves beyond where we thought we could go or to be kind to ourselves by modifying a workout to get the most out of what we have today.
It teaches us about who we are through mental strength as well as physical strength.
It teaches us that because every day and every workout is different, we can only do the best we can today.
It teaches us that if we fail today, we can start anew tomorrow.
It teaches us to think about a plan in order to achieve more.
It teaches us to believe in own abilities.
It teaches us to just keep moving forward.

You were an athlete.
You were more active.
You were lighter.
Those are all *so what*s.

Today is where you are.
You have sore shoulders.
You have tight calves.
You have wonky knees.
You broke a bone.
You have a disease.
You have recovery time from surgery.
You have nerve damage from a surgery.
Those are also *so what*s.

We are all the same in that we all have something 'off-kilter' that could be a life blocker or a crutch. The difference is what a person does with those things. 
CrossFit teaches you that nothing has to stop you.
If you pay attention, CrossFit teaches you to pay closer attention to yourself. 
Today is the day on which you base your efforts, whether they be rest, modifications, or all-out effort.  That's it.
It's that simple.
It's also that deep. 
The depths of how CrossFit's lessons permeate the rest of your life is both surprising and profound.
The confidence to get through anything is what's profound. 


Today is where you are.
Today is where you being anew.
Today is a good day!

who would you be?

The Five People You Meet In Heaven
               ~~Mitch Albom~~

I read this long ago and consistently find my mind wandering to its concept. There have been many people who've come in and out of my life, exponentially so since I began CrossFit. That's one of the many perks of CrossFit for which I am grateful. The community of CF is talked about all the time and to those on the 'outside' it may seem phony. To those of us on the 'inside' it's powerfully true. The community is as diverse as the numbers of people in it. By diverse I'm referring to energies.  As with any group, not all energies are rosy and gentle, but the mix of everyone is important. I know I wouldn't be who or where I am now without meeting many of the people I have met through CrossFit.

Sometimes the 'why' of an energy in my life, rosy or blue, is a mystery, but begrudgingly eventually I'll take the time to dig because I'll want to find a balanced place for it within me. Some require heavy work, some just a quick look then a nod of "thank you".

Seconds change minutes that change days that change life directions.
The second I met my husband opened up a life that led to four more amazing people in my life...our daughters.
The second I was encouraged to try CrossFit opened up a life that has me living with my eyes wide open, not just in a foggy haze of growing old.

If you haven't read Albom's quick, interesting book, I recommend it.
If you have, then do you, also, ever think about:
Who would you be if you had never met __________?
Where would you be if you had never met ___________?

 

your yin/yang

Never underestimate the power of stillness. 
Never underestimate the power of quietness.
Never underestimate the power of being alone.

The boisterous, fun, joyous energy experienced at CrossFit Beacon is beyond wonderful.
There is a consistency to the movement and flow that surrounds me at Beacon.
I love being challenged to become a better coach and athlete. What I learn for my job helps me to continue to grow as a person. It's a part of my life I've allowed to evolve. I never imagined.

Having the balance of stillness, quietness and alone time when I'm away from the gym is beyond important, it's necessary. 
It allows the best and worst of every experience to bubble up, to be seen and felt. 
Absorb, listen, feel. Don't shy away from it.  Embrace it.

Never underestimate the need for balance.
Never underestimate the need to be alone.
Never underestimate your yin/yang.