Never Miss A Monday: #1

Welcome to the new weekly post where I make mention of what is feeding my body, mind and soul lately.

Without further ado, let’s get right to it.

Commencement Podcast:

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-commencement-speeches-for-62117327/

As part of the changing and adapting world, this podcast was released for the class of 2020– and I am loving it. The variety, and depth, of guests on the podcast is amazing to me. I’ve listened to Coach K, Sienna Miller, Tim Mcgraw and a few others… and there are plenty still to listen. Most of the episodes are 5-15 minutes, so they are short and quick, and obviously, because they are commencement speeches, have a great positive message.

Half-marathon #5 on the year:

I completed the May half on Saturday. I felt pretty good. It wasn’t until mile 10/11-ish that I started to feel the ache in my hips and legs. The weather was miserable, though. Overcast, misty, humid and not particularly warm. Everything was wet- the ground, my shoes, the air…

Strava listed this one as my Half PR- erroneous. Both my January and February half-marathons were faster, so i’m not sure what Strava goes off of for that PR marking.

Belly Breathing:

We have been doing our 50 days of Yoga poses series with the kids on Facebook and Instagram. This weekend we talked about belly breathing. Many people either don’t know, or forget, that our most natural way of breathing is to inhale and inflate our belly, then let it deflate as the breath goes out. If you were to watch a baby sleep, you would see this pattern- very much belly breathing. Yet, I would venture to say if you took a deep breath right now, the inhale would raise your shoulders and inflate your CHEST, with very little of your belly involved. The belly breath is such a big part of deep, full breathing… but most of us have gotten away from it long ago. As I taught this to the kids again, it was a good reminder for me to practice it myself. And that I did.

This ad from Title Nine (www.titlenine.com) hangs in my home office. One of my favorites to read over and over again.

5. Raising little people. The end of the year was a strange one but nonetheless, we have reached it. We now officially have a 3rd grader and a Kindergartner. Raising our little family is not easy by any means, not in a normal day, not during a pandemic, especially. Mamas, be proud of what you are doing. We are all doing our best, and that’s perfect. Marvel at these growing minds, bodies and hearts… you are leading them.