Friday Thoughts
Hey there! Happy Friday. I just finished two days of back-to-back long runs (more on that coming up on Sunday) so I’m feeling pretty good. Overall I’m in a “good phase” right now, but I know that’s not true for everyone. Recently, several bloggers have shared that they’re going through hard times (SHU, Sarah, Noemi, just to name a few). And to them, and all the other bloggers who have shared, I say- thank you. In Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals, there’s a chapter called “Scruffy hospitality- On finding connection in the flaws.” He includes a quote by Anne Lamott: “Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy, and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you would believe. So try not to compare your insides to their outsides.” I might be in a good phase right now, but there will be rocky times ahead- that’s true for all of us. No one is immune to troubles, and it’s nice to know we’re never alone. In other news, in the recent Happier podcast episode, Gretchen and Liz talk about cutting back on swearing. Remember how, after the election, I decided to start swearing more? Well, it didn’t really work. It does feel good every once in a while, but I guess it’s just not… me. Gretchen did cite several studies that show how swearing can be beneficial- it can increase tolerance for physical and emotional pain, and temporarily increase strength. I stored that information away, in case I need it during my race- but honestly, for me it’s more beneficial to remain positive. When my hamstring hurts, I think “Yes, but my feet feel great!” or “Look how beautiful the clouds are- I’m lucky to be out here.” Of course, my race will be much longer than any distance I’ve run before, so anything could happen. Maybe I’ll end up swearing my way through the last ten miles, ha ha. One more thing I’ll mention is, I’ve stopped putting two spaces after every period (has anyone noticed?) When I learned typing in middle school, that’s the way they taught us and I could never break the habit, Then I read Yellowface. At one point she’s corresponding with an older woman, and says something like “She does that thing old people do, putting an extra space after every period.” WHAT. So, I stopped! I might relapse every once in a while, but it really hasn’t been that hard to form a new habit. Did anyone else learn how to type that way? – Yet another silly thing I learned in middle school. Top photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash