Giving
Welcome to Tuesday Topics, a weekly linkup that I host with Jenn at Runs With Pugs. This week’s topic is Giving Tuesday – How Do You Give Back To The Fitness Community? Since I can never quite stay on topic, I’m going to talk about giving in general. Not gifts (although I do have some fun gift ideas coming up tomorrow!) but giving back to the community in general. i’ve been at my current job for ten years. In that time, a lot of the older therapists have left and we have a flock of new younger therapists (women in their 20s) joining us. At first I was a little salty about “youth today”- they’re always on their phones! They have terrible social skills! They have no work ethic (calling out sick because they aren’t in a good space mentally to “do their best work.” Sheesh!) Somewhere along the line I realized I should stop acting like an elderly curmudgeon, and consider myself in the role of mentor. Now I make it a point to periodically ask if they have any questions about the job and generally take the lead if any problems occur, instead of joining the chorus of complainers. Today a coworker- a young woman of 22- was very upset about an admittedly complicated and troublesome personal problem (nothing dangerous, to be clear). Since there’s no right answer to the issue at this moment, this is what I told her: At some point, the solution to this will become clear. When that happens, you’ll know what to do and be able to take action. The reason it seems so overwhelming right now is that you haven’t reached that point of clarity. Have faith that that point will come, and in the meantime stay calm and pay attention to everything that’s happening, so that when the time for action comes, you’ll recognize it. I think it helped her! But… maybe not. Looking back, this is what I’ve learned from my own experience. I wish I could go back and tell Young Jenny that everything would be all right, eventually (it’s definitely what I tell myself now, when I’m worried about something). But maybe it’s something you just have to live in your own life. We’ve all gone through difficult situations- do you come to a moment of clarity where the correct choice is clear? Do you have faith that everything will be all right in the end? And now- here are the Tuesday Topics for 2026! The prompts are there for inspiration, but you don’t have to write on the topic if it doesn’t speak to you- you can still link your post! Link Up With Tuesday Topics Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts! Introducing Your 2026 Tuesday Topics January 6: What’s your word or intention for 2026? 13: How do you reset your routine after the holidays? 20: What helps you stay motivated through the winter’s blah months? 27: Free Topic February 3: Self-care check: how do you show yourself kindness this month? 10: Share something you LOVE about your active lifestyle? 17: What habit(s) are you trying to strengthen right now? 24: Free Topic March 3: What does “springing forward” mean for your mindset this year? 10: How do you bring more balance to your busy days? 17: Luck and hard work: which one has helped you the most lately? 24: Favorite way to welcome spring? 31: Free Topic April 7: How do you add more joy or fun into your workouts? 14: How do you stay consistent when life gets chaotic? 21: It’s Earth Week: How do you stay active outdoors responsibly? 28: Free Topic May 5: What’s one goal you’re proud of this spring? 12: What does mental wellness mean to you right now? 19: Share your favorite outdoor adventure spot. 26: Free Topic June 2: What does Global Running Day mean to you? 9: How do you find balance during summer chaos? 16: Favorite warm-weather snack, meal or hydration tip 23: Summer solstice: What are you looking forward to this season? 30: Free Topic July 7: Mid-year check-in: What’s been your biggest win of 2026 so far? 14: How do you stay active while traveling or on vacation? 21: What’s your favorite way to cool down (physically or mentally)? 18: Free Topic August 4: What’s your back-to-routine plan for fall? 11: How do you keep things fun when motivation dips? 18: Share a favorite memory from the summer 25: Free Topic September 1: What’s your fall focus: fitness, family, fun, or something else? 8: How do you reset your habits after summer? 15: What does “community” mean to you right now? 22: First Day Of Fall: What are you most excited for this season? 29: Free Topic October 6: Share your favorite fall comfort meal or ritual 13: How do you stay active when the weather turns cooler? 20: What’s your favorite fall activity or race? 27: Free Topic (or Halloween fun) November 3: What are you most thankful for in your fitness life or journey? 10: How do you handle the busy holiday season without burning out? 17: Share your holiday gift ideas for active friends and families. 24: Free Topic December 1: Giving Tuesday: what cause do you care about the most? 8: Your 2026 highlight reel: biggest wins or lessons learned. 15: Favorite memories from this year’s adventures 22: What are your goals for 2027? 29: How are you ringining in the New Year? You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter Top photo by Ben White on Unsplash
5 More Things
Well, I couldn’t resist. NaBloPoMo is over, and I don’t usually post on Mondays, but in the spirit of San’s 5 Things theme here are 5 things from our Sunday! Foxy is trying to destroy our tree. It turns out the ornaments are irresistible to him. Every time I walk into the room, there’s tinsel strewn on the floor and random ornaments lying around. Worst of all, we realized the tree is now leaning! Not sure if you can see it from this angle, but it’s definitely leaning back towards the window. It’s so hard to get it centered in the tree stand and now we have to do it all over again. This is going to be a long month! We had a festive outing! As I was eating my breakfast my husband suddenly said “Do we have an advent calendar?” ACK! I usually get an advent calendar for the cats from Trader Joe’s but completely forgot this year. I told my husband I would go today, and he unexpectedly said “I’ll go with you!” We stopped at Starbucks on the way, and I wore a holiday shirt. I was worried we were too late for the advent calendars, but they had a few left! Back at home, I got working on the rest of the decorating. Here’s the pet tree: Here’s our stockings: Foxy doesn’t have a stocking yet- but Santa doesn’t bring presents to naughty cats who wreck Christmas trees!!! Just saying. Foxy better get himself on the “nice” list asap. My son finally got back to Chicago. He left at 3 am (ugh- my husband drove to the airport) and traveled for more than twelve hours. He had a long layover in Dallas, which he didn’t mind one bit. His girlfriend drove up from Waco and they got to see each other! The day definitely got a glow up. It started off as a blah, melancholy day- my son left; the holiday weekend is over; back to work and school tomorrow. But how can you stay sad when there’s caffeine, shopping, Christmas lights, football, and pumpkin pie? You can’t. Onward! Are you sad Thanksgiving is over? Do you have an advent calendar? Top photo by Diane Helentjaris on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- A Festive Week
Goodbye Thanksgiving, Hello Christmas! We really fit a lot into this week. There were workouts as usual (although once again, it was not perfect!) Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown, and a huge shoutout to San and all the bloggers who participated in NaBloPoMo as we wrap up the month! Monday I started the day with Adriene’s yoga for lower back pain. Once again I vow to do yoga every day. (Hahahaha…. that’s funny). I also did an upper body strength workout. Tuesday A 4 mile run to start the day. I had every intention of doing yoga later in the day, but we worked hard to get the house ready. My son arrived late at night, AND we had to move furniture around to make space for our Christmas tree. Wednesday Oof. My low back was talking to me this morning. I think what it was saying was, “Hey, you moved a couch yesterday, idiot.” I did not one, but TWO yoga videos- Adriens’s yoga for lower back mobility, and her yoga for hips and lower back release. It was a busy day of pie making, and we got our Christmas tree! In between all the activity I fit in hip stability exercises. Thursday Happy Thanksgiving!!! I started the day with a 5 mile run. Then it was cooking and lots of eating. My son was supposed to fly back to Chicago on Saturday, and we were getting concerned because of the winter storm warning. The airline apparently also was concerned, because they told us we could switch the flight to another day for free. Yay! He is now flying back on Sunday. Friday Oof. I really didn’t feel like getting up today- but my daughter was up EARLY to go to the mall with her friend, and I have a cat who needs a thyroid pill. Since I was up, I went to the gym before work! It was a leg day, plus abs. Saturday 4 mile run before work! It was in the low 60s- lovely running weather. Meanwhile we were hearing that hundreds of flights into O’Hare were canceled. Good thing we changed that flight! Sunday Arg! The only problem is, now my son has to get to the airport at 4 am. TBD who the driver will be… On tap for the rest of the day- Christmas-ing up the house! The tree is decorated, but there’s lots more to put out. How was your Thanksgiving? Were you affected by the storm? If you celebrate Christmas, do you have your tree up?
Endings
How is it the end of November??? There’s only one more day, and that will be my Weekly Rundown post- NaBloPoMo is almost over. NOOOO! I’m just getting started, ha ha. Seriously- there were a few days where I was busy and had a little stress over getting a post published. But for the most part I’ve absolutely loved it (as I always do). There are still so many blog posts I haven’t commented on… and I still have things to say! Well, good thing we’ll all still be blogging in December, but I’ll miss the daily fun. Speaking of missing things… I’m sad that Thanksgiving is over! I love the holiday; I love the buildup to it, all the shopping, cooking, and festivities. Now we’re fully into Christmas (put away your pumpkin- get out the gingerbread!) and while Christmas is my favorite holiday, I’m sad that Halloween and Thanksgiving are over for another year. This Thanksgiving was especially poignant for me. Next year, my son probably won’t come home for Thanksgiving. He was only able to this year because of an anomaly in the Northwestern academic calendar. He also has a serious girlfriend, and if things progress, he’ll eventually be dividing holidays between two different families. I was aware that this is probably the last time our Thanksgiving will look like this, with just the four of us at home. As we started dinner, I raised my glass to make a toast but couldn’t get the words out because I was overcome with emotion. I know it’s all good- we want our kids to grow up and have lives of their own- but I hate endings. Recently, a colleague of ten years was leaving for a different job, and I was relieved that on her last day, I was in with a client when she left so I didn’t have to say goodbye (I did text her afterwards and we still keep in touch). If I’m at a party, I would rather sneak away rather than say goodbye to the host (of course touching base later; “Thanks so much, I had a great time! Sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye.” I know this makes me sound like a terrible person (although I believe this is called an “Irish goodbye” so I’m not the only one who does it!) It’s not that I don’t want people to know what they mean to me, or that I won’t miss them- I just hate the actual moment of saying goodbye, the official ending. Does anyone else feel like this? Do you hate endings? Are you good at saying goodbye? Are you angrily crossing me off your party guest list right now? Top photo by david Griffiths on Unsplash