STRONG

I have always loved watching Biggest Loser.  In fact, any time a weight loss show is on I typically tune in.  Weight has always been a struggle for me, so I really identify with people who are trying to make a change to their bodies.  Recently, NBC dropped Biggest Loser and aired a new show “Strong”.  The show was all woman contestants and male trainers.  I’m not sure when we made the switch from “amount of weight lost” to “strong bodies”, but I LOVE IT!

My younger years were mostly in the 90s where the “waif” look was in.  I don’t even think I had that body type when I was born.  There was no way I was ever going to accomplish looking like those thin girls in the media – for some reason I picture them with round sunglasses and Nirvana t-shirts.  As an adult woman, I can somewhat accept that now, but as a young girl I would not be happy until I was “skinny”.  It wasn’t about health, strength, or happiness, it was about the way that other people viewed me.  And the crazy thing is – for those of you who have reached a “goal weight” or “size”- you look in the mirror and still aren’t happy!!

Through social media and interactions with other people, I have started to see the switch from skinny to strong.  I think it will take a while to really get out there and I think the media will continue to F it up (now the look is curves, but with the tiniest waist ever, big breast, and a big butt all which can only be obtained if you are a Kardashian or have surgery), but I love that it is out there.

And the thing is – strong isn’t just your physical body.  Strong is getting up every day and going to work.  Strong is raising children. Strong is dealing with not being able to have children.  Strong is overcoming an addiction every minute that you say no to it.  Strong is dealing with mental illness daily and continuing to press on.  Strong is choosing the veggies over the chips.  Strong is choosing the chips and not beating yourself up about it!

On those “weak days” (we all have them) – sit down with a pencil and paper.  Write down at least three things that make you feel strong.  For me today they are…

1.      “Successfully” making it through another week of school

2.      Waking up and having a healthy breakfast this morning

3.      Writing for about an hour today (good for my mental health)  :)

This could even be part of your daily/weekly/monthly bullet journal that looks awesome, but I haven’t quite figured out yet!

As women it seems that our brains have been trained to see our worth in the way that we look and we will never measure up to those magazine covers (Have you seen the articles and videos???  INSANELY AIRBRUSHED!!). Focus on what makes you feel strong today, not weak!  Focus on what your body can do, not what it can’t do.

And SET GOALS!  How can you be even stronger tomorrow?  How will you be even stronger a year from now? 

Hey you!  Yeah you!  You’re lookin’ STRONG! ;)

Buzz Ya Later,

Whit

How Far We've Come

I am a big fan of reflection.  By this point you could probably tell by my “lifestyle blog” that has become more of a reflective and hopefully inspirational/motivational blog.

I was on a jog/walk/mosey one day when I was feeling really inadequate to be able to run a marathon this coming December. I was struggling at about mile 4 and desperately trying to wrap my head around being able to complete 26.2 miles.

Then randomly Matchbox 20 started playing in my head. 

“Let’s see how far we’ve come.

Let’s see how far we’ve come.” *

My long distance running dreams began even before I met my marathon running husband.  I have never liked to run.  I think my motivation came from being able to say that I had completed long distance runs.  In the beginning, I couldn’t imagine doing 5 miles on a “short run” day.  The thought of 13.1 seemed completely unfathomable and 26.2 felt slightly more tangible in an odd way like in school when 20 minutes seemed like it would pass more quickly than 15. 

On the days where you feel super overwhelmed and underprepared – take a minute and review your history.  It may be relationship history, work history, parenting history, etc.  Skip over the bad times for a few minutes and focus on the positive.  

How have you grown in this area over the months or years?  

Do you know more now than you did at the beginning?  

Would you consider yourself more experienced?  

Do you know how to handle situations now that you had no idea how to handle in the past? 

LOOK HOW FAR YOU’VE COME!

It takes a lot of steps to complete a marathon.  When I am training and struggling to keep running, I remind myself that every single step I take I am closer to the finish than I have ever been before.  At times the process is slow (especially the first few miles), but it seems the closer I get to that goal, the miles start to pass a little more quickly.  By the later miles, your body starts to tire and your mind becomes your muscle.  It is in those miles that your mind reminds you of your training.  Your mind reflects on how far you have come focusing on where you were in the beginning and where you are now.  In the future you may be even more prepared for those miles, but right now you are more prepared than you have ever been before.

Yes, you still have many miles left, but look how far you’ve come!

Keep going!

Buzz Ya Later,

Whit

*This may/may not have been the message that Matchbox 20 was trying to deliver in their song, but it’s what I took from it. :)

The Power of Yet

My favorite part of race day is…

THE DRIVE HOME!

I love sitting in the passenger seat sweaty, tired, reflective, and most of the time with a smile on my face.  When Duke and I are headed to a race (usually before the sun is up), I go through two phases.  I am usually VERY talkative at the beginning of the ride (coffee!) and then I become VERY quiet once we get closer.  During those quiet moments, I am NERVOUS!  There are a ton of thoughts racing through my mind…

Will we be able find a parking space?

Will we have to walk a long distance to the starting line?

Will it be super cold while we are waiting for the race to start?

Will it be super hot?

Will it rain?

Will there be enough porta potties?!?!?!?!?

But interspersed within those questions, fears, and panicking moments, I think about the ride home and I feel at peace.

I don’t know what will happen during the race--good, bad, or ugly.  But I do know that no matter what happens during the race, at some point, I will be back in that car on the way home and that thought calms me.

It is the power of YET that gets me through the race.  I am not heading home...YET.  But I know that in a few hours I will be.

You may not be a graduate…YET!

You may not be as healthy as you want to be…YET!

You may not be sober…YET!

Now I realize that nothing is promised to us.  I cannot run a marathon…YET!  That YET is very inspiring to me.  I hope to one day be able to say that I ran a marathon, BUT that is not promised to me. 

The YET is not a promise that your goals will be achieved, but it gives you the hope to do everything in your power to accomplish your goals.

Make a plan, get out there, and start working towards your “YET!”  There is no promise that you will accomplish your goal, but let the possibility of achieving it drive you forward.  Regardless of where you end up, I bet you will reach a lot of “YET”s on the way.

Buzz Ya Later,

Whit

Going for Gold/Dealing with Defeat

When I was growing up, there was a strong push for “everyone gets a trophy!”  The idea is still around today, but I think that people are starting to question it a little bit more.  When kiddos are little (under 5), I think the idea is ok. 

“You played on your first sports team!  Here is a tangible award.”

“You drew your first family picture! Gold star for you!”

“You got through your first dance class without crying.  Ice cream for everyone!”

I feel like those kiddos need that praise and motivation in order to continue trying.  When kids get older though, I think it is ok to have one true winner.  It is acceptable to let kids feel a little let down when they don’t win the science fair, the football game, or get an A++ on their essay.  It simulates the “real world” where even when you try your hardest you don’t always win.

I saw excellent examples of graceful “defeat” during the Rio 2016 Olympics this past summer.  It started with the trials.  I couldn’t imagine training for 4 years (I mean I know for most of them it has been their whole lives) and then not making the team because of an injury, fall, “off” day, someone trained a little harder, etc.  These examples continued during the Olympics when athletes competed and only three “won”.  Again, watching the faces of athletes who had trained and put their whole beings into their sport and not winning was tough.  Honestly, I was thinking - How do they not just crumble into the fetal position?  Some of them had the hope of Tokyo 2020!  Some of them were heading into retirement.  For some of them this was their one shot. 

Not everyone gets a trophy.  This can lead to a lot of heartbreak.  BUT it can also lead to a lot of triumphs.  Olympic medals would lose their value if everyone got one.  Winning the game would not be triumphant if no one had to lose.  An A on an essay or test wouldn’t be worth the hard work if it was easy to come by.

I think we need to start introducing this idea at a younger age.  When kiddos face obstacles, fall down, and see that they can get back up and try again with the hope of future successes, it makes them more resilient.  It makes it easier to take risks and overcome failures.  I think it will improve our workplaces in the future when younger generations grow up and are not expecting promotions and opportunities to be handed to them. 

My favorite Olympic athletes to watch were the ones with a backstory of “failure”.  There is no better feeling then watching them cross the finish line/touch the wall/score a goal victorious.  That feeling would not be nearly as strong without the heartache that put the fire in them to try again.

The Olympics taught me a lesson for any age – In this life, we work hard.  Sometimes this hard work leads to immediate success and sometimes we have to try, try again.  We may not always accomplish our goals, but we will definitely grow in the process.  If you do get that “gold medal” you have been striving for, it will be way more rewarding knowing that it was not handed to you for just participating in life.

In the words of Aaliyah –

“If at first you don't succeed
You can dust it off and try again
Dust yourself off and try again, try again.”

Buzz Ya Later,

Whit

Legacy

“Legacy” by Nichole Nordeman is a song I hear occasionally on the radio.  It is one of those songs that the lyrics pop into my head from time to time.

“I want to leave a legacy.  How will they remember me?  Did I choose to love?  Did I point to You enough?”

We all make an impact on the world while we are here.  Sometimes our biggest impact occurs after we depart.  At 27, I don’t think about death much and when I do it seems completely untouchable.  I know it will happen to me and could happen at any moment, but it seems so far away and distant.  I still have that invincible childlike naivety and I would like to keep that for as long as I can.

Regardless, I know that one day I will no longer be here and all that will be left are pictures, videos, and memories.  I sometimes wonder what will my legacy be?  I doubt I will make huge strides in education.  I love what I do and the students I teach, but I do not foresee myself moving mountains in my field.  I doubt I will be a supermom (even though technically anyone who births and/or raises a child is a superheroine in my mind).  Hopefully, I raise great kiddos, but I doubt I will make any major impact in the field of parenting.  I love myself, but consider myself kind of basic in most areas of my life.  Yep people – I said it and I am OK WITH THAT!  So what will my legacy be? 

I hope it will be my words.  I am a shy introvert (What? You couldn’t tell?!).  I’m starting to think I might even have some social anxiety, so my legacy will not be my verbal words, but I hope my written words. 

I started journaling when I was in about second grade.  My first dated journal entry was in 1997.  

My second grade picture

First entries (not dated)

First Dated Entry

Y'all I was trying to find a husband at age 8!

My collection of completed journals

I stopped journaling regularly some time in college and it is one of my biggest regrets.  I will never be 100% open on my blog.  Just so ya know!  BUT I have been 100% open in my journals over the years.  I think one of the best legacies we can leave behind is “telling it all” – the good, the bad, the ugly, the scary, the beautiful, the crazy.  Most of us walk this earth trying to look like we have it semi put together.  And that is ok!  As adults, especially in the professional world, people should be able to trust us to do our jobs and lead “adult lives”.  The fact of the matter is most of us, especially in our 20s, are still trying to figure it all out.  The problem is it looks like we know what we are doing while we are all actually struggling and no one wants to talk about it because we think we are the only ones who just want to be a 12 year old at summer camp again – some freedom, but still have mom and dad waiting at home to fix  dinner, clean  dirty camp clothes, and tuck us in at night.

Ok Whit – bunny trail – come back – refocus – LEGACY.

But all of that does have to do with my legacy!  I want people to read my journals when I am gone or maybe I will show them to my nieces/daughters/granddaughters when I am still here to say “Hey!  Look at June 25, 2005!  I know what it is like to like a boy and get turned down!”  I want people to see the “deep stuff” and the vulnerability.  I want them to know that they are not alone in their struggles, fears, goals, aspirations, etc.  While on this earth, I think we all put up a facade (some more than others).  No one truly knows the real us.  But when we leave, I think our best gift is to tell the world everything.  To come completely clean if we never have before.  Hopefully someone will “read our words” (or whatever your legacy is) and feel that they have hope.  “If (insert name here) can get through this and succeed, then so can I!” 

Life is precious.  It definitely should not be wasted thinking about it being over, BUT when it is over (hopefully a L...O...N...G time from now for us all), what legacy will you leave behind? 

Buzz Ya Later,

Whit

You can do anything! BUT...

“You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen

One of my recent hairstylists had this quote tattooed on her arm and I just fell in love with it.  I love quotes that are short, but full of encouragement and motivation.

I find this quote most helpful in my role as a teacher.  My goal this year is to S…L…O…W D…O…W…N.

I felt like my first five years of teaching were...

RUSHRUSHRUSH.  

NOTENOUGHTIMETOGETEVERYTHINGDONE. 

NOTIMEFORSPACES. 

LETSGOOOOOOO!

I was trying to do everything and in turn I didn’t really do anything.  Well I did something, of course, but did not really meet any major goals I had set for myself or my students.  Even when students met academic goals, I still felt like I missed out on opportunities to really get to know them and their needs because I was so rushed to get every bit of academic knowledge into them that I could.  As most teachers know, without a solid relationship with your students, academics don’t mean jack - to put it bluntly.

You can do a lot of things.  Teachers are moms/dads, therapists, nurses, directors, facilitators, planners, writers, etc. etc. etc. In fact, in any job we wear many hats.  In any phase of life, we wear many different hats.  If you try to wear them all perfectly (and make sure they slay with your shoes and accessories), you will probably end up looking a hot mess.

When you look in the mirror on those days when you are wearing a construction worker’s hat, running shorts, high heels, and a hideous backpack (like the bears that Miley Cyrus’ dancers wore VMAs circa 2013) because you are trying to do everything at once, stop and take a breath.  This might seem corny, but look in the mirror and say (or think depending on how public you currently are) – “I am alive.  I am breathing.  I am still walking this earth.”  If you are a believer you might think – “If I am still here, God ain’t done with me yet!”

You can do anything.  You can accomplish many great things in one hour, more in a day, even more in a week, a lot in a month, quite a bit in a year, and amazing things in a decade.  BUT you can’t do everything today!  Seek out your priorities.  Set small goals and give yourself (or a friend!) a high five when you accomplish them.  And as my mom would say when I am truly struggling (like snotty, hyperventilating, ugly cry sobbing) – JUST BREATHE.

Prioritize your “everything” and figure out what “anything” you are going to accomplish today.

You got this!

Buzz Ya Later,

Whit

Stop and Smell the Roses (aka dance)

Dallas Rock N Roll 2014 was the second half marathon that I ever completed.  One cool thing about each Rock N Roll race is that there are bands/DJs/music along the course every few miles.  The race starts near the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and within the first mile or two heads into Deep Ellum.  I love running through Deep Ellum.  Don’t worry mom – only during the day and with like 1,000 of my best friends.  I like looking at all the cool shops/restaurants/bars/clubs when I jog by.  Seeing new places that I imagine I will go to some night out when I am feeling 22 again (which rarely ever happens).  Bed = 9 sometimes 8 sometimes 7...  The first band is typically located near the Deep Ellum Dog Park.  I have never been there, but looks super cute!  I don’t have a dog and would probably look odd if I brought my cats…

Around mile 8ish (totally guessing here) there is a hill.  I remember it as basically the BIGGEST HILL EVER! But for people who live where it is actually hilly, imagine a small incline.  We are all trucking it up this hill and halfway up there is a DJ.  In front of the DJ is a woman totally getting into it.  She has stopped running and she is just dancing, smiling, having the best time.  All I can think is –

 

What about her finish time?!?! 

Doesn’t she just want to get this over with? 

How can she dance at a time like this???

ARE WE THERE YET?!

I could not imagine why anyone would want to prolong the process of finishing 13.1 miles unless they were injured or dying!

At the same time…I was kind of jealous.

I have never been a “stop and smell the roses” type.  Always GO GO GO!  If you have ever seen me walk through the main hallway of the school I teach at (BTW - it is L    O    N    G), I basically walk at a race pace.  Gotta get there! NOW!

In preschool, I used to ask my teacher what we were doing next, so I would know what was coming.  When I was in 6^th grade, I was researching colleges.  While eating lunch, I imagine what I will eat for dinner.  Anytime there is a baby article on BuzzFeed I look at it and nope…not pregnant.  There is nothing wrong with planning ahead.  My issue is I struggle to enjoy the moment because I am so focused on the future.  I am a planner and sometimes not in a good way.

Not to get morbid or depressing, but sometimes I have to remind myself – the future may not happen.  I do this to try to get myself to focus on the now. My only regret about anything in my past is not enjoying all of the amazing moments that have been a part of my life.  Most of the time, I don’t even recognize how amazing they are until they are over.  It might seem crazy/odd, but it is ok to stop during something fantastic and say – “This is an amazing moment!”.

I feel like that is what that woman was thinking while dancing next to the DJ.  She wasn’t thinking about how far away the finish line was.  She realized –

How cool is it that there is a DJ playing in the middle of Dallas (during the day)?!

There are tons of spectators cheering us on.

I will finish those last few miles in a bit.

This is an amazing moment and I’m going to dance!

Life is short.  As adults, I think we all know that by now.  Enjoy the present.  And in the words of Lee Ann Womack “I hope you dance”.

Yep.  I was born with a unibrow.  #darkhairdontcare

A little elementary artwork.

#thosebangs

Buzz Ya Later,

Whit