#Joyful Miles Podcast

[novelconcepts]

It has taken me seven days to run a marathon. Seven days to pound out a little over 26 miles. Seven days in which I coax my body into motion despite my perpetual fatigue, despite my aching chest, despite the fact that my brain is on fire what feels like three-hundred percent of the time.

There was a time when the idea of running 26 miles in any number of days was laughable. Beyond laughable; it was a concept so nonexistent, I did not know how to dream it up. I did not grow up a runner. I grew up with a stellar baseball swing, a killer capacity for sinking free throws, and a vomitous terror of being seen by any kind of audience during a game. I grew up a graceless, sports-focused tomboy. I grew up terrified of embarrassing myself via athletic feats. I talked myself out of almost every game I could have excelled at. I talked myself out of so much.

I picked up running a few years ago just to see if I could. To see if it was in me, despite my breathlessness on flights of stairs, despite convincing myself at age twelve that I had a bum knee. I picked up running a few years ago to see if I could, in the comfort of my own living room, squirming out of binders and into sports bras and feeling a little bit insane all the while. I kept up running anyway. Even though my personal best was seven minutes. Even though a mile felt like drop-kicking my own sternum off a mountain. Even though my body felt wrong with every step, because--let's all be honest now--my body had felt wrong since I hit puberty.

I kept up running in the privacy of my own living room, and then the privacy of my home office. Wherever I could fit a treadmill. I kept it up because I'd already told people I'd started, and I have a propensity for stubbornness. If people know, I can't give up, or I will be a failure. The potential for shame kept me driving forward. I kept it up, and, slowly, I began to dream about it. I dream of running the way other people dream of flying. In my dreams, I am weightless. I do not even have a body with which to battle. My lungs know how to do nothing but breathe easy. My legs could carry me across oceans. I run, and I run, and I am running not away from anything, not towards anything. I am just running. Humans are like that. Humans are supposed to be like that. We move because moving is innate, because momentum is beautiful, because in motion, we are alive.

I kept up running in private, and then, in 2022, I had top surgery. I couldn't run for months. I had to heal. I had to relearn the angles of a body I had been at war with for over half my life. I spent weeks in bed, my brain foggy, my depression worsening not because I regretted my decision to get the surgery--I have never regretted anything less than that surgery--but because I had taken off the table one of the biggest obstacles to my own joy. My body was more my own than it had ever been, and I was...still unwell. Still very much not okay. I laid in bed, and I listened to audiobooks, and I rewatched my favorite shows, and I ached to fill the spaces in myself with something joyful. Something as positive as the miracle I'd just enacted on my own body. I healed slowly. I accepted needing medication for my depression. I returned to running.

I ran outside for the first time in my life. I ran outside, and everything I'd already learned, I had to navigate through fresh eyes. The upheaval of sidewalks that twist and turn, that slope unexpectedly upward before sending you skidding downhill again. The presence of other runners, of dog-walkers, of cars and children and unexpected rainfall. I began listening to podcasts. I listened to podcasts about queer joy. I listened to podcasts about movies worthy of love and hate simultaneously. I listened to podcasts that made me laugh, and stories that made my chest feel like it would cave in. Sometimes, I listened to music, and I wrote a soundtrack for a revolutionary kind of cinema in which I, at last, played the lead. I ran, and I learned how to breathe through my new chest, and I learned how to straighten my spine and twist my hips and feel, for once, as though the body I inhabit is one that wants me around.

I run now, in the summer, mainly in my office again, because climate change is a bitch. I run shirtless, watching my reflection out of the corner of my eye in my cabinets. I am still not in love with my body. There is too much about it that feels outside of my control. I am even less in love with my brain, which--despite the exercise, despite the Lexapro, despite the happy home life and loving community I am fortunate enough to have around me--wants me dead more than ever. I run largely because I am trying to outrun the negatives. The anxiety burning a pit in my stomach. The self-loathing I can't switch off. The fear of the future. The burden of observation in a world where every bit of bad news is available at all times. I run as though I am trying to escape a tiger, and I know it can't get through my front door, but I can sense its teeth in my neck all the same. I run two miles. Three. Five. Six. I run, and I keep track of my running, because every mile is another day I've won the war.

I am not well. I am not okay. I know this. I say this to my wife in tears. I say this to myself in stoic, flat tones. I say this, and I feel my mouth shape in a crooked smile, and it is not funny--but I sometimes laugh, anyway. Sometimes, you have to. That's human, too. The momentum. The graveside humor. The miles scorched into the soles of shoes you must, someday, replace if you're going to keep going. I am not well. I am not okay. I did not, quite honestly, expect to make it this far. Thirty-five is a country unexplored. Thirty-five is a galaxy I've only just found the keys to. Sometimes, I think this will be the last year of my life--but then, I think I thought that last year. And the year before. In 2020, in 2016, when I was 19 and 17 and 12.

I've run a marathon in seven days.

Time to look ahead to the next seven.

[muddyorbsblr]

empire magazine podcast episode 600

pspspspspspsps Tomathy pspspspspspsps more photoshoots in the fine year of our lord 2024 pspspspspspsps

with many many many outtakes that actually get posted please and thank u 🫠🫠

@lokisgoodgirl @lokischambermaid @michelleleewise @mochie85 @fictive-sl0th @xorpsbane @ladyofthestayingpower @maple-seed @loopsisloops @joyful-enchantress @acidcasualties @liminalpebble @alexakeyloveloki @dangertoozmanykids101 @mischief2sarawr @simplyholl @vbecker10 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @lokiprompts @give-me-a-moose @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @holymultiplefandomsbatman @wheredafandomat @the-lady-amphitrite @caffiend-queen @km-ffluv @kikster606 @itsybitchylittlewitchy @littlespaceyelf @glitchquake @gigglingtiggerv2 @november-rayne @trickster-maiden @viv-annelore @five-miles-over @gruftiela @coldnique @smirkingkitten @raqnarokr +++

[bethestaryouareradio]

Christmas Caroling with Express Yourself! Teen radio

“The Joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing each other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.”  - W. C. Jones

Julia hosts a Christmas hour of joyful choral singing. She first talks with Milan about the history of the holiday, then she segues into the teen-led acapella group, the Waves. Their mission is to introduce choral music to a larger audience with pieces by Eris Essenvalds, Ericsson Hatfield, and Violeta Parra. Julia starts the program with a layered recording of The First Noel where she sings all the parts followed by three songs sung by The Waves, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Carol of the Bells, and Joy to the World. The featured performers in the teen acapella group, The Waves, include

Cayden Sewell  Naomi Coffman  Maddie Garfinkel

Julia Howe   Aditi Shankar  Lori Agbabian  Lauren Thompson  Miles Kaludzinski  Lev Corliss  Tarek Wilks  Sarah Wolfe  Claire Malaney-Lau

Finally, Julia interviews Cayden, the leader of the Waves, to discuss the importance of singing, choirs, chorus, and caroling. They encourage everyone to share their voice!

Merry Christmas from everyone at Be the Star You Are!® charity and Express Yourself! Teen Radio!

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[joyful-miles]

Joyful Miles 2.0: Podcast Return and Other News!

Joyful Miles 2.0: Podcast Return and Other News!

Happy Sunday, friends, I hope you’re having an amazing weekend! Have you heard that Jackey and I have started the podcast again, after an extended break? Yes, we’re back, a little wiser, a little more relaxed, and still just as grateful for your support as ever! Click here or on the player below to listen! https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/75pdc6/Episode_968bk4b.m4a How often will there be new…

[runguytampa]

JMJ. Run streak day 2,500. 2.5 miles in the beautiful afternoon of Croom! Praying the Joyful Mysteries, Bible in a Year podcast day 87 and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for peace in the world. Thank God for the gift of this day. A.M.D.G (at Croom Wildlife Management Area) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbqf1VELjz0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[rachelroams]

Cheers to the close of a successful 2022! As another year comes to an end, I realize I haven’t done a very good job of either reflecting on milestones or sharing adventures on here lately. But in the end, it feels rewarding to look back on a year and say, “PHEW,” and also “thanks” — to both community and life itself — for all the adventures experienced and lessons learned.

Below are the 2022 accomplishments of which I’m particularly proud. This year, I:

— Produced all the main stage programming and anthem video content for YouTube’s EduCon conference in NYC, welcoming hundreds of high-profile learning channels from around the world to share collaboration and inspiration through our live event program (including via a closing keynote from Neil deGrasse Tyson).

— Completed assignments as a filmmaker, photographer, and social media content producer in places as far-flung as Mongolia and Belize, and as near-to-home as New England and the Pacific Northwest, e.g.: https://bit.ly/MongoliaSlideshow.

— Wrote and published somewhere between 10-20 globe-spanning articles for clients such as AFAR covering destinations like the Maldives, Oman, Spain, UAE, Thailand, Vietnam, France, Puerto Rico, Germany, and the U.S. (https://rachelrudwall.contently.com/).

— Completed 30+ live or live-to-tape media hits as an on-air travel expert for news outlets across the country, e.g.: https://bit.ly/WKYCPlanForVacationDay.

— Privately coached 10 new consulting clients ranging from award-winning CEOs to media pros with millions of subscribers, covering topics such as public speaking, brand-building, and TV series production (rachelroams.com/consulting).

— Engaged in numerous public speaking engagements both IRL and virtually, including at my favorite event each year, Women’s Travel Fest (https://womenstravelfest.com/).

— Became a published author thanks to the inspiring team behind Wanderess and their invitation to write for the book (https://bit.ly/WanderessBook).

— Crafted custom influencer/KOL content for brand clients that span the worlds of travel, tourism, fashion, lifestyle, and government (https://bit.ly/MongoliaPOVReel).

— Connected with fellow storytellers as a podcast and blog guest, including for Adorama’s 42 West Blog (https://bit.ly/RR42West) and Nora Dunn’s The Professional Hobo (https://bit.ly/RRProHobo).

— Volunteered for the second year running as a Board Member for Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors (https://www.ecologyoutdoors.org/).

— Completed another year as a USA for UNHCR Refugee Champion, and learned that my short film about a Syrian refugee family resettled in WA now lives on in an impactful story map (https://bit.ly/U4UStoryMap).

— Led monthly financial education sessions for women professionals for the fourth year in a row.

— Enjoyed personal trips through Italy, the Netherlands, California, Utah, Washington, and Oregon (including my baby’s first camping trip, complete with a multi-mile, pitch-black cave hike!).

— Snowshoed, hiked, and traipsed outdoors for what feels like countless miles (though, my Apple Watch tells me my daily average mile count is around four… so, I guess the total is just shy of 1500 miles?).

— Completed nearly 100 OrangeTheory workouts.

— And did all of that while raising a new baby and learning how to become a parent.

PHEW. What a joyful, expansive year it has been. I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store.

Thanks to each of you for sharing in the journey!

[therealieblog]

Body Positive Exercise and Joyful Movement In A Diet Culture World

I find exercise generally very enjoyable, and it helps me improve my life in a plethora of ways. It makes me stronger, more flexible, gives me more stamina, lowers my stress levels, helps me sleep better, helps me write more creatively. But... That being said, many people cannot afford to join a gym, or have a limited living situation that prevents them from exercising. Some people have physical limitations due to disabilities that might prevent them from exercising. Or maybe you just flat out hate exercise. That is valid. You own your body. What you do with it is YOUR BUSINESS. But... if you would like some advice on exercising/Joyful Movement using a body positive/intuitive model, then please read on. 

My preferred forms of exercise (or Joyful Movement) are workout videos in my  room, or long walks around town while listening to a podcast. As I’ve mentioned in other blog posts, you can move your body in any number of ways to get exercise or increase Joyful Movement in your day. Cleaning house, playing sports, walking the dog, dancing, yoga, doing laundry, interactive video games, all of these will get you moving. 

Diet culture tells us we must suffer to exercise and this is a lie.

Diet Culture tells us that we must push our bodies to their limits, because it is selling rapid weight loss, and so it behooves people with this agenda to promote intense, high energy, painful forms of exercise. I exercised this way for probably twenty years off and on before I quit. Now I just can’t do it anymore. And you don’t have to push yourself until you are a gasping, sweaty mess to add movement to your day. 

You are in charge of your own limits. You get to decide how many reps to do, how many minutes to exercise. You decide how long your walk should be. YOU decide when to quit. You don’t actually have to do every set of squats or every set of bicep curls. You can stop when you feel tired, or when you sense that your muscles are being pushed too far. 

Make sure that if you ARE doing a workout video that it is body positive. What does this mean? It means no talk about “burning calories” or “burning fat”. No talk about “slimming down” or “sculpting” your body. No talk about “lets get you swimsuit ready!” If you have a body, it is already a beach body. You don’t need to lose weight to go to the beach. Fuck that. 

It’s best if you choose workouts with alternate moves for lower impact if possible, as I’ve found those very helpful. I am old and have bad knees. You will not catch me jumping around. If jump-squats are horrifyingly difficult and painful, then just don’t do the jump part. If you can handle the steps and leg work of a workout, but the arms are too complicated or too intense, just don’t do the arm movements. Again, you are in charge. Not the instructor. 

Sustainability is very important. Many people who begin intense exercise regimes (almost always designed to get them to lose weight as quickly as possible) can only stick with them for a few weeks or months. Once the novelty wears off, and (like most human beings) we get lazy and don’t want to go for a miles long run at 6am like we did in the beginning, we start to slack off. Then beat ourselves up for slacking off. This is just painful and unnecessary. If you can’t see yourself doing this particular form of exercise indefinitely, for the rest of your life, then it’s highly likely that you’ll tank out within a year. I have been walking my entire life, and I enjoy it. It’s easy enough to not be prohibitive, but challenging enough to give me a bit of a workout. Walking is sustainable. Boot camp workouts? Less sustainable. 

Boot camp/blaster/high intensity workouts are geared toward the ever present diet culture goal of weight loss and the changing of the shape and size of one’s body. There is always a sense of urgency and intensity surrounding these types of work out videos because they are largely based in fear and self criticism. Intuitive Eating, HAES and body positivity are anti-diet, anti-purposeful weight loss, and therefore the intensity and push for perfection disappear when you take diet culture out of the equation. 

I no longer work out to change the size and shape of my body. And I fully believe that this should never be a goal of exercise. Exercise brings with it many benefits, if it is practiced for the sake of health and for feeling good, and not for the purposes of weight loss. Once you remove the relentless diet culture drive that surrounds exercise, you can free yourself up to see it as a means to improve your health and your life outside of your appearance. 

here is a more comprehensive list of things exercise does for us that isn’t related to being thinner or changing our appearance:

Increased cardio vascular health

Better sleep

Improved mood and improved self esteem

Increased physical strength

Increased flexibility

Increased mobility - ability to spend time with friends, go on hikes, play sports, run around at conventions or festivals etc.

So do whatever you want with your body. Move it. Don’t move it. Take a yoga class, or just stroll around the block. I changed the way I viewed exercise, which completely changed the way I engaged with it, and I am far happier now than I was when weight loss was my motivation. 

[loreweaver-universe]

And that’s the episode.

Man.  This show really makes me smile.  What an excellent group of friends.  Watching Hinata break down as it really hit her how much her new friends care about her was...wow.  That felt really good.

Hinata has always held her cards close to the chest, and watching her walls come down and her letting herself cry as her new friendship washed over her was so good.  And wow was there a lot of ship fuel in this episode.  I’m still mulling over the pairing versus Mari/Shirase, but I really like Hinata/Shirase.  It’s good stuff.

I’m going to be so sad when this show is over.  No joke, this might be my favorite anime I’ve watched, although I haven’t watched very many.  It’s so good and sweet and joyful.  I love it.

That’s going to be all for tonight.  Up next is going to be the start of season 3 of She-Ra!  We’ll be getting to that in the next couple days.  Meanwhile, I’ve been streaming my way through the final campaign of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the Blue Lions route, and I’m going to be continuing that for the foreseeable future.  You can catch me live on Twitch or check out the playlist of all three campaigns (plus the DLC) here.

Thank you all for tuning in, and thank you to my 63 patrons, who make it so I can do this for a living!  I’ll see you all next time!

IN OTHER NEWS:

I recently completed my mostly-blind playthrough of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!  You can see the full playlist of those streams by clicking here!

I recently completed my blind playthrough of Transistor!  You can see the full playlist of those streams by clicking here!

I recently completed my playthrough of Final Fantasy VII Remake!  You can see the full playlist of those streams by clicking here!

If you’d like to help me pay my rent, buy me some food, or help with my bills and medicine, please use my direct donation link!  If you’d like to support me per liveblog completed every month, please pledge to my Patreon! Becoming a patron not only allows you to vote on what shows I do whenever I choose a new one, but also grants access to the community Minecraft server to $5 patrons or higher!

You should also go pledge to Gio’s Patreon, or his Sponsus–our Discord server maintenance tech, creator of Rubybot, and community Minecraft server overlord deserves far more than I can afford to pledge to him by myself.

If you’d like more of me and my content:

My Episode Lists master page, where you can find every show and liveblog I’ve done!

My Discord server, where you can come hang out with me and other fans, check out member liveblogs, and join community gaming guilds!

My Twitch channel, where I stream variety games every so often!

My Youtube channel, where you can check out past streams!

My ask blog, where you can send me questions and comments!

My Twitter, where I make announcements about liveblogs and streams!

It’s your kindness and support that lets me do this stuff, and I wouldn’t be where I am without all of you to do it for.  Thank you all so much for your support, and for tuning in every episode!

OTHER PEOPLE YOU MAY ENJOY:

I may have been one of the earlier Steven Universe liveblogs, but a whole community of livebloggers has sprung up over the last five years!   I linked to a bunch individually for a few wrap-ups, but honestly, this end-slate is already eight billion miles long, so I’m just gonna link to my links page.  Click here if you want recommendations of other livebloggers, or other neat people, or webcomics and podcasts that I recommend.

[kneipho]

Book One: the First Four Dog Vacations by Carolyn West Meyer,

Kel Pickens (Editor, Photographer) & Audrey Little (Illustrator)

Paperback and editions available through amazon.com

--

“Book One: the First Four Dog Vacations features Bea and B.B., adopted shelter dogs, going on several unforgettable journeys with their human companions, Kel and Carolyn, traveling up to the Northeast Kingdom, then out to the other coast into San Francisco, as well as all the way down south to Padre Island. Kel and Carolyn named all their trips with "the girls" "Dog Vacations" because they always included fun outings for the dogs along the way. As you read about their adventures, you'll experience the joy, fun, humor, excitement, and their love for each other on these road trips which surprise and endear to the very last mile! So, take a front seat ride on the first four road trips of Bea and B.B as they travel with their human "Mama" and "Daddy" all over the U.S on trips most humans would love to go on. Not just for dog lovers, it's for everyone to enjoy reading about their humorous, joyful adventures, challenges, and triumphs. This true book emphasizes the dogs and focuses on the bond between them and their people. Dog Vacations may inspire you to take your "best friend" along next time you take to the road. So, hit the highway now with our "pack" for a carefree read and a chance to see the U.S.A. in a different way!” --amazon.com

--

Clint's Mom's Basement (Podcast)

Clint Hancock Interviews Author Carolyn Meyer:

July 9, 2020 • 57 min:  Who let the dogs out, and into the basement?!?! 😲🐩🐕 ☆☆ Find out on a brand new episode of Clints Moms Basement when he interviews Carolyn Meyer about her new book, Dog Vacations! ☆☆

[sophieellisbextorarchives]

Sequins, songs, kids... dance! This is what saved SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR’s sanity during lockdown

‘I think I’m doing this for me.’ But for now, we need to head back to her house, where Sonny has appeared, and Mickey is delighted to see his mum. Plates are waiting to be spun, and as I let myself out, Jesse is putting on a show in the kitchen, with Sophie as the audience, sitting under the disco ball. ....and her wonderfully joyous discos filmed in the family kitchen helped lift the nation’s spirits too. She tells Hattie Crisell why Friday nights round at hers became so precious

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-8549299/Sequins-songs-kids-dance-saved-SOPHIE-ELLIS-BEXTORs-sanity-lockdown.html

Sophie Ellis-Bextor opens the door to me with a toddler in her arms – smiley 18-month-old Mickey – and her four-year-old son Jesse behind her, his hair a deep shade of copper. ‘You have the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen,’ I tell him, genuinely quite dazzled, and he replies bashfully, ‘Well, I’ve just had it cut.’

Welcome to Sophie’s world: a large and glittering house in West London, packed to the rafters with kitsch, toys, cats and boys. I don’t know how many cats are around, but the boys number five: Mickey, Jesse, eight-year-old Ray, 11-year-old Kit and 16-year-old Sonny. Managing the lot are the singer, her husband Richard Jones (bass guitar player with The Feeling and the supergroup Loup GarouX), and a nanny, who joins them Monday to Friday during the working day. ‘I used to have a nanny who was with us all the time, and to be honest I felt like it was too much,’ says Sophie. ‘It’s fine if it’s my thing that I think about 24 hours a day, but I think it’s healthy for other people to have their own life away from it all. It’s five kids – it’s a lot.’

It certainly is, and it’s hard to imagine how demanding it must have been during lockdown, when the only one missing was the nanny. The public got a glimpse of this when Sophie performed a weekly series of ‘kitchen discos’, broadcasting them live via Instagram, her husband filming on his phone. They launched these shows during the bleakest part of the pandemic, and the good will that emanated from them was enormously cheering. She would appear in a sequined jumpsuit or rainbow-striped dress, a pair of platforms at the end of her mile-long legs, and would serenade the camera while children wandered casually in and out of view. Sometimes her teenage son would jump in to rescue the baby from a trailing wire, or one of the boys would need a cuddle, and their mother would pull them in close, keeping her other hand on the mic.

It was charming chaos. The music encompassed hits from Sophie’s back catalogue such as ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and ‘Take Me Home’ – or ‘Stay at Home’, as she rechristened it – but also crowd-pleasing covers and theatrical numbers from shows such as Grease. For the audience, it offered uplifting relief from the frightening reality of the time: climbing death rates and isolation. It was comfort music, I say. ‘Exactly,’ she agrees. ‘And disco’s always had that for me anyway. It’s so euphoric and joyful, and it’s complex. In disco you can have the most painful, heartbreaking scenarios, but they’re in among something that makes you want to put your hands in the air and sing along. I think music can allow you the space to feel joy and anxiety at once.’

I am delighted to find that one end of their large kitchen still looks very much as it did, with the disco ball and a half-deflated helium balloon in place over the sofa. She confirms that it’s more or less always like this, perhaps minus the tinsel curtain. Colour and fun are everywhere in the house, from the framed retro artworks filling every wall, to the pinball machine in pride of place. At the other end of the kitchen, a diner-style menu-board for the kids bears the words, ‘Be polite or no service.’

Leaving the children with the nanny, Sophie and I head out to chat on a bench in the park. She’s wearing an embroidered navy dress and a red fluffy cardigan, with red lipstick that has mostly worn off; at 41, she’s truly beautiful, with very pale green eyes. Despite what we’ve seen from her on Instagram, it hasn’t been an easy time. For one thing, there was the fall from her bike in June that left her in hospital with a gory head wound. When I mention it, though, she brushes it off with, ‘I cannot dine out on that any more.’ Then she adds, ‘I mean, I don’t recommend cycling off a towpath – it did hurt.’

‘I knew that this was something that was happening in millions of households. I do worry about all my parents – I say “all” because I’ve got step-parents as well – but I think really it was focused on John, because he’s so vulnerable. It’s such a weird, torturous thing isn’t it for human beings, if you say that hanging out with someone you love is the one thing that might actually endanger them? How can you wrap your head around that?’

She hasn’t been thrilled with the government messaging around the virus. ‘“Stay at home” is clear and concise and all ages get it. “Stay alert”? I hardly ever feel alert. I don’t feel alert now.

And we’ve all shown we’re good at following guidelines that make sense, but you can’t keep bending it for people. Look at the effect when the rules were made flexible.’ She seems to be referring obliquely to the Dominic Cummings/Barnard Castle debacle. ‘We all thought, “Oh well, if we could have been going off and having day trips all this time, why was I staying at home and not seeing my mum, who lives ten minutes away?” I found that really tough.’

The kitchen discos were as much for her and the family as they were for the audience. ‘It was Richard’s idea. One day we were making plans and doing stuff, and the next day it was like, boomph, everything shut down. Suddenly we were just home all the time, all work cancelled, all the festivals… I was supposed to be going to Australia, New Zealand, I had gigs all round Europe. And Richard was, like, “Well, why don’t we do a gig here, and it gives us something to do and a bit of fun?” I think we missed everybody.’

Performing during that time, even via Instagram, gave her a huge sense of connection, she says. ‘I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t had that, and I don’t know how it would have been for our family, because it became really precious.’ She’s now planning a Kitchen Disco Tour next May (there will also be an album, out this October), and hopes it will offer audiences a cathartic experience. ‘I want to provide a place where people can get lost in the moment. I want them to walk out of there and go, “Oh my goodness, I didn’t know how much I needed that.”’

It was no surprise to her boys to see her dressed up and performing; Mickey sleeps in the room where she keeps her fantastic stage wardrobe, and they’ve all been with her to festivals, gigs and recording studios. It was clear from their low-key presence in the kitchen discos (she left it up to them whether they wanted to be there or not) that they’re not fazed by it. ‘The older I’ve got, the more the me at home and the me on stage is the same person anyway,’ she says. Her first solo album came out almost 20 years ago; this one will be her eighth.

She’s also just celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary with Richard. Theirs was a whirlwind romance that stuck: ‘I found out I was having a baby after only about six weeks,’ she says with a smile. ‘We’d known each other for a while – he’d been in my band – but we’d literally just started dating and I hadn’t even really told anybody.’ Sonny was born two months prematurely, thus arriving only eight months after they’d got together.

And they’ve now got him almost to adulthood, I say. ‘Yeah, and he’s lovely; he’s his own person. You know, parenthood is so much more reactive than I ever thought,’ she says. ‘I thought it was all about what you put in. It’s not. I realised it the day I had him: I looked at this tiny baby and I thought, “Oh my goodness, you’re Sonny, and now I’ve got to help you show me who you are and what you need from me.”’

To raise five children while continually working is no mean feat, and she mentions that there were tense moments during lockdown. But she and Richard clearly make a good team. ‘I guess the thing that’s often not celebrated as much in long-term relationships – and I think this goes for family members, friends, all sorts of relationships where there’s love – is that we actually really like each other,’ she says. ‘I really like who Richard is, and I respect him and I like spending time with him.’

She took an extended break after Sonny came along, following a difficult birth. ‘But to be honest, the more babies I’ve had and the older I’ve got, the more confident I’ve become about what I can do around being pregnant and having kids,’ she says. ‘I’ve been better with the last couple at just keeping going with the work either side of it. I have a job where I can basically call the shots a bit. I’m very lucky with that and I totally exploit it. Also I like it if I do a big gig and I’m six months pregnant – I feel quite clever,’ she laughs.

The challenges of this complicated life have inspired Sophie’s new project – the podcast Spinning Plates, on which she chats to other working mums, including Caitlin Moran, Fearne Cotton, the mummy blogger Candice Brathwaite, and her own mother Janet. ‘I’ve got such a brilliant array of women, and honestly it feels like a privilege to sit there for an hour and ask them loads of nosy stuff,’ she says. ‘Obviously the springboard is the idea of the working mother, but actually what really unites us is we’re all women, and there are so many things about being a modern woman… It’s a rich pot of stuff to go through, really.’

She loved having the chance to interview her mum. ‘In my head she’s always been this real trailblazer and very confident. She never seemed to have any guilt with any of her work, and I’m glad, because it gave me a good role model of “It’s OK for me to be selfish enough to have my work and keep it separate if I want to, and do the things I want to do.” I don’t think I would have been confident enough if I hadn’t had a mum like that; I’ve struggled a bit to give myself permission sometimes even with that.’

Another chat, with Yvonne Telford, founder of the fashion brand Kemi Telford, made her realise that at times she’s too self-critical. ‘She said she hates it when she hears women say, “Oh, I’m such an idiot,” and I was, like, “God, I do that all the time.” Even with the podcast, when I first started writing to people I wanted as guests, I’d say, “Don’t worry, I know how it goes – you’re probably too busy to reply.” Then I was, like, what am I doing? I’m saying to them, “Ignore me!”’ She bursts out laughing. It sounds as though making the podcast might be rather empowering. ‘Yes,’ she agrees.

[muddyorbsblr]

soccer aid training day 3 :: 08 june 2024 (batch 3)

I missed some while uploading them because big sick decided to pay me a visit uninvited (0/10 would not recommend) and it fucked w/ my brain.

Anyways we got this photo promoting that podcast interview he did where he talked about roast chicken like it was a goddamn erotica audiobook (Quinn get him for your next big collab WHEN???)

And then we got this that has many a whore (affectionate) identifying as a Huel water bottle:

Yeah no I'm very not alright after seeing this the thots are thotting send a stretcher whore down whore down--

@lokisgoodgirl @lokischambermaid @michelleleewise @mochie85 @fictive-sl0th @xorpsbane @ladyofthestayingpower @maple-seed @loopsisloops @joyful-enchantress @acidcasualties @liminalpebble @alexakeyloveloki @dangertoozmanykids101 @mischief2sarawr @simplyholl @vbecker10 @holdmytesseract @smolvenger @lokiprompts @give-me-a-moose @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @holymultiplefandomsbatman @wheredafandomat @caffiend-queen @km-ffluv @kikster606 @itsybitchylittlewitchy @littlelokilad @glitchquake @gigglingtiggerv2 @november-rayne @viv-annelore @five-miles-over @gruftiela @coldnique @smirkingkitten @raqnarokr @jaidenhawke @mrs-illyrian-baby @tallseaweed @chantsdemarins @cabingrlandrandomcrap @jiyascepter @cl-0-vr ++

[arielleyoga-blog1]

Do Less

http://www.bu.edu/quantum/zen/readings/keepingQuietNeruda.html

I have been reading KEEPING QUIET by Pablo Neruda in some of my classes lately. It was read on an episode of ON BEING with Krista Tippet, and I immediately had to pause the podcast so that when I parked I could look up the poem and read it. Every time I read this poem, different parts of it come to life for me. That’s what’s so wonderful about writing: you, the reader, get to take what works for you and leave the rest. 

Currently, the second to last paragraph is the one that is speaking volumes to me time and time again.

I have been working in some form of care-providing field for over two decades now. I started in elementary school as a mother’s helper, which moved into babysitting and eventually being a nanny for 8 years. During all of that I also have been a manager, an assistant, a bill payer, a book keeper, a dog walker, a pet sitter, an actress, worked in customer service, worked as a bartender…and for the last 5 years I have spent everyday holding space for others as a yoga instructor.

Part of my insane work ethic and juggling of multiple jobs at once has been out of necessity: rent/bills/student debt...the usual. But I must admit that there is this other part of me that has this overwhelming fear that if I don’t work the world will come crashing down around me and I will die.

Sounds dramatic. And it’s yet, it’s my truth. 

All I do is talk with clients and students about self care, about how important it is to make time for themselves, to rest, to go to yoga, to put themselves first. And as I sit there watching them flow, I think to myself “How lucky they are to be able to take a yoga class...I wish I could take a yoga class.” Because my truth is that I put them, I put my job, I put income before myself. 

Living this way for over a decade, has for sure caused various burn outs: emotional breakdowns, physical breakdowns, all the typical signs of somebody that needs to take care of themselves. Body pain, depression, migraines, panic attacks...you know, the stuff most of us live with pretty regularly. And even with those experiences, even with the knowledge of the importance of self care,  I've always kept going because my worth, to myself, has been SO intrinsically tied up to how much I do in a day. 

We live in a culture that glorifies the grind, that encourages hustling, that celebrates the fact that we are all doing too many things at once, not so slowly destroying ourselves and the world around us at the same time.

And I’ve had enough.

I don’t want to wake up exhausted every day, I don’t want to live in a world where people feel like they need an IV drip of coffee all day, I don’t want to be a mom that shoves a phone in her kids face or has a phone in her face when her child is asking for attention because I’m too burnt out to even care for the one who needs me most, I don’t want to be a wife that is too tired to connect to her husband, I don't want to wake up in my 60s and feel like my whole life was a blur. I found myself on Sunday nights wondering what happened (not just about GOT, but like in general), and gritting my teeth to get to Saturday again.

That’s no way to live. 

And that is what this poem is speaking to me: TO DO LESS. That life is not about how much you do, but it’s about HOW YOU LIVE! 

To take my dog on a long walk without my phone. To read a book on the couch, until my eyes get heavy and I take a spontaneous cat nap. To start blogging!  To do yoga! OMG TO DO YOGA! You guys: I’m an instructor and for the first time in TWO YEARS I just took TWO yoga classes in ONE week! I am so busy training people and driving around LA that I don’t even have a personal practice. And that’s embarrassing.

When I decided to start this blog I asked for post ideas: and one that brought up a lot of shame for me was: “How you find time for your practice in your day.”

Well, I don’t.

Or rather, I didn’t. But this week three clients are out of town, and I’ve been reading that poem over and over. 

That poem came to me last week after I started actively asking the universe to allow me to do less.

I have found that when I truly need or want something and I am too afraid to make the first move, eventually, the universe gives me a little shove. A few weeks ago, a morning class of mine got moved. And with that one move, I took a few steps that were difficult and scary for me because they required me to put myself first and to vocalize it: to my husband, to my mom, and to a client. 

But now... two days a week I can sleep past 5:30am!!! One day a week, I do not drive the over 20 miles one way into LA at all! 

I am doing less...and that is allowing me to do more!

But not more for the sake of doing more. But, because I prioritized myself, I have more energy. More energy to cook, to get stuff done around the house, to be efficient, present, and joyful.  I get to BE more, and learn and explore what that brings up for me. Which, at times, is a lot: I absolutely have to talk myself off a ledge sometimes when I don’t have a completely full calendar for the day. I’ll sit there and think what I can schedule in. And then, I stop myself. DO LESS! These two days a week I am not up at 5:30am: I’m only two weeks into it, and so it’s going to take me some time to embrace the space! But I’m trying!

Living life is about BEING yourself, and loving yourself, and living a life that feels good. Not a life that flies by that you were too busy hustling to enjoy and appreciate. 

America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet we have the HIGHEST rate of unhappiness. Yoga has also BLOWN up in the Western world over the last decade in ways that I won’t even begin to bore you with. But it’s exploding. And do you know why? Because whether you’re taking a yoga sculpt class, a kundalini class, yoga and spin, restorative yoga, yoga with wine, yoga in a sauna...YOGA IS WHEN YOU GET TO JUST BE. You’re not on your phone, you’re not working, you’re not talking...YOU ARE JUST BEING YOU. You’re listening to your body, you’re honoring yourself, you’re breathing consciously. AND THAT FEELS GOOD. 

IT FEELS GOOD TO JUST BE. 

In a country where we are inundated with success being linked to an image of extreme material possessions, where we work without boundaries because our cellphones have brought our bosses into our bedroom, where we are being fed food that’s fast and inflames our organs so much that we walk with aches in a fog so thick we can’t even make eye contact with the person in front of us yoga is spreading. Yoga is spreading because that image of success we are force-fed on plastic spoons that destroy our planet covered in GMO’s, is giving us the ability to breathe over the noise. To see through the fog. To redefine our idea of success.

Success is not about having, it’s not about doing. It’s about being. 

So I’m going to take the towels out of the laundry, walk Dusty (my really cute pug), and do a little less before my evening classes.

I would love to know what you don’t have time for that you wish you did have time for, and why. 

Sometimes, when we can write out what we want and what’s stopping us: it’s easier to see that it’s really US standing in our own way of feeling good. 

Say it with me: My worth is not dependent on how much I do, how much I make, if I have initials after my name. My worth was given to me the moment I was born. I deserve to feel good and to live a life that feels good. 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH. 

[joyful-miles]

Podcast Episode 95: Our Favorites Part Two

What's your favorite running gear, memories, costumes, and races? We chat about more of ours in today's episode! #running #runningpodcast #runchat

Since there’s so much to love about running and fitness, we’re following up our Ep. 85 Valentines show with another round of favorites! What’s yours? If you’d like, pop on over to the Joyful Miles Running Club Facebook group and share there! 

Also, we are going on hiatus for the rest of July and August. But we’ll be back on September 6th with a brand-new show and much to talk about! Until…

[runguytampa]

JMJ. RSD 2,344. 3.68 miles with negative splits in the humid afternoon of the Good Neighbor Trail. Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in Praise and Thanksgiving for prayers answered. Bible in a Year podcast day 297. Coming to the end of First Maccabees. Simon and his brothers are awesome! Thank God for the gift of this day. A.M.D.G. (at Croom Wildlife Management Area) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVYx9XDLoBL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[toughgirlchallenges]

Shilpa Rasaiah - Paddle boarding on a SUP board from London to Nottinghamshire, 165 miles (and 144 locks) along the Grand Union Canal.

Shilpa in her own words:

  “I'm a British Indian gal who is about to hit 60 and feel that I am really only just starting to explore the wonderful joy of outdoor adventures. 

  I am happiest when I'm on the water on my paddle board, or cycling along a canal, or walking in the beautiful English countryside, or body boarding in Cornwall. 

  I leaned to swim in my late 40’s and this just opened up a whole new world of paddle sports. 

  My biggest personal adventure was this summer (2022) when I paddle boarded on a SUP board from London to Nottinghamshire, some 165 miles (and 144 locks) along the vertical length of the amazing Grand Union Canal. 

  This was such a joyful journey and revealed so much about myself that I had not been aware of - particularly how much I love to meet new people and how caring and kind strangers are. 

  Since then I have been exploring SUP journeys where I carry my camping kit on my SUP board and I absolutely love doing this. 

  I am extremely grateful to British Canoeing who accepted me as a #ShePaddles Ambassador and this really helped me to go out of my comfort zone and explore new adventures.”

  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out. 

  To support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Sign up as a Patron -  www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Thank you. 

    Show Notes

Who is Shilpa

More about her friends and family

What Shilpa was like as a little girl

Growing up in Africa until 8 years old

Moving to the UK and the culture shock

Finding a different type of entertainment

Not having dreams or aspirations as a young girl

Leaving school to study economics and accounting at University 

Retraining as a town planner

Getting back into the outdoors and sports

Meeting up with friends to go for walks in the local area

Setting up a local walking group which has been going for over 20 years

Building up her walking gear and kit

Learning to swim in her late 40s

Not having the opportunities when she was younger

Learning how to cycle 

Going to adult only swimming classes to get coaching

Doing wild swimming for the first time 

Getting into kayaking and water sports

Her first experience on a paddle board

Why she prefers paddle boarding

Her adventure in Summer 2022

Becoming a British Canoeing #ShePaddles Ambassador 

Wanting to encourage more women to try water sports

Deciding to do a long distance trip on the Grand Union Canal 

Knowing it was the right time to do the challenge

Being honest with herself of what she could and couldn’t do 

Doing it at her pace 

The planning and preparation for the journey 

Researching the route and figuring out distances and accommodation

The Pirate Castle - boating and outdoor activities charity on the Regent's Canal in the heart of Camden Town, London 

Struggling with her back and recovering from injury

Being helped and supported along the way

The kindness of strangers and when strangers become friends 

Joining a gym and working out with a personal trainer

Focusing on getting strong

Dealing with injury

Cupping 

Reflecting back on the journey 

Feeling more confident

Plans for 2023

Learning new skills and becoming qualified as a coach

Becoming a She Paddles Club

How to connect with Shilpa

Final words of advice - “you'll never know if you love it or not until you try it”

  Social Media

  Website https://sbcpaddlers.wordpress.com 

  Instagram @sup.loving.shilpa 

  Check out this episode!

[athike2015]

5 Aug 2015

Welcome to my reliving of my 2015 AT hike.  I have decided to share my trip as a day by day memory.  Each day I will share my personal journal (what I captured while hiking the trail), my comments (thoughts about the journal/trail from present day), and pictures from the day of the hike.

Mile hiked (day / trip) - 21.5 / 443.6

Staying - Kent CT

Journal

First night of a down day.  It feels good knowing I don’t need to hike tomorrow (Do I ever NEED to hike).  Looking forward to fresh fruit and vegetables.

Met a guy on the Ned Anderson Memorial Bridge (Miles 1458.5 Awol).  Wanted to know my pack weight.  He wanted to reduce the weight from his current pack.  After a while of talking trail, he was here to let his dog swim, the trail up ahead had great views (walked on a gravel road for ~1/4 mile before summiting multiple viewless balds), he offered me a beer.  Beer is so good on the trail - cold, refreshing, full of calories.  I said no. NO.  B/c I wanted to get to Kent and I wasn’t sure what the beer would do to my hiking speed.  What have I become that I turn down beer for trail miles.  Why?  Did I think hiking w/one beer was going to cause me to crash and burn?  Was it the time needed to drink the beer?  I don’t know.

Remember to enjoy the journey.  Listen to the trees, hear the birds, watch the squirrels, enjoy the views, and drink the beer.

Comments

I apologize.  I am keeping the journal portion as written.  The portion from today is a little difficult to follow, but I kept it as written.

I think today forced me to rethink what was important to me.  Goals are great and useful.  All consuming goals can create problems by sucking the joy out of life.  I was (almost solely) focused on hiking the AT.  Other things were distractions that I didn’t need - the mans gift of beer being a distraction.  After today, I tried to balance joy and goals (with one notable issue).  I was hoping to find a place where both are possible.  I think I did and still do to the day.

I should have taken the beer and enjoyed it.  I was focused on a goal - finishing the AT, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy myself.  After this revelation, I tried to enjoyed the trails gifts, human or nature.  I purposely hiked the without music/podcasts, so I could hear nature.  I stopped at most viewpoints (sometimes distance / elevation gain deterred me).  I looked at the stars and was amazed by the clarity of the Milky Way.  I thanked every person that gave me a hitch.  I enjoy conversations with other hikers.  I was open to staying at a random shelter because it was supposed to have a great view.  Those experiences are what makes hiking the AT an amazing and joyful experience.

Pictures

Largest tree on the AT

Train station that went to New York city

Another state complete

One of the not viewless balds