#like. i had never been happier with my energy levels and physical state. a super light and manageable routine was all it took

[giddlygoat]

i haven’t planked in months and i was worried that i would fall over within seconds so i used the lazytown theme song of all things to time myself. i planked for over a minute straight! maybe not much but i’m proud of it since my personal best is like 2 minutes. then i did 5 pushups and 10 sit-ups [my old daily routine] and was just as pleasantly surprised to see it wasn’t that bad! call me autistic but the lazytown binging is working on me. this is for you, sportacus 🫡

[johnny-and-dora]

holding back the flood

“Oh god. Their baby is the size of a cherry. She’s tearing up again.”

or, the one where jake and rosa take care of a extremely stressed, highly emotional and mildly pregnant amy. (future fic) read on ao3

-

Amy really doesn’t know why she’s crying.

As a Santiago, she prides herself on having at least a reasonable amount of self control when it comes to emotional displays in the workplace; she was taught long ago that they were highly inappropriate, after all, and she takes great pride in being a teacher’s pet/star mentee.

Disregarding Holt’s advice (which isn’t something she often does), one of the thousands of things she’s learnt since she became a sergeant is that it’s optimum for everyone’s productivity – and overall physical wellbeing – if she can keep stress braids, Santiago-scale freak outs and full-on weeping to a minimum at work.

(No-one needs to mention the Great Printer Catastrophe again – and absolutely  no-one needs to mention that she’s permanently banned from being anywhere near the machine if it’s ever low on ink.)

Badly timed, apocalypse-inducing paper jams aside; Amy is a strong, emotionally resilient, rational woman. She rolls her eyes and smiles at Jake when he cries at films, she flawlessly multitasks with letting her anxiety get the best of her, and she tries her best to remain professional at all times (ignoring the extremely few instances in which her husband has tempted her into Supply Closet C). She cries when she wants to, when she needs to, but as a rule, she absolutely holds it together at the precinct, especially in front of her officers.

At least, that’s what she’s been firmly trying to tell herself for the past few days, because her usually reliable ability to “hold it together” currently seems about as unstable as her current hormone levels.

Since she got into work this morning, she’s cried four times already – once because they were out of granola, once because Charles’s lunch smelled at least ten million times worse and at least ten times more eye-watering than usual. Once, most unceremoniously, in a toilet stall on her break because her head wrecks and she’s so nauseous she can barely enjoy filling in paperwork anymore, and once because she suddenly remembered the sonogram picture, grainy and monochrome and forever universe-changing, that currently takes pride of place in their kitchen, stuck lovingly with an old I LOVE NY magnet to their fridge.

Notably - and most likely the shining, golden solve for why she might be spending 3pm on a Thursday afternoon sobbing her little heart out in the evidence lock up, riding out her own little hormone rollercoaster - Amy is nine weeks pregnant.

(Now is not the time, but something in her lights up every time she actually dares to think the actual word “pregnant” into existence; she fondly remembers snapshots of the past two months, the swell of joy in her heart at those two life-altering little lines, another test passed with flying colours. The look on Jake’s face when she told him, the way he’s been doing everything he can to take care of her. The time he came home with a little pair of baby sneakers that he “couldn’t resist” and she kissed him after lecturing him about how now wasn’t the time for frivolous purchases and they needed to be balancing their finances.)

(In short, they’re having a baby - and it’s terrifying and exhilarating and extremely, extremely nauseating, and she’s never been happier in her life.)

(And yet, she still can’t quite seem to stop crying.)

The emotional carnival ride of growing a human aside, she really doesn’t want to have an emotional break-down here, of all places, the one place in the precinct that’s meant to keep her steady. Quite frankly, Amy does not have the time to spare for these gross, irritating emotions right now. There is no time reserved in her tightly packed schedule for emotions of any kind, let alone multiple confusing and upsetting ones all at once.

She can’t even really note anything currently worth crying over. It’s just a simple detailed and meticulously planned patrol schedule due by the end of her shift that’s proving slightly harder to organise than first anticipated. Easy. Not a problem that she hasn’t solved a thousand times before.

Of course, that’s also on top of the thirty slide presentation about increasing productivity and efficiency within the precinct she has to give tomorrow that she’s barely had the time or energy to actually prepare for. And the in-depth evaluations she has to hand in of her entire squad by Monday.

And the fact that she’s already behind on the research for her pregnancy binder, and she still hasn’t revised their monthly budgets - because once she finally gets home she’s too exhausted to do anything other than sleepily curl up on the couch next to her husband, using Jake as her personal space heater while he strokes her hair and tells her about his day. She’s even too tired to yell at the TV during Jeopardy.

It’s nothing. At least, it’s nothing she would usually be worried about, tasks to complete that she would normally even be a little excited to feel the adrenaline rush of finishing early and getting some sweet spare time to revise her eighteen step plan to increase arrest numbers by 30% by December. Santiago-style.

And yet, to pregnant Amy, what usually constitutes as ‘nothing’ seems to currently signal the end of days - and so, here she appears to be.

Hormones raging, freshly applied mascara once again ruined, eyes red and puffy, breathing irregular, neon sign brightly flashing with the words “hot mess” directly above her head. She’s hiding, not exactly inconspicuously,  between the endlessly neat rows of closed cases, knees hugged as close to her chest as possible while taking tremendous care not to squish the ever-so-slight, barely noticeable bump that remains breath-taking proof that she’s growing an actual, real-life, cherry sized (as Jake cheerfully informed her this morning over breakfast) human being inside of her.

Oh God. Their baby is now the size of a cherry. She’s tearing up again.

She decides after a while, with the shred of rationality Amy seems to have left, that she is currently a hot mess that only one person is fully equipped to deal with. She reaches for her phone, sniffling, trying her best keep her breathing steady, anxiously fiddling with the shining silver wedding band on her ring finger.

She’s about to text a “Code Blue, Evidence Lockup” to Jake (who she thought she couldn’t love more up until about three weeks ago, when he woke her up at 3am with a meticulously crafted colour-based code system they could use to covertly deal with pregnancy situations - it made her both very emotional and super horny) – but she feels a flash of panic when it’s not in its usual place tucked safely in her back pocket. Her heart quickly sinks when she realises it must be still in the top drawer of her desk.

She lets out another stifled sob of dread and embarrassment and frustration and practically every range of negative emotion under the sun - which is, obviously, exactly when she hears the door to the evidence lock-up swing open.

A spark of fear immediately ignites in her chest as her heart starts racing – not now. She instinctively squeezes her eyes shut, hoping desperately that if she makes herself as small as physically possible, even in her current state, she’ll be able to completely disappear.

The Nine-Nine have seen her in a much worse state, sure. She’s more sure than anything that her chosen family would be able to make her feel better in practically any kind of situation. And yet, pretty much her worst, world-ending, blood-pumping fear right now is anyone – except Jake, seeing as this is the job he kind of signed up for when he married her - having to deal with her like this.

As weighted footsteps inch agonisingly closer, her heart plummets even further at the absence of the familiar sound of well worn sneakers – instead, she hears the equally familiar yet less comforting click-clack of black high-heeled boots on the cold concrete floor. She prepares for the worst.

The next thing she hears, deep yet uncharacteristically quiet and almost with a note of panic, is an unusually soft “Amy?” – when she finally opens her eyes, Rosa swims into view, eyes so comically wide that she can’t help but exhale a shaky, weak laugh. This is going to be fun.

“Heyyyyyyyy, Rosa.” She gives a little half-hearted wave despite herself, deciding to fully embrace the slightly hilarious and extremely mortifying situation.

(It could be worse. At least it’s less mortifying then being walked in on when making out with your boyfriend of one day, resulting in the heart attack and subsequent death of your new captain. Jake and Amy hold a lot of precinct records between them – the award for “highest amount of captains accidentally killed” is probably the one she’s least proud of.)

“Um, hey. Are you...”

“Chill? I’m chilled. I’m to-tal-ly chill. Chilled.”

If possible, Rosa’s eyes get wider.

“Do you possibly happen to know where my husband is, by any chance?” She laughs nervously with this sort of manic grin plastered on her face, putting all her energy into seeming like a normal human being. She’s failing miserably.

Rosa raises an eyebrow, but thankfully decides to indulge her.

“...He’s working on Charles’s B&E, some lame cheese shop downtown that Charles is too devastated about to get any actual police work done. They left like twenty minutes ago.” Amy exhales, trying not to let her face fall too hard.

“Right. Chill. Do you mind if I text him? I left my phone downstairs and I can’t exactly go down looking like...this.” She’s barely finished her sentence before Rosa is handing her phone to her, and she takes it gratefully.

She quickly finds Jake’s contact and involuntarily feels her lips tug up into a small smile at the incredibly unflattering dorky candid - from easily a decade ago, maybe even the Academy - that is his contact picture.

(Some things never change. She’s very glad his hair has.)

To: Jake Peralta, 15:06 Hey babe, it’s Amy. Code Blue, Evidence Lockup. I know you’re with Charles so don’t drop everything and immediately rush back here, just come when you can. Using Rosa’s phone because I left mine downstairs. Love you x

The painstaking minute and a half she takes to type out and send it to him – all while her hands are shaking from the incessant and deafening panic alarm sounding in her ribcage - are made even worse by the intense burning sensation of Rosa’s direct gaze on her the entire time. Hold it together, Amy.

“Thank you.” She hands Rosa her phone back, wishing more than ever that if she concentrated hard enough she could just disappear from sight completely. An awkward silence descends over them both, bringing with it an inevitable thickness in the air not unlike the first warnings of a thunderstorm. It’s unbearable.

It’s not like they’re not close enough to talk about exactly why Amy is sobbing hysterically in the evidence lock-up at 3pm on a Thursday – far from it, in fact. Ever since Florida, Rosa has become more and more of a valued and surprisingly skilled confidante, even if most of her solutions to Amy’s problems are tequila and Nancy Meyers films. (It, somehow, always seems to work.)

If anything, Amy is desperate to tell one of her closest and best friends all about how nauseous she is and how stressed out she feels and how, by the way, she’s casually just in the early stages of growing a human inside of her and she feels even more panicked than usual and what if she can never get the balance of being a mother and focusing on her career right and-

But she can’t. Because they can’t tell anyone, no matter how much Amy yearns to share this joy with the people she cares about the most, and how much Jake wants to gleefully yell that he knocked his wife up at virtually everyone they pass on the street. They’re just not ready – in truth, she isn’t ready for it to be official, real and an unavoidable, gargantuan force of change.

Thinking the word ‘pregnant’ into existence is enough to cause a hurricane of raw emotion – but it’s a light breeze compared to actually saying out loud.

And yet, they both known Rosa won’t leave until she gets some sort of answer out of her. They’re at an impasse – an uncomfortable, awkward, silent impasse.

Rosa’s gaze is scrutinising and calculating and Amy genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if lasers started shooting from her eyes at any second – it’s something of a old western movie stand-off parody, except they’re waiting out who’s going to suck it up and actually start the conversation they should probably be having right about now, no matter how uncomfortable both of them might be.

After an excruciating eternity of roughly ten seconds, the other curly-haired and always slightly terrifying detective eventually sighs and resignedly slides down on the floor next to her, discarding whatever file she had to the side. Her expression (as usual), is unreadable as she clears her throat.

“So - are you going to tell me what’s causing...this...” - Rosa makes an awkward sweeping gesture in her direction, which she assumes can only be in reference to the whole aforementioned “hot mess” state that she’s currently wallowing in – “or am I going to have to interrogate it out of you?”

“Rosa, honestly. I’m fine.”

“You and I have a very different definition of what ‘fine’ is, Santiago.” Amy just shrugs, so Rosa folds her arms and extends her legs across the floor like she’s prepared to be here all night, in true Diaz interrogation style. Amy’s thinking about laser eyes again before her friend’s expression unexpectedly softens.

“Do...you want to...talk about it?”

“I don’t know.” It’s an honest answer, to her credit. Despite everything they’ve been through, seeing Rosa try to talk about feelings can still be a little like imagining a turtle out its shell, and Amy’s really not prepared to honestly talk about her physical and emotional state right now.

She just wants her husband to bring her some chocolate and give her a slightly inappropriate-for-work and yet badly needed neck massage, and Rosa is not someone she’d willingly go to for either of those things.

She sighs again, averting her gaze from Amy’s face to seemingly anywhere in the room before she starts talking again.

“Look dude, talking about your feelings is gross. If you don’t want to talk about it and you just want to sit here and cry it all out, I get it. I’ll stay here as long as you need, then go file my arson case and pretend I didn’t see anything. But...I’m here for you. Even if your feelings are the grossest or lamest, if you wanna talk, I’ll listen. Okay?” She finally brings herself to look at Amy directly, dark irises electric with the most intense sincerity she’s ever seen.

Okay, yeah. She’s definitely going to start crying again.

“Wait, I didn’t mean –“ Rosa begins; but Amy is already hugging her, forcefully and tightly and awkwardly from the side, tears once again free-flowing. She smiles brightly and tenderly at the way Rosa only stiffens up for a second before equally as awkwardly leaning into it, patting Amy reassuringly on the shoulder with her free arm.

They stay like that for a good minute, Amy sniffling and basically doing the exact opposite of holding it together, but also feeling like its okay. Like nothing she can do or say will end the world if she doesn’t let it. It’s a refreshing change of pace.

This, of course, means the second she finally finds the strength to detach herself from her best friend; well, it just kind of comes spilling out.

“I’m pregnant.”

Rosa’s eyes suddenly become comically wide again, and Amy laughs for real this time, bright and shining and clear.

“Seriously?”

“Mmm-hmm. 9 weeks yesterday.”

“Nice.” Rosa smiles, a genuine, rare glowing Rosa smile, giving Amy a light shove of encouragement. When Amy breathes out, it somehow feels like a huge weight has lifted from her shoulders. She grins.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I feel sick all the time, all my clothes are becoming too tight, I can’t drink caffeine or alcohol or shame smoke and I’m so stressed out and emotional that I cry at literally everything – but, y’know.”

“You’re having a baby.” Rosa says with this kind of awe, and Amy gets this warm glow in her chest.

“Yeah.” She smiles. “I’m having a baby.”

“That’s...a lot.”

“Yeah. Everything’s just...a lot, right now.” She sighs heavily, still weighted with something she’s been worried about for the last week or so.

“We haven’t told anyone else yet, but – well, do you think it’s obvious?” She finally plucks up the courage to ask the question that’s been nagging at her mind ever since she started to have a little more trouble fitting in to her sergeant’s uniform, and the other detective pauses thoughtfully for a second to think about it.

“I don’t think so. You’re not...showing, if that’s what you’re so worried about.”

“No, no. We just... we didn’t want to tell everyone until...y’know. We were ready and it was the right time and...” She trails off, making a casual sweeping sort of gesture that somehow encapsulates her worst fears, and Rosa nods.

“I had my suspicions – you haven’t come out with us to Shaw’s in a long time, I haven’t seen you drink caffeine for a month, and you’ve been having even worse reactions to Charles’s disgusting food than usual. You don’t have to be a detective to start threading those symptoms together.”

“Damn. I thought we were doing a pretty good job of keeping it secret.” Amy sighs, folding her arms tightly across her chest, but Rosa just shrugs it off.

“You are. I saw all that but I still wasn’t sure. It just so happens that most of the people you’re trying to keep it secret from are highly trained NYPD detectives.”

Amy exhales a shaky half laugh and smiles, properly and genuinely, at the way her best friend looks at her with this kind of rare and precious softness, the corners of her mouth ever so slightly upturned into a smile.

“Also, I caught Jake on a baby name website last week and he panicked and told me he was brainstorming names for the monitor lizard you guys are thinking of adopting.”

“Oh, my god.”

“Yeah.” Rosa grins and Amy laughs at how wonderfully, amazingly stupid her husband can be, and her heart is actually warmed by the idea of Jake looking up baby names when he’s supposed to be working despite how irresponsible and stupid that is.

Somehow, she already feels better that she has all day, and there’s not a bottle of tequila or a DVD copy of The Holiday in sight. Another successful solve for the Sleuth Sisters (she’s still proud of that name and their corresponding cool-as-heck handshake, okay).

“Is that...why you’re here? You’re worried about everyone knowing?” Rosa asks, a little more tentatively than usual now she understands Amy’s fragile state a little better. She makes a face.

“Maybe. Honestly, I don’t really know why I’m here. It’s just between this stupid patrol schedule and this presentation I have to give tomorrow and my squad evaluations and my pregnancy binder and my actual pregnancy – well, I don’t know if I can handle it, okay?”

“...And that freaks you out because normally it would be something you could do easily.” Rosa nods, understanding, and Amy gives her a weak smile, letting her hands drop and rest naturally, almost protectively on her stomach.

“Amy, you are two months pregnant. There’s no way you can get done what you’d usually be able to get done by yourself, because you’re busy being exhausted from growing another human being inside of you. It’s perfectly normal to not be able to take on your usual superhuman workload, you nerd.” Rosa says, with this familiar exasperated disbelief at Amy’s overworking brain.

“I know, I know. It’s just...frustrating. I’m already struggle to balance family with career and the baby isn’t even here yet. It only just became a foetus, Rosa. A foetus!”

“Okay, okay.” Rosa puts her hands out like she’s trying to steady a horse, clearly fully aware that Amy’s about five seconds away from a Level 3 Santiago Scale Freak Out, Pregnant Edition – something neither of them are fully prepared for.

“I don’t have an answer to the whole baby and career thing, but you don’t have to think about that right now – you need to focus on you.” Amy clearly doesn’t look convinced enough, so Rosa sighs and tries again.

“Tell Holt you’ve been sick recently and you don’t feel ready for the presentation, and he’ll 100% understand, dude. Get Jennings to help you with the patrol schedule seeing as that nerd loves paperwork almost as much as you do, and you know your officers better than another sergeant in New York, so those evaluations will be easy – you could probably motivate them to even do it themselves. Problem solved, you get to go home early and kick your feet up with a non-alcoholic cocktail.” She flawlessly monologues off a game plan with an exceptional ease that leaves Amy in a state of awe.

“Wow. I...erm, yeah. That’s super helpful, actually.” Rosa nods, like it’s nothing that she’s just solved basically the entirety of Amy’s current mental-breakdown-inducing stressors in a matter of seconds, and then softens.

“You’re going to be fine, Amy. Trust me. Once the whole squad knows we’ll be queuing up to help you guys out.” She, of course, knew that already – but it’s nice to hear it out loud, a promise engraved in the unbreakable, indestructible bond of the 99th precinct. She’s definitely less close to tears now, which is always a plus.

She always knew she could count on her parents to help out, of course, and maybe a couple of her brothers when they weren’t busy graduating med school or travelling the world or having kids of their own. But it’s nice to know, to have it spoken, that she’ll always be able to count on her other family, too. That there are so many people who are more than willing to ride her stupid emotional rollercoaster with her, even through the seemingly endless loops.

“Thanks, Rosa.” “Anytime.”

As if on cue, their little bonding moment is abruptly hijacked when Jake comes crashing into the evidence lock-up – chaotic and electric and as hectic as she’s come to expect in the many, many years she’s spent slowly falling more and more in love with him, his eyes slightly wild , extremely out of breath. Amy’s heart rate spikes again as she realises with a jumble of adoration, frustration and amusement that he ran all the way here just to take care of her.

Not for the first time, amazingly not even for the first time this week, she quickly realises that she really couldn’t have found a better person to share the rest of her life with. She whispers a silent thank you to the universe.

“Ames! I’m so sorry it took me so long” – he pauses to take another breath – “I had to run from that stupid cheese shop, and I know you said not to drop everything and immediately rush back here, so I obviously dropped everything and immediately rushed back here, ‘cause I knew that you were just downplaying it and if it’s a Code Blue that’s important and-“

It seems to be only then that he notices Rosa watching them both, who gives him a subtle nod, unable to completely keep the smile from her face. Frozen, his eyes flick repeatedly and chaotically from Rosa’s to hers, as if he’s trying to telepathically figure out whether he can talk about the baby or not.

He looks like a cartoon character and/or absolute, complete utter idiot, and Amy laughs melodically, deciding to put him out of his misery.

“Jake, it’s okay – she knows.”

“...About the monitor lizard we’re planning to adopt?” He says slowly, and Amy and Rosa both roll their eyes simultaneously; neither of them bothering to poorly conceal their smiles anymore.  

In lieu of an answer, Rosa gets up from the floor and punches Jake in the shoulder, smiling wider than Amy thinks she’s ever seen her smile (except maybe when Alicia is around). It’s extremely heart-warming and only slightly unnerving – she doesn’t think she’s ever recorded so many genuine Rosa smiles in one day - except maybe on her and Jake’s wedding night, or when she oh-so casually mentioned over lunch a few months ago that she and Alicia were moving in together.

It’s different and unexpected and unusual in the best way possible – sharing this joy, especially with someone she cares about so much. Suddenly, she starts to understand why Jake wants so badly to yell it out into the street.

“Dude. I know. And for the record, I think you’re going to be a great...monitor lizard keeper.” Amy smiles as she sees the tension practically seep out of Jake’s frame and he relaxes a little, grins at Rosa, bright as the sun. She loves him so much.

“You really think?”

“I know. You two are going to kick ass at this. A thousand push ups.”  Rosa practically radiates sincerity as she places a hand on Jake’s shoulder. She doesn’t have to be a detective to know that she’s not the only one in the room who’s definitely on the verge of tearing up again. Jake, if possible, smiles even wider.

It’s all very disgustingly heart-warming and Amy thinks if it carries on much longer there’s a high chance that Hysterical Cry #6 could happen at any minute.

“Thanks, Diaz. We’re hugging now.” “No, we’re not.”

“Yes we are, c’mon, we’re having a moment.” Before she can object further, he hugs her tightly and Rosa hugs back - without hesitation or apprehension or any of it, just warmth. Amy takes the opportunity to wipe fresh tears away.

“Ames, you wanna get in on this?” Jake says after a minute, and she shakes her head.

“Nah, I’ve already had my one allocated Rosa hug today.”

“Just get in here, Santiago.” Rosa grumbles, slightly muffled, and Amy more than happily obliges, carefully lifting herself up and gladly sandwiching herself between two of her favourite people in the entire world.

Somehow, she can’t seem to remember what she was crying about.

“God, you guys’ lameness is infectious.” Rosa says after they break apart, quickly wiping her face with her sleeve like if she does it fast enough they won’t see. It doesn’t work.

“I’ve got to get out of here.” “...Haven’t you actually got an arson case to file?” Amy says, concerned, but she just shrugs it off.

“It can wait. You gonna be okay?” Rosa asks, and Amy pauses for a second, still hyperaware of the anxiety pushing down at the bottom of her stomach like lead and making her slightly dizzy. But then Jake squeezes her hand gently, anchoring her back down to reality, and she smiles.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

“Good. If you need anything, ask, dummy.  I’m not massaging you, though. That’s Peralta’s job.” She adds as an afterthought, which makes Amy laugh.

“Ah, a job I do with zero experience, very little skill and far too much confidence. The Peralta speciality.” Rosa rolls her eyes and casually strides out of the evidence lock-up like she hasn’t just been given the life-changing news that the Peralta-Santiagos are expecting - like she hasn’t just spent the last fifteen minutes flawlessly consoling a highly emotional and mildly pregnant weeping police sergeant like it was nothing. Amy has really no idea what she would do without her.

She watches her go with a sense of awe and peace and finally, sweet contentment - before turning to Jake, who smiles that soft smile that’s guaranteed to melt her like butter even when she’s not crazy hormonal and super horny. He squeezes her hand again, another secret coded language they’ve been speaking for almost a decade with remarkable ease.

“You sure you’re okay? I can go get chocolate if you need it, I know where Scully keeps his secret stash.”

“Mmm. I’m okay. Better now you’re here.” She says, wholeheartedly meaning it, and he carefully, tenderly hugs her, placing a chaste, appropriate-for-work kiss on the top of her head in a way that makes her think this is it. They’re having a baby. Amy wants to yell it out to passing strangers in the street.

“We’re having a baby.” She opts for the more practical decision of whispering it gently with this sort of quiet, glowing glee - he matches it in the way he looks at her, in all her red-eyed, mascara ruined glory, like she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

“Hell yeah, we are.” He whispers back, grinning ecstatically, and her heart is New York lit up in Christmas lights.

She’s still a little stressed beyond belief about that patrol schedule, and the inevitably anxiety inducing email she has to send to Holt about putting off the presentation for a couple of days. She’s still behind on the pregnancy binder, and their monthly budgets, and every day the cherry sized piece of her heart that’s growing ever bigger in her stomach provides a whole new set of challenges she’d rather openly weep about that actually get on with overcoming.

But she has a dork of a husband who will willingly drop everything and sprint 20 blocks just to take care of her, and a terrifying best friend who can solve her greatest problems and quiet her worst fears without a bottle of tequila in sight. She has a family, one that is always growing bigger and bigger – a totally bizarre, mismatched, unique and strange family, but one that she grows more grateful for every single day.

So when Jake hurriedly whispers a “love you” and kisses her softly before running back to tell Charles that the owner definitely broke into his own shop for the insurance money, and when Amy finally returns to her desk, smile on her face, to find Gary eagerly waiting to help her figure out the patrol schedule as Rosa so wisely predicted, she is no longer crying – she’s still nauseous and exhausted, sure, but happy, so deliriously happy, and so deliriously excited to finally embrace hurricane of change.

She opens up her phone’s calendar, where she quickly types “Announcement Day!” into the slot six days away, before sitting back in her chair, deciding what episodes of Serve and Protect they’re going to watch tonight, glowing smile on her face.

Then,  and only then, Amy just grips the bar in the carriage of her own little emotional rollercoaster before it can start up again – and she holds on tight, waiting patiently to enjoy the ride.

[vestedbeauty]

No Midlife Crisis Here - Christie's Secret

New Post has been published on https://vestedbeauty.com/midlife-crisis/

No Midlife Crisis Here - Christie's Secret

How One Woman Averted a Midlife Crisis by Learning to Put Herself on the List, Too

She had boundless energy and this super-contagious smile. She was smart, always looked cute, and was kind to everyone she met. Oh, and she was on the pom-pom squad and looked so adorable that I kind of wanted to hate her.

Let me clarify. When I met Christie, we were in high school. We’d both moved to Aurora, Colorado within the past couple of years. I had no idea the move was a major shock to her. (She’d moved from Hawaii. The massive snow dumps were the least of the changes she had to adjust to in her new home.) All I saw was this perfect and popular girl. (I was, um… not.)

We reconnected recently, and I’ve got to tell you… She’s even more beautiful now. It’s not because of her beauty, friendliness, and infectious energy – although five minutes of talking with her confirmed those traits are all absolutely intact more than 30 years later. 

Now, there’s a whole new layer of beauty. They say our beauty in youth is a lucky draw from the gene pool. But our beauty as we age is due to the choices we make and the person we decide to become. 

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Christie Kaleo Mattson. She learned one of the most important secrets for creating a fulfilling, fun life at any age.

You Want a Midlife Crisis? Because That’s a Great Way to Get One

Christie’s always been a giver. She cares for others 24/7. 

She runs the daily operations for a business caring for seniors. Her employees love working with her to care for seniors in their homes. She’s designed her business to provide maximum freedom for her team. Some go to yoga, taking shifts that work around what feeds their souls. Christie honors their commitment to self-care.

Christie’s mom lives with her. For many families, intergenerational living is the norm. But for many of us, the idea of combining generations under one roof seems like too daunting a challenge to even attempt. While there have been adjustments and challenges in this arrangement, she’s really glad to have these bonus years with her mom so near. 

Christie is also part of the Sandwich Generation, caring for her mom while also raising a teenage son. Her husband’s work often takes him away on outdoor adventures, so she mostly handles everything on the homefront herself. 

Oh, and she’s started another business with her best friend, LuckyTwo Boutique. Together, they sell handmade jewelry and refashioned wearable art. 

If you’re exhausted already, you’re paying attention.

We Often Give Until It Hurts

There’s something inside many of us that drives us to take care of everyone who crosses our path. We’ll bake those cupcakes for our child’s school, play chauffeur to take a loved one to an appointment, then work late into the night to make up for the time we take to help others. 

Our list of responsibilities and to-do’s can grow so long we can’t see the end of it.

But it’s too easy to leave one important priority off of that endless list: ourselves.

You’ve probably known women who devote all their time to caring for others until they reach the point they’re running on fumes. You might even be one of those women facing burnout.

Psychology Today says that burnout is a state of chronic stress that leads to:

Physical and emotional exhaustion

Cynicism and detachment

Feelings of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment

For a woman who’s spent her entire life showing boundless energy, friendliness, and a drive to achieve, it’s like burnout strips them of their essence. They no longer recognize themselves in the mirror, and they grow to hate how they show up in the world.

When Christie’s tank began running empty, she knew she needed to replenish her reserves, and fast. There was too much at stake to just keep running, running, running without putting herself on her list of priorities.

Self-Care for the Midlife Woman

Christie’s made some small and big changes in her life – changes that elevated her levels of happiness in dramatic ways. Actually, what caught my attention and nudged me to interview her for Vested Beauty was this post on Facebook:

I’ll Have What She’s Having

You can see why I had to talk with her, right?

Here’s what I discovered during our conversation about how Christie was learning to take care of herself first rather than… never.

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Feeding Her Creative Soul

Christie says, “It’s important to embrace whatever your passion is. My passion, since I was a child, is being creative. I lost it along the way, getting married… doing the house thing… having a family…. always working full-time-plus hours. I’ve brought art and creativity back into my life and truly love what it does for my attitude and well being. My mind is filled with creations and designs that I try to find time to make a reality. In due time. I can get lost in creating. I’m now painting and refashioning one of a kind apparel and selling it online!” 

Self-Care for the Body

Christie had been dealing with hip and joint pain. Maybe you know the feeling, too? You go to roll out of bed and need to take a moment because it just hurts. Her best friend was dealing with it, too – tingling and numb hands and the start of some mobility issues. Together, they started taking a liquid collagen product to try to regain their joint health. Within just weeks, Christie found she was able to get out of bed without hip pain. Her skin, hair, and nails also improved – even after years of dying had left her hair brittle. (She’s not ready to go gray yet. Her son is 16 and says he doesn’t want her to look like his grandmother!)

Owning Herself

Christie says she’s a work in progress (aren’t we all!). “There will always be something to learn and improve to help reach complete fulfillment… is that possible? =)” 

One piece of that work is learning to make her voice heard. She says, “I’ve put my feelings aside for too long. Our voices do matter. I’m a pleaser, give endlessly, and always have been. I’ve put others’ needs before mine for as long as I can remember. My son is older now. He needs me less and less, so I can pay attention to me now and put my passions, health and happiness first. It’s never been a priority for me until now. 

As a mom, wife, daughter, and full-time worker, there’s always someone who needs a piece of you. You know what I’m talking about. I’m really just figuring out how to juggle it all and fulfill my needs but still being present for my family and friends. 

��If there were five of me, everyone would be happy! I’m learning now that the happier I am, the happier those around me are.”

Best Advice for Ending a Midlife Crisis?

I always like to ask the women I interview what advice they’d give to younger women – or to themselves a couple of decades ago. Here’s what Christie says:

Stand up for yourself and what you believe in. Don’t be swayed by everyone’s opinion of how you should be and what you should do.

There was really nothing holding me back but me.

Sometimes you need a detour but always get back on track. Nothing more important than your overall happiness and well being. The rest will follow along on your positive path. 

Be proud of who you are, embrace your talents, and don’t let life pass you by. Don’t just exist. It’s not about money, it’s about happiness. It’s about being satisfied inside and out. 

Christie’s surrounded herself with a small tribe of friends and family who love her and challenge her to be her best self. You can choose who’s in your tribe.

As a young woman, Christie once had a boss who nicknamed her “Disneyland” because she has a fun way about her that people love to be around. Even Disney has a dark side, though – and as many women know first-hand, the fun runs out when you’re running on fumes. Nobody’s going to wave a magic wand or sprinkle fairy dust on us to bring the spark back. It’s up to us to do what we need to bring life back into our lives.

In the end, our quality of life is what we make of it. Put yourself on the list.

You can find out more about Christie and see her wearable art at LuckyTwo Boutique on Instagram and Etsy. 

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[bloojayoolie]

Being Alone, Cats, and Children: ery Prety, young, petite lovely markings, happy, social playful gentle with children, dog s cat friendly. housetrained -SPAYED & Ready To boll All tose tine to At Manhattan ACC Waiting Tor Love IA 21555 -2 years old, 42 lbs **** TO BE KILLED - 3/1/2018 **** SUPER CUTE, PLAYFUL GIRL NEEDS A LOVING NEW HOME ASAP! It's a tough job but someone has to do it, and it truly takes a village and one of the most important components is kind, loving and committed fosters and adopters. The more the merrier and the happier the endings. Young Kayla came into the shelter as an owner surrender due to alleged destructive behavior. Dogs and pups nibble, chew and dig. Its our job to make sure they are nibbling, chewing and digging the right things to keep all involved safe, happy and HOME. Kayla is gorgeous with lovely markings on her face that make her stand out in the crowd, she's petite at just 42 lbs and she's a happy and social girl whose said to be gentle and playful with children, dog friendly and lived in harmony with a cat that she was respectful of and sometimes slept with. We want nothing more than for Kayla to be successful if she's lucky enough to find her happy ever after in these crucial hours. Please consider opening your heart and home to a pooch like Kayla who badly needs a safe way out of a kill shelter. If you can not, then please share to better her chances of survival. KAYLA@MANHATTAN ACC Hello, my name is Kayla My animal id is #21555 I am a desexed female white dog at the Manhattan Animal Care Center The shelter thinks I am about 2 years old, 42 lbs Came into shelter as owner surrender Feb. 24, 2018 Reason Stated: Destructive tendencies Rescue Only Kayla is at risk for both medical and behavior reasons. Kayla has been diagnosed with Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex, which is contagious to other dogs. Behaviorally, Kayla is highly reactive and snaps and lunges at passers-by both in kennel and on whilst out on leash. For this reason, we are seeking placement only with a New Hope partner. You may know me from such films as... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HzhOEcshjQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJzIV6CL7E4 My medical notes are... Weight: 42.5 lbs Medical Assistant Vet Notes 25/02/2018 Spayed female--area recently shaved Scan negative for a microchip Inserted during the initial #981020021227777 2 years old according to the owner OU=clear Sclera is red--was stressed through out the day Nose= No discharge AU=clean Teeth are white Coat is clean A little bit of blood seen on last nipple on the bottom left Dewormed with Pyrantel Flea Treatment= Para Defense As of now no CIRDC As of now no V/S/C/D Details on my behavior are... Behavior Condition: 2. Blue Behavior History Behavior Assessment Upon intake, Layla would growl and would try to bark when I passed her owner. Layla was brought in with a muzzle because her owner stated that she will bite strangers. Layla's muzzle came off and she was quiet and did not try to interact with me. Because of her behavior with strangers, I did not interact with her and only had her owner handle her. Date of Intake: 2/24/2018 Spay/Neuter Status: Spayed Basic Information:: Layla is a 2 year old female white and brown medium mixed breed dog. Layla lived with previous owner for about 10 months. Layla was surrendered because of behavioral reasons. Layla has no injuries or health issues and was last taken to the vet on January 26 2018 to be spayed. Previously lived with:: Layla previously lived with one adult and one cat How is this dog around strangers?: Layla is aggressive towards strangers. Layla's previous owner noted that she would have to place Layla in her cage when strangers visited because Layla would bark and try to bite them. How is this dog around children?: Layla has interacted with children as young as 2 and as old as 12 years old. Layla is described as being gentle with children and playful. Layla will allow children to pet her. How is this dog around other dogs?: Layla has interacted with small and large dogs before. With small dogs, Layla is said to be playful and excitable. With large dogs, Layla is said to be shy. How is this dog around cats?: Layla previously lived with a cat. Layla is described as being respectful and gentle with the cat and would sometimes sleep next to the cat. Resource guarding:: Layla is not bothered when her food or bowl is touched while she is eating. Layla is also not bothered when a toy, treat or object is taken away from her. Bite history:: Layla has nipped a stranger before while she was being walked. Layla has never bitten another animal. Housetrained:: Unknown Energy level/descriptors:: Layla has a high energy level Other Notes:: During storm, fireworks or loud noises, Layla will bark. Layla is not bothered when being pushed or pulled off furniture but has never been held or restrained. Layla enjoys being bathed but has never had her nails trimmed. Layla will bark, growl and bite if a stranger approaches her owner. Has this dog ever had any medical issues?: No Medical Notes: Layla has no known medical issues For a New Family to Know: Layla is a friendly, affectionate, confident, pushy, excitable, independent and anxious dog. Layla's favorite activities including running and chewing. When at home, Layla has a mellow energy and is laying around. Layla was kept mainly indoors and had access to a yard. Layla was fed dry food twice a day, at 7am and 7pm. Layla is house trained and will go potty outside. However, she has accidents almost every day whenever her owner would leave the house. When left home alone, Layla will go potty indoors and will destroy her cage and furniture. Layla was taken on 30 minute walks each day and would pull on the leash. Date of intake:: 2/24/2018 Spay/Neuter status:: Yes Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender (In home for 10 months) Previously lived with:: An adult and a cat Behavior toward strangers:: Barks and snaps new people who enter her home Behavior toward children:: Gentle Behavior toward dogs:: Playful with small dogs, shy with large ones Behavior toward cats:: Relaxed and gentle Resource guarding:: None reported Bite history:: Kayla has nipped a stranger while being walked. Housetrained:: Unknown Energy level/descriptors:: Layla is described as friendly, affectionate, confident, pushy, excitable, independent, and anxious with a high level of activity. Date of assessment:: 2/26/2018 Look:: 1. Dog's eyes are averted, with tail wagging and ears back. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor's cupped hands. Sensitivity:: 1. Dog stands still and accepts the touch, eyes are averted, and tail is in neutral position with a relaxed body posture. Dog's mouth is likely closed for at least a portion of the assessment item. Tag:: 1. Dog assumes play position and joins the game. Or dog indicates play with huffing, soft 'popping' of the body, etc. Dog might jump on Assessor once play begins. Paw squeeze 1:: 2. Dog quickly pulls back. Paw squeeze 2:: 2. Dog quickly pull back. Flank squeeze 1:: Item not conducted Flank squeeze 2:: Item not conducted Toy:: 2. Dog takes toy away, keeps a firm hold. His/her body is between you and the toy, and is loose and wiggly. No growling or stiffness. Summary:: Kayla approached the assessor in the assessment room with a soft body and jumped up in an attention seeking manner. She was social throughout the assessment, allowed all handling, and displayed no concerning behaviors. Summary (1):: 2/25: When introduced to the helper dog on leash, Layla is soft and wiggly when greeting. Summary (2):: 2/26: Layla engages in play with the male helper dog. Date of intake:: 2/24/2018 Summary:: Kayla growled when the admissions counselor walked by her. Date of initial:: 2/24/2018 Summary:: Kayla growled but then allowed handling. ENERGY LEVEL:: Kayla's previous owner described her a having a high level of activity. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct her energy and enthusiasm. IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS:: In the shelter environment, Kayla has been observed to growl and lunge at passerby while on leash. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: NEW HOPE ONLY Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Place with a New Hope partner Recommendations comments:: No children: Due to Kayla's history of snapping at strangers, as well as having nipped a person passing by, we recommend an adult only home. New Hope Only: Based on the concerns observed in her previous home environment along with behavior observed in the shelter environment, we believe Kayla would benefit best from placement with a New Hope rescue group who can further assess her behavior in a new and stable home environment. Force-free, reward based training is advised when introducing or exposing Kayla to new and unfamiliar situations. Potential challenges: : Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration Potential challenges comments:: Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Kayla is reported to bark and snap at new people who enter her home. Guidance from a professional trainer/behaviorist is recommended to assess behavior after decompression in a new home environment. Force-free, reward based training is advised when introducing or exposing Kayla to new and unfamiliar situations. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Kayla is reported to react to people on leash, growling and snapping at them, and has nipped a person. Kayla may need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach her to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness or head halter to help manage this behavior. KAYLA IS RESCUE ONLY…..TO SAVE THIS PUP YOU MUST FILL OUT APPLICATIONS WITH AT LEAST 3 NEW HOPE RESCUES. PLEASE HURRY!!! IF YOU CAN FOSTER OR ADOPT THIS PUP, PLEASE PM OUR PAGE FOR ASSISTANCE. WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH LINKS TO APPLICATIONS WITH NEW HOPE RESCUES WHO ARE CURRENTLY PULLING FROM THE NYC ACC. PLEASE SHARE THIS DOG FOR A HOME TO SAVE HER LIFE.

[twittermemesofficial]

Being Alone, Cats, and Children: ery Prety, young, petite lovely markings, happy, social playful gentle with children, dog s cat friendly. housetrained -SPAYED & Ready To boll All tose tine to At Manhattan ACC Waiting Tor Love IA 21555 -2 years old, 42 lbs **** TO BE KILLED – 2/28/2018 **** SUPER CUTE, PLAYFUL GIRL NEEDS A LOVING NEW HOME ASAP! It’s a tough job but someone has to do it, and it truly takes a village and one of the most important components is kind, loving and committed fosters and adopters. The more the merrier and the happier the endings. Young Kayla came into the shelter as an owner surrender due to alleged destructive behavior. Dogs and pups nibble, chew and dig. Its our job to make sure they are nibbling, chewing and digging the right things to keep all involved safe, happy and HOME. Kayla is gorgeous with lovely markings on her face that make her stand out in the crowd, she’s petite at just 42 lbs and she’s a happy and social girl whose said to be gentle and playful with children, dog friendly and lived in harmony with a cat that she was respectful of and sometimes slept with. We want nothing more than for Kayla to be successful if she’s lucky enough to find her happy ever after in these crucial hours. Please consider opening your heart and home to a pooch like Kayla who badly needs a safe way out of a kill shelter. If you can not, then please share to better her chances of survival. KAYLA@MANHATTAN ACC Hello, my name is Kayla My animal id is #21555 I am a desexed female white dog at the Manhattan Animal Care Center The shelter thinks I am about 2 years old, 42 lbs Came into shelter as owner surrender Feb. 24, 2018 Reason Stated: Destructive tendencies Rescue Only Kayla is at risk for both medical and behavior reasons. Kayla has been diagnosed with Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex, which is contagious to other dogs. Behaviorally, Kayla is highly reactive and snaps and lunges at passers-by both in kennel and on whilst out on leash. For this reason, we are seeking placement only with a New Hope partner. You may know me from such films as… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HzhOEcshjQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJzIV6CL7E4 My medical notes are… Weight: 42.5 lbs Medical Assistant Vet Notes 25/02/2018 Spayed female–area recently shaved Scan negative for a microchip Inserted during the initial #981020021227777 2 years old according to the owner OU=clear Sclera is red–was stressed through out the day Nose= No discharge AU=clean Teeth are white Coat is clean A little bit of blood seen on last nipple on the bottom left Dewormed with Pyrantel Flea Treatment= Para Defense As of now no CIRDC As of now no V/S/C/D Details on my behavior are… Behavior Condition: 2. Blue Behavior History Behavior Assessment Upon intake, Layla would growl and would try to bark when I passed her owner. Layla was brought in with a muzzle because her owner stated that she will bite strangers. Layla’s muzzle came off and she was quiet and did not try to interact with me. Because of her behavior with strangers, I did not interact with her and only had her owner handle her. Date of Intake: 2/24/2018 Spay/Neuter Status: Spayed Basic Information:: Layla is a 2 year old female white and brown medium mixed breed dog. Layla lived with previous owner for about 10 months. Layla was surrendered because of behavioral reasons. Layla has no injuries or health issues and was last taken to the vet on January 26 2018 to be spayed. Previously lived with:: Layla previously lived with one adult and one cat How is this dog around strangers?: Layla is aggressive towards strangers. Layla’s previous owner noted that she would have to place Layla in her cage when strangers visited because Layla would bark and try to bite them. How is this dog around children?: Layla has interacted with children as young as 2 and as old as 12 years old. Layla is described as being gentle with children and playful. Layla will allow children to pet her. How is this dog around other dogs?: Layla has interacted with small and large dogs before. With small dogs, Layla is said to be playful and excitable. With large dogs, Layla is said to be shy. How is this dog around cats?: Layla previously lived with a cat. Layla is described as being respectful and gentle with the cat and would sometimes sleep next to the cat. Resource guarding:: Layla is not bothered when her food or bowl is touched while she is eating. Layla is also not bothered when a toy, treat or object is taken away from her. Bite history:: Layla has nipped a stranger before while she was being walked. Layla has never bitten another animal. Housetrained:: Unknown Energy level/descriptors:: Layla has a high energy level Other Notes:: During storm, fireworks or loud noises, Layla will bark. Layla is not bothered when being pushed or pulled off furniture but has never been held or restrained. Layla enjoys being bathed but has never had her nails trimmed. Layla will bark, growl and bite if a stranger approaches her owner. Has this dog ever had any medical issues?: No Medical Notes: Layla has no known medical issues For a New Family to Know: Layla is a friendly, affectionate, confident, pushy, excitable, independent and anxious dog. Layla’s favorite activities including running and chewing. When at home, Layla has a mellow energy and is laying around. Layla was kept mainly indoors and had access to a yard. Layla was fed dry food twice a day, at 7am and 7pm. Layla is house trained and will go potty outside. However, she has accidents almost every day whenever her owner would leave the house. When left home alone, Layla will go potty indoors and will destroy her cage and furniture. Layla was taken on 30 minute walks each day and would pull on the leash. Date of intake:: 2/24/2018 Spay/Neuter status:: Yes Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner Surrender (In home for 10 months) Previously lived with:: An adult and a cat Behavior toward strangers:: Barks and snaps new people who enter her home Behavior toward children:: Gentle Behavior toward dogs:: Playful with small dogs, shy with large ones Behavior toward cats:: Relaxed and gentle Resource guarding:: None reported Bite history:: Kayla has nipped a stranger while being walked. Housetrained:: Unknown Energy level/descriptors:: Layla is described as friendly, affectionate, confident, pushy, excitable, independent, and anxious with a high level of activity. Date of assessment:: 2/26/2018 Look:: 1. Dog’s eyes are averted, with tail wagging and ears back. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor’s cupped hands. Sensitivity:: 1. Dog stands still and accepts the touch, eyes are averted, and tail is in neutral position with a relaxed body posture. Dog’s mouth is likely closed for at least a portion of the assessment item. Tag:: 1. Dog assumes play position and joins the game. Or dog indicates play with huffing, soft ‘popping’ of the body, etc. Dog might jump on Assessor once play begins. Paw squeeze 1:: 2. Dog quickly pulls back. Paw squeeze 2:: 2. Dog quickly pull back. Flank squeeze 1:: Item not conducted Flank squeeze 2:: Item not conducted Toy:: 2. Dog takes toy away, keeps a firm hold. His/her body is between you and the toy, and is loose and wiggly. No growling or stiffness. Summary:: Kayla approached the assessor in the assessment room with a soft body and jumped up in an attention seeking manner. She was social throughout the assessment, allowed all handling, and displayed no concerning behaviors. Summary (1):: 2/25: When introduced to the helper dog on leash, Layla is soft and wiggly when greeting. Summary (2):: 2/26: Layla engages in play with the male helper dog. Date of intake:: 2/24/2018 Summary:: Kayla growled when the admissions counselor walked by her. Date of initial:: 2/24/2018 Summary:: Kayla growled but then allowed handling. ENERGY LEVEL:: Kayla’s previous owner described her a having a high level of activity. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct her energy and enthusiasm. IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS:: In the shelter environment, Kayla has been observed to growl and lunge at passerby while on leash. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: NEW HOPE ONLY Behavior Asilomar: TM – Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Place with a New Hope partner Recommendations comments:: No children: Due to Kayla’s history of snapping at strangers, as well as having nipped a person passing by, we recommend an adult only home. New Hope Only: Based on the concerns observed in her previous home environment along with behavior observed in the shelter environment, we believe Kayla would benefit best from placement with a New Hope rescue group who can further assess her behavior in a new and stable home environment. Force-free, reward based training is advised when introducing or exposing Kayla to new and unfamiliar situations. Potential challenges: : Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration Potential challenges comments:: Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Kayla is reported to bark and snap at new people who enter her home. Guidance from a professional trainer/behaviorist is recommended to assess behavior after decompression in a new home environment. Force-free, reward based training is advised when introducing or exposing Kayla to new and unfamiliar situations. On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration: Kayla is reported to react to people on leash, growling and snapping at them, and has nipped a person. Kayla may need positive reinforcement, reward based training to teach her to look at you rather than other dogs. We recommend a front clip harness or head halter to help manage this behavior. KAYLA IS RESCUE ONLY…..TO SAVE THIS PUP YOU MUST FILL OUT APPLICATIONS WITH AT LEAST 3 NEW HOPE RESCUES. PLEASE HURRY!!! IF YOU CAN FOSTER OR ADOPT THIS PUP, PLEASE PM OUR PAGE FOR ASSISTANCE. WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH LINKS TO APPLICATIONS WITH NEW HOPE RESCUES WHO ARE CURRENTLY PULLING FROM THE NYC ACC. PLEASE SHARE THIS DOG FOR A HOME TO SAVE HER LIFE. LIKE AND FOLLOW FOR NEW CONTENT EVERYDAY <3 for more visit: www.memelang.ml

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New Post has been published on My Pro Blog

New Post has been published on https://myproblog.com/super-motivation-the-quickest-way-to-success/

Super Motivation - The Quickest Way to Success

Motivation is a word that has been used extensively in recent years. Motivational speakers are everywhere and dozens of motivational books are published every month. But what does it mean? It is best described as a driving force — a force that cannot be contained. It is a fire within that gives a person the passion and enthusiasm to reach the highest levels of a sport, profession, or other endeavor.

What does it take to achieve it? Will power is critical; in fact you have to have tremendous will power along with a passion. Goals are also essential. You have to have something to motivate you, and goals are usually what you are striving to achieve. But how does super- motivation differ from ordinary motivation? Basically, it’s taking it a notch higher. It’s motivation along with a fierce or stubborn determination to achieve a goal. It’s what olympic athletes have when they are training. It’s what other athletes — golfers tennis players and so on — had when they were struggling to reach the highest levels in their sport. Concert pianists and many others also had it. It’s the motivation that takes you to the highest levels of success. People who have it push forward with no second thoughts. Their motivations is rifled in a particular direction, and they know where they are going and what they want to achieve.

Few people have this type of motivation, as it takes a tremendous dedication and an incredible amount of work. But it is the fastest way to success, and even if you are not concerned with reaching the highest levels in your field, it can help you achieve your goals faster. Many people become enthused about something, but lose their enthusiasm when they find out how much work is involved. The super-motivated don’t let this stop them; they never lose their dream.

Super-motivation can, in fact, be used for many things that are difficult for some people to achieve. Stopping smoking is a good example. Many people are motivated to quit, but they try and try and never achieve their goal. Many people also try to lose weight and encounter the same problem. Simple, or moderate, motivation isn’t enough; it doesn’t take them where they want to go. What they need is super-motivation.

Super-motivation can also be applied to learning a new language, or a new technology quickly. Indeed, it can be used for many things. In particular, if you want to reach the highest levels in your profession, or any activity, you will do better with super-motivation.

It’s important to remember, though, that super motivation requires a strong desire and a passion to succeed — a feeling of pushing forward and not worrying about obstacles. It is achieved best when you have a love for what you are doing, or want to achieve. The hardships are not problems; you see only the end result — the rewards. You know you will succeed. You train, or study, or work feverishly toward your goal.

How Motivation Helps You

High motivation has benefits besides letting you achieve a goal faster than usual. It gives you self-esteem, and self confidence, particularly as you achieve partial goals (short-term goals along the route to you major goal). It makes you feel better about yourself, and you learn to deal with challenges and problems more effectively. You learn how to deal with worry as you become more and more confident you will succeed. You will also likely be happier, and more satisfied with your life. Each day will be a new adventure.

How to Get Motivated: First Steps

First of all you have to be motivated to do something. So decide what you want. What is your goal? Think about your passion for it. Ask yourself if you are passionate enough. It can’t just be a “wish;” a simple wish is not enough. See it as a serious goal. Get excited about it; learn everything about to make sure you are positive it is something you want passionately. Read about others that have succeeded in the same field or activity. Find out how they made their way to the top, and what problems they experienced on route.

Build anticipation as you think about how you are going to achieve your goal. Set up a plan. think it through carefully as you modify, adjust and refine it. Get excited about the plan. Write out each step with short term goals along the way and time limits for each. Post the goals where you can see them. Look at them every day.

How to Increase Your Motivation

Several things can be used to increase your motivation. One of the best is to use mantras, or slogans. Think about them as you read through them. Typical of them are;

“If you believe in yourself, anything is possible.”

“You can do anything you set your mind to.”

“Challenge yourself — you may be surprised.

“If you want to accomplish anything in life, you can’t just sit back and hope it will happen. You have to make it happen.”

“You are what you think of all day.’

Self-talk is also of considerable value. We all have a little voice going on in our head all day. Use it to talk to yourself (but be careful of doing it out loud in public). Use it to inspire yourself. Tell yourself that you can do it. Think of the little voice as a motivational speaker. Talk passionately to yourself, let yourself go. Pump yourself up with enthusiasm. Encourage yourself.

Closely associated with this is affirmations. They are brief statements you say to yourself for encouragement. If you say them enough, you soon begin to believe them. Examples are:

“I will succeed, nothing can stop me.”

“I can do it. I will keep at it.”

Do this frequently throughout the day

It’s also important to visualize your goals as if they are already accomplished. Think about how you will feel. See the rewards. Feel happy and satisfied with life. Don’t let the hard work get you down. Thrive on it, and the best way to do this is keep your energy up with good health habits. This will help fuel your motivation. Finally, don’t let mistakes slow you down, and don’t let them depress you, Learn from them and move on.

What to Do When Your Motivation Slumps

We all have bad days. Even the most motivated and enthusiastic people have the occasional bad day, and for most of us there will be more than a few. Don’t be discouraged; expect them and learn how to deal with them. A few things that help are:

Find inspiration in books and articles. When your motivation starts to slump read about people who have achieved the goal you want. Keep several articles of this type ready for use. Read them over and over whenever you need them. Keep your eye on the benefits and rewards. Don’t think about the hard work you’re going through, think about the rewards. Squash any negative thoughts, in particular, thoughts about quitting, and whether it’s really worth it. Don’t let them enter your mind, and if they do, substitute positive thoughts for them immediately. Remember that this moment of your life is precious. It will never come again, and you may never have another chance to attack your goal. Live for today; tomorrow may be too late. Reward yourself for accomplishing what you have so far. I’ll leave the kind of reward up to you. Face problems and challenges one at a time. The problem with some people is that they get overwhelmed and don’t know how to attack all the problems they are facing. It’s important to take them on one at a time and overcome them. Don’t let people deter you. If you have done your homework, know your abilities, and know what is ahead of you and are confident you can achieve your goal, don’t let naysayers influence you. Ignore “You could never do that” talk. Talk to positive people. Get encouragement from them. Surround yourself with as many as possible. Always finish what you are doing. You will have many short term goals before you meet your major goal. Finish each one at a time. Use determination to get through each. Music is sometimes helpful. When you are down, sing a cheerful long; use it to lift your spirits. The Magic Ingredient of Motivation: Hope

The spark that triggers motivation is hope, and it’s the flame that keeps it going. Hope is desire. It’s the expectation of realizing your dream, and it’s important that you keep it alive.

Never lose hope; it gives you strength and it keeps you going. It is essential for strong motivation. The hope for something better gives you motivation; it’s the fuel that keeps you going.

When you’re feeling low, hope is what pulls you out of it. Hope is what makes you set goals. Hope gives you faith that you will succeed. And if you have tremendous hope for something, you will eventually get it. It’s the magic ingredient, and something you definitely need.

How to stay Motivated for Life

Motivation for a single or even several goals is important, but even better is motivation for life. It gives your life meaning and makes it more complete. So once you have motivation don’t let it stop, and the best way to do this is to keep it alive by thinking about it every day.

True motivation can be exciting. It fills you with enthusiasm and anticipation. You bounce out of bed every morning eager to go. Each new day is a new adventure to you. And indeed you can sustain motivation for as long as you want, as long as you try. Remember that motivation depends mainly on two things: emotions and imagination. Your emotions fire your feelings, and give you the urge to continue, and your imagination helps stoke the fire.

Barry Parker, Ph. D., is a professor emeritus (physics) at Idaho State University. He is the author of 25 books on science, health, writing, and music. His website is BarryParkerbooks.com and he has several blogs, one of them is at Barrysbuzz123.blogspot.com. He has done research in biophysics (mutations in the DNA molecule) and in relativity theory (Einstein’s field theory), has a strong interest in health and fitness, self-improvement, and in music (particularly piano). He taught a writing class at ISU for several years. One of his recent books is “Feel Great Feel Alive.”

[the-telegraph-sport-yahoopa-blog]

James DeGale fighting fit and ready to dance his way to title glory ahead of Badou Jack bout

James DeGale spars with Jim McDonnel at  Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

If Saturday really is D-day in the career of James DeGale, at least nobody can accuse him of being unprepared. Ahead of his world super middleweight title unification contest with Badou Jack here in New York State, the Olympic gold medallist is physically leaner and more toned that at any point in his eight-year professional career, courtesy of a specialist strength and conditioning coach who was hired in July last year. 

His dancing feet and movement are  now creating angles for the southpaw to deliver his dangerous combinations.

Through Nick Palma of personal training specialists pH7, DeGale has increased his stamina, strengthened his legs and quads, added sharpness in his punches and crucially, has improved his ability to make weight. Previously, fight week, DeGale readily admits, had been a process of “dehydration and starvation” to meet the 12st limit.

If DeGale’s physical transformation is one thing, then so too has it enhanced his dancing feet. The dance has always been there. DeGale excelled at the Barbara Speake Stage School, as a teenager, and that movement has made him a unique puzzle for opponents. “I think that’s one of my main attributes. My movement, my speed, my feet,” DeGale told the Telegraph on Thursday. “The rhythm. I used to love tap, that was favourite, and a bit of street dancing. Ballet I tried to avoid. I always forgot my ballet shoes and always got detention for that. I tried to avoid ballet. Sometimes when I do my speed and agility drills on the floor, I get little flashbacks of when I was in the dance studio.”

Palma was amazed that DeGale, a slick stylist, had risen to become a world champion without a strength and conditioning programme. “He moves so well. I’ve worked with Owen Farrell and other rugby players and James moves incredibly well compared to anyone. That could certainly be because of dance. But we have seen huge advancements. In his strength, just as an example, when we started on dead lifts in the summer he was lifting 50 kilograms. When we signed off his last session he was lifting 155 kilograms.”

Badou Jack shows off his WBC super middleweight title belt Credit:  AP

Palma had a conversation with McDonnell recently about Anthony Joshua, and how he is a complete athlete. “He’s an unbelievable athlete but as a fighter you never know. With James, he’s come this far in his career without doing any S and C work, any real recovery work, so recent months have really changed him.”

Trainer McDonnell has noticed the difference, too. “In sparring is where I have noticed it most. The impact of his shots,” he explained.

“One of his sparring partners said to me he’d never been hit so hard. James is getting more leverage on his punches. He’s taking his rotation right through when he punches and I really wouldn’t not be surprised if James surprises Badou Jack with his power.”

For the first time, the weight cut this week has also been a comfortable one for DeGale through Palma’s nutritional programme. “James has previously made life very hard for himself when making weight,” Palma said. “On my nutritional diet, he’s getting three meals a day. He’s happier mentally, he’s calmer. That was the first goal to change his mindset that eating healthily doesn’t have to be a chore.”

DeGale concurs. “The stretching, the strength, the nutrition, are all serious changes. My power, my stance, how solid I am, my balance, everything ... I just feel better in myself. Look at me now. I’m about to weigh in and I’m not dehydrated, I’ve got energy, I can speak. Before my last fight I didn’t want to speak to anyone. I was starving. I was dehydrated.”

After 10 weeks of living like a hermit in camp, DeGale is ready for his first unification challenge against fellow world champion Jack, who has come up the hard way and lived on the poverty line as a fighter until he was taken under the wing of Floyd Mayweather. Jack is a ‘hungry fighter’. And DeGale knows it.

DeGale in training last month ahead of this weekend's fight Credit: Getty Images

“The game has evolved. I’m up against a guy who I respect but the changes have taken me to another level. I can’t believe an elite athlete like me has gone all this way with just me and Jim doing it the old-school way. We were hardcore, just us two, rolling, doing our stuff, winning. But my last three fights against Lucien Bute, Andre Dirrell and Rogelio Medina, right at the end my breathing was terrible. I was fatigued, tired, my arms wanted to drop,” explained DeGale. “But not any more. I really am ready to dance now.”

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