#luckily those are rare and most of our customers are really sweet and understanding when their drink takes longer during a rush

[sexually-confused-goblin]

After a year and a half working as a bubble tea barista in a rather small shop, I overheard one of the most stereotypical things you could say to a kid today in person for the first time. While the dad (or maybe grandfather) and his daughter (or granddaughter - not much older than 10) were waiting for their ordered drinks, he turned to the girl and started with the "Look closely! If you don't stay in school-"

Bro, first of all, rude (if you want to talk shit about others and their job, at least do it far enough away, so that said others don't overhear you) - especially if you expect someone's service.

And second: Both owners went to university, I'm currently studying at university, and my other coworker is still in school and too young to even be able to go to uni (but plans to) ... so there goes your argument, I guess.

[the-moon-prince]

The Last Of us~Kurapika x Reader ~Chapter VI

AN: Hi my lovely fellows!

I’m glad to deliver the sixth chapter of my story! I want to thank you, from the bottom of my soul, for your support. It really means a lot to me!<3

I wish you a pleasant read, and I hope you’ll enjoy the new chapter of my story.  (Chapter I) (Chapter II) (Chapter III) (Chapter IV )(Chapter V) (Chapter VII coming soon!)

Paring: Kurapika Kurta x GN! Reader

Word count: 2 449

TW: None!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The buzzing sound of the alarm loaded Kurapika's ears.

This time it was not a "Tic-Tic" sound. It was an unfamiliar tune. Starting with sonsy drums and trumpets. The music was in crescendo with a chorus that sang "love, love, love" until a male voice sang 

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done~"

"Nothing you can sing that can't be sung~"

A cheesy way to start the day. It was different from the rest of his mornings. It felt warm. Only it wasn't the kind of heat he habitually woke up wilting from a nightmare. It was the feeling of homely warmth and tenderness. Remembering the comparable emotion you have when you are unwell and your mother hugs you.

He sensed something twirl beside him, he began to open his somnolent eyes. That fatigue was not the usual either. Instead of a burning and stinging in the eyes, he felt a comfort he didn't want to abandon. The movements continued until they extended to the covers that surrounded him, to ultimately calm and recover a state of calm. The music ceased as well. It wasn't his pillow, it wasn't his bed, and the chamber was alien to him. It surprisingly smelled distinct. The first item he saw when his sight adjusted were frizzy (hair color) (curls/waves/strands). (Y/n) was standing on the left side of the bed. They had a bed-hair. He certainly wanted to see that goofy bed-hair very more often.

"Shhh shhh, sorry I disturbed you."-their voice was crispy.-"Go back to rest, I'll return a touch later to nudge you." 

Kurapika allowed himself to a defeat and laid his head back on the pillow. Some seasons had passed since he had a restful night. He was able to hear the sound of an opening door for it to immediately close, followed by the flow of water. The door was opened again, and an extra further door gave a short crack noise. Kurapika doesn't quite recall how long it lasted, but (Y/n) returned to the room. They placed a cup of hot black coffee on the night table.

"What time is it?"-Kurapika groaned and tried to rejoin.

"Good morning sunshine, and it's 4:23 am"-they answered, sitting in bed with another cup in their hands.

"Why are you doing so early? Not even I arise that betimes."- He stirred early, he had to. But this seemed absurd.

"I must be in the psychiatric ward. I have patients who rely on me. I'll be exiting the home in a moment."-He was shocked at how composed they were, considering the events of the night before. They continued their routine impassively as if nothing disagreeable had occurred.-"Would you desire for me to drive you to the Nostrade mansion?"-(Y/n) suggested to him with a smile. He almost forgot he had to work that day.

"I will get prepared for the moment,"-He sat, resting his back on the bed frame, reaching for the coffee.”And your proposition would be convenient." The caffeine intake helped him shake the drowsiness off his mind.

"I would be amazed to propose to you something to eat, but I only possess chocolate robots at the moment. You don't exactly appear the type of person to have that for breakfast."-they provided an apologetic smile, half-joking half-ashamed.

"Do you ever eat something besides sweets?"-It was agreeable to joke a little in the mornings.

"I ate the flowers you gave me."-(Y/n) answered with the most solemn voice they could deliver. The first time in his 19 years of life that Kurapika heard something of that bearing.

"You ate them?"-Although it was evident that it was not a joke, it seemed so outlandish that he did not see another explanation.

"Yes! Peonies and carnations are edible! Although they taste sweet and fruity. So it might count as sweet." they affirmed smiling.

 Sometimes the sincerity of that person perplexed him. They could say the most unthinkable things in the most sudden moments. Above all, with an enormous naturalness. He even wondered if they were even conscious that they did.

The handy part of sleeping dressed was that getting ready was rather quick. Once he put on the black jacket, the wrinkles on his shirt were hardly noticeable. Though, as much as he would love to stay and talk to (Y/n) all morning, the depart ended up arriving. What if the two of them could skip work with an excuse? It was possible. However, both were stiff with their obligations, so it was not feasible. Kurapika was going to show up pretty early for work, he didn't care if it meant to spend more time with (Y/n).

During most of the voyage, he stared at (Y/n) driving and chatting. 

"You always use the same earrings." He remarked, staring at the drop-shaped pearl pendants dangling from their ears. They turned to see him and agreed.

"You also wear your red earrings every day."-they were getting close to the Nostrade's residency. 

"You're not wrong."-Between spending the day with Neon or with (Y/n), he preferred the latest option by a lot.

"I rarely am, dear. I wish you a good day!"-Kurapika no longer remembered the last time someone wished him a good day in the morning.

 ~

8 pm, another day had passed. If Neon's attitude hadn't improved since the beginning of her therapy, Kurapika had no idea if he would still put up with her whims. Whoever worked for her without attempting against her life was a saint. However, his crusade hadn't ended yet, remote from that. The advantage of that specific job brought was being able to maintain close contact with the flesh trafficking industry. Kurapika was finally exiting through the vast gate of the Nostrade mansion. Being able to get to work on his vendetta again.

"Kurapika!"- a voice he knew fully squealed. He turned in the direction it came from, to make sure it wasn't a dream. He had his suspicions about working for Neon for so long that it gave him some variety of brain damage. Luckily not. It was (Y/n), running towards his direction, nearly stumbling in the middle of the path. If they were coming to him like that, something serious must have happened.

"(Y/n)! What are you doing here?! What happened?! Aren't you supposed to be on guard? Why didn't you call me? "-the blonde interrogated packed with worry.

They were panting laboriously, as they inclined on their legs to catch their breath and raised their index asking for a moment. 

"I'm presumably to be on my pause, plus you weren't answering your cell phone..."-their face was darker due to the lack of oxygen-"I received information regarding a pair."- they murmured to be prudent. To avoid malicious overhears, they continued their chat in the car. 

"I had a proposal from an acquaintance to purchase a pair of scarlet eyes!

The only setback is that it has to be tonight because he has another interested. For my part, with the ward, I'm available. I told the nurses that I would use my recess and would be back."- It was explicit that (Y/n) had already taken charge of organizing the plan so that it could be implemented immediately.-"Reasonably, I haven't confirmed the purchase yet. As the principal concerned I judged proper to tell you first."

"This is a fabulous opportunity, thank you (Y/n). Confirm our attendance."

It was agreed that the purchase would take place at 9 o'clock, In a black market shop located in YorkNew's downtown. The pair would cost 1,450,000 Jennys.

Although the connections and information of (Y/n) were trustworthy and had been valuable until the present day, Kurapika still wanted more information regarding the plan. He wanted to prioritize their safety.

"Where do you know the individual from?"- Kurapika hinted, trying to obtain information without directly doubting the references.

"I have... I've purchased articles from him before.  I am a frequent customer, he maintains me abreast of his inventory as well as offers."- they informed.-"In those commerces, information travels at great speed. As I've been seeking information on the scarlet eyes, he found out."-He could then conclude it was a credible provider.

Since the dilemma was solved, he could ease a bit.-"In the first instance, when I listened to your voice, I believed I was hallucinating, and working for Neon for a prolonged amount of time had caused me brain damage!"-Kurapika laughed

"Oh! But it's plausible."-they did not understand it was merely a joke-"Chronic Stress produces autophagia in neural stem cells. Normally autophagia is a process to protect cells from unfavorable conditions through the digestion of inner cell materials. However, under certain circumstances, this survival method degenerates into self-destruction. Essentially, the neural cells commit suicide, concluding in brain damage. Plus, chronic stress enhance the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease."-It sometimes was bothersome to date a psychiatrist...-"Even if it was only a pun, I'm a tad concerned about you, Kurapika."-At the end, they got the joke, they were just being a doctor. 

Kurapika couldn't decide whether to be frustrated for his joke or flattered that (Y/n) cared so much about him. 

~

At the accorded place an hour, they entered the shop. An old man with big glasses and a suit greeted them.

"Mx. (Y/n)! It's always pleasant to see one of my favorite customers!"-his voice was croaky and rusty.-"I'm glad you accepted the offer."

The elder was very polite towards (Y/n).

"Helle Mr. Richard, I may say the same. I brought Kurapika with me, my bodyguard,"-the same strategy as the previous times.-" he will accompany us."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr.Kurapika."-the rusty voice spoke once more.-"Since we are dealing with a more elegant object, it is stored in the back room. Be so kind to accompany me there."- the so-named Richard pointed at a big wooden door at the back of the store as he directed it. 

He opened the door for them after they were all inside, closed the door again. Richard sat at the end of a big ornamented oak desk. There were also oak chairs with padding on the other side of the desk. The man motioned for them to sit down. He continued to pull out the vials with the pair of scarlet eyes.

"Both of you can confirm that they are authentic. And the agreed price was 1,450,000 Jennys"-The white-haired senior placed the vials in the middle of the table and reached out his hand, waiting for the money.

(Y/n) took out of their customary side-bag an envelope to deliver it with both hands. The elder took it and pulled out the cash and began to count. All the actions were carried upon the table and in the view of all presents.

"Everything is perfect, as always. Thanks, always a pleasure to do business with you Mx-" 

The sentence was interrupted by a loud crash.

The wooden door had been knocked down, and a group of armed men began to enter the place. With the loud noise (Y/n) swiftly took the vials with the scarlet eyes and pressed them protectively.

"What is happening here, what is this intrusion into my establishment?!"-Richard exclaimed, his voice sounding even rustier.

"These two attacked one of the associates some time ago."- One of the men, presumably the head of the gang, spoke. He had a sloppy beard and reeked of cheap tobacco. He also had a disastrous taste for fashion. He wore a tacky shirt with half the buttons unbuttoned, garish orange fishnets that didn't match at all, and a vulgar red hanky that was sticking out of his shirt's pocket.

"Both of you, don't move. The information runs around here."-the men approached to talk directly to Kurapika and (Y/n).-"We learn that a pale man with blond straight hair wearing a suit and a (skin/color) person with (hair color) (curly/wavy/straight) hair who dressed pretentiously with flowers, both searching for scarlet eyes, attacked one of our sellers. What do you think, we were not going to find you?"-the pestilence was even more intense up close.-"The boss is not far away. You'll see, duo of idiots."

The situation was complicated, Kurapika couldn't use most of his chains if it wasn't against the Spiders. (Y/n) could only use Misericordiae, since they did not know the attackers adequately to use their distinct technique. Plus with the one they had available, they couldn't kill. There was the possibility of a melee attack. Only it was the least viable option. Kurapika would have to use his scarlet eyes or (Y/n) use their feline form. It involved putting their identities in jeopardy, and they still didn't know if the circumstance was desperate to get to that point. The best choice was to divert the group of men to head to the window and jump to escape. The reversal was that to minimize the damage from the shattered glass, they would have to shield themselves with both arms. 

"(Y/n), leave the eyes. I'll use my Dowsing Chain to move the enemies aside and leave by the window."-Kurapika bossed after a moment of reflection. It was still the option with the highest probability of success.

"No, these eyes belong with you. I'm not leaving without them."-(Y/n) growled. They had a look of pure completion, almost as if that judgment contained all their credos compressed.- 

Kurapika couldn't avoid conjuring "This is the worst moment to unleash their stubbornness."-"(Y/n), listen to me!"-he was starting to lose his patience.

"No! I have an approach. Trust me please."-(Y/n) glanced down at their left hand, laced with white ribbon. It was gradually diffusing across the carpet. 

Before any action could be taken, a man, much properly dressed-The leader of the deluded men's ball, most likely.- entered the room yelling with a deep crusty voice and a foreign intonation.

"Okay pack of idiots. That in the end, you did your silly duty. Where are the two rats?".-The man was flat and plump. He was middle-aged, with a round face, almost bald. He was dressed in a semi-formal, dark gray suit:  he wore a geometric patterned tie and matching tissue in his vest's pocket. He entered taking big steps and turned to Kurapika and (Y/n).

At the moment he saw them, his eyes widened, and voiced full of shock.

"(Y/n)?!"

[jojo-reader-hell]

We’re not getting off this Poly Train until y’all realize we can have Erina x Reader x Jonathan: Modern AU

The muffled whisper of the pilot wakes you from a deep sleep where you’re ninety nine percent sure you had your mouth open. Fifteen minutes to landing, weather is rainy, he spouts off the temperature but you don’t really pay attention because there’s a very intense pair of blue eyes trained on you, chubby hands patting your chest in a demand.

“I’m sorry honey... you been awake long?”

Tiny fingers pluck at your top, far too chubby and uncoordinated to work the small buttons but his intellect is startling. Your baby is too smart for his own good, at two months he responds to certain words in unique ways, he knows that you unbutton your shirt to give him milk, and he responds to your smile with an even bigger toothless grin. Call you a brainless mother, but you can’t help but be one of those mothers that just thinks everything her child does is genius.

“We’re almost there.” You coo down at the little head of blue black hair as he eats. You heard that nursing helps calm babies down when the plane lands or takes off, and so far your son has been a good little traveler.

One tiny hand presses against your heart as you talk earnestly to the baby, telling him about the new country he’s going to make his home for the rest of his life and the new house he’s going to live in.

“Daddy is there,” you tell him, “And so is Mama and big brother. They’ve made a nice little room just for you in their big house, and your new doggie and kitty are waiting very patiently to cuddle you and give you so many kissies.”

Giorno watches you, his face impassive, lips turned outward like a fish as you tell him so many wonderful things. You wonder sometimes if he understands you when you talk to him, or does it all sound the same whether in English or Italian? You’re not really sure, but you speak both to him just as often and each time you speak his eyes focus directly on you no matter what.

“We’ll have all our things, your new crib, and even some toys your big brother got for you two to play with.” You whisper. “We’ll even have a bigger bathtub! So once we get home I’ll give us both a nice, warm bath. Won’t you like that mimmo?”

For some reason Giorno seems to have a little relief on his face, finally relaxing into the feed as his eyes droop. That was a big mood. You both are exhausted. It’s been a little rough living in a bare room this last week, but you made it work with the bare essentials and found it so easy to live with things you only had to pack up in two suitcases and a diaper bag. Your son was such a trooper. He did very well when your girlfriend came and helped you pack up everything so you both could ship it to London in boxes or sell the furniture you didn’t need anymore, but he did fuss sometimes about his toys, or the kitty your lover took with her.

In the long run, living with next to no possessions was a blessing. Erina was smart to take the cat and pack up the house immediately, months in advance she requested all the proper forms to have it transported, and after the last visit she said kitty was adjusting very well to her new house (George, she discovered, was a five year old cat whisperer who constantly made sure your pet was well fed and well loved). The last time you all had a group chat, kitty had even gone up to the screen at the sound of your voice, and meowed sweetly as though you were standing right in front of her.

You were excited and relieved. It felt as though you were going to the UK for the first time instead of possibly the hundredth. Who counted anymore? All you knew is this would be the last time you’d ever feel that familiar overwhelming loneliness being so far away from your loving family.

“Few more minutes Gigi...” you coo to your son. “You take your time and have as much as you want.”

You’re worried he’ll be overwhelmed with all the bustle around the airport this time of night. Customs takes forever, even if you’re arriving a few hours after your baby’s bedtime. There’s always a crowd, normally they never made you nervous before but with a new baby there’s nothing but anxiety and paranoia at the most minuscule of dangers. People stare at him like they want to interact with him and you’ll shift him out of view into your coat. Some other brat kept screaming in its seat and jarred your baby out of a deep sleep when it started coughing, and you’d had to do a lot of breathing techniques to prevent yourself from having an anxiety attack. Being stationary at the airport wasn’t much comfort either... Old women will pick their teeth, stick their hand in their pants, scratch nasty places, or poke their nose, then approach you with outstretched fingers wanting to touch your son’s clean cheek and it’s enough to make you gather your shit and run the opposite direction.

The world is a frightening, disgusting place now that you have a newborn, and you won’t feel safe until you’re surrounded by your impenetrable fortress that is currently parking the car at London Luton.

It takes forever for the plane to land and situate, but finally you’re able to stand and hoist your diaper bag over your shoulder after helping Giorno relax as the plane makes a jarring landing. He’s still latched onto your breast, and you notice with some relief that no one really stares at you when you adjust Giorno’s sling. Everyone is exhausted. Waiting to go home just like you are, and it’s already raining once you exit the craft and onto the tarmac.

Your phone is buzzing, the plan your boyfriend bought you has already activated and it will stay that way for a few days until you’re able to get a new phone here in London. It would be nice to answer the phone and hear a familiar voice, but your hands are full trying to burp the baby and it doesn’t make it any easier that you’re doing it on a shuttle. You grab for the nearest handrail, scrunch tightly in a corner and brace yourself as the bus totters along the tarmac while Giorno makes his tiny burps, his little face smoothing out from the scrunched up anger he had being around so many strangers.

Finally when you disembark the shuttle and hurry into the building out of the rain (it was a mission and a half trying to keep Giorno dry) you’re able to return the frantic calls you’ve been receiving.

“Hello?” Your voice is getting low from exhaustion. The prospect of customs is dauntingly close.

“Mum! Where are you? Are you bringing me my brother?!”

That tiny voice with the most decidedly cutest accent you’ve ever heard makes your heart flutter in your chest and your smile wake up.

“Hiya Georgie!” You coo back into the phone as Giorno watches you with big eyes. “Your brother is here with me. I just have to get us through customs and then we’ll be with you before you know it.”

“Would you please hurry mum? I miss you!” his voice is that typical demanding monotone, but you know he’s probably just tired and cranky from being up past his bedtime.

“I promise I’ll hurry as best I can my love. You don’t worry your pretty little head. I miss you too, but I’m here now topolino. Can I talk to mommy please?”

In the background you hear his father reprimand him gently, but you also hear his very serious “mummy, phone!” and the softest chuckle that makes your heart do backflips.

“I’m sorry darling. He’s been antsy all day and had to get the corner because he got grumpy with daddy.”

That soothing voice makes your heart leap, that familiar pull also turns your face a bright red as you follow the other passengers into a line up in customs.

“Well...” your voice is low, sultry. “I’m a bit antsy too, are you going to have to punish me as well, sweet Eri?”

The way Erina scolds you with a sharp squeak of your name makes you grin even larger. You lean down to kiss your baby’s head as he continues to stare up at you, transfixed on your voice and possibly wondering in his baby way who you’re talking to. Even Erina begins to scold, and you can tell she is over the long wait and ready for you to come home too. All you can do is smile at your baby like a fool as Erina pesters you about propriety. She may look on the outside the very picture of a timid little blonde, but you know better. She’s a spitfire who can take command of a rioting crowd with voice alone, and you can’t wait for her to cover you head to toe in her affection.

“-not be saying that in front of all those people! I swear, you’re both just the same! The nerve, the audacity-...”

“I’m almost there my love. I’m sorry. I just can’t wait any longer to be with my family. Can I talk to Jojo please?”

Erina stops her ranting when you ask so politely. You’ve still got a bit longer to wait to scan both passports, and you’re already fishing them out of the sling pocket where they’ve been resting with Giorno this entire time. She relents with a final “be safe” and an exchange of love before she relinquishes the phone.

“Darling!” A deep voice, so warm and sincere with boyish charm, almost sounds like a squeak at the prospect of hearing your voice.

“I’m home Jojo.” You say. “I just wanted to hear your voice before I go through.”

There’s a few more families ahead of you, and even though you feel a bit bad cutting his time talking to you short, you know you’ll make it up to him later on.

“Quickly, I just wanted to tell you we all love you both! And we’re all here waiting, do you have any bags?” He is breathless, excited, forgetting the plan and just as raring to see his new son as everyone else.

“Yes Jojo, we’ll have to get them once I’m free. It’s my turn now.”

“I love you!”

You have to respond, tell him you love him too before placing the phone in your sling pocket (did you even hang up? Oh well…), and you head up holding both passports at an awkward angle. Luckily you’re not doing this one handed. Jonathan had been the one to suggest the feeding sling for your baby, and it’s so easy to do things when Giorno is just nestled in his little pouch. You could probably juggle chainsaws with him, but right now it’s just needed to get you through this damn line.

As soon as you’re through, and there’s only one direction left to go passed the money exchange, you feel your heart begin to pound rapidly in your chest. Giorno pulls on your shirt, almost like he can read your mind, and you have to kiss his tiny hands with shaky lips. You have to be careful. Prevent yourself from losing your cool and tripping over your own two feet because you were too excited. So many extra things to worry about now that you’re a mother, but that’s ok. As long as you keep grounding yourself with the baby and slowing the hell down.

You hear them calling your name before you see them. Immediately your head snaps towards the sound, and you have to keep it together before you break out into a run. The first one you focus on is George, over excitable as always whenever he sees you. Then you see Erina, her cheeks are pink and eyes shining with those happy tears when she sees you with one hand on Giorno’s sling. And finally, you see Jonathan, trembling and holding tightly to the handle on Danny’s harness while even the gigantic Great Dane senses the excitement. It feels like walking underwater towards them, but George is the first to break free from his mother’s grip and lunges at you. You brace for impact and let him do what he wishes, grabbing your leg tightly and practically screaming for you at the top of his lungs.

“Mummy! Mummy!”

“Shhhh…” you try to calm him from screaming and scaring the baby.

Giorno doesn’t seem to be too frightened however, he turns in the sling to stare at the little boy with wide eyes, unaware that the screaming six year old is his big brother. George only stops when you shower him with kisses, his chubby cheeks peppered as you take his hand and lead him with you to your lovers. It’s all over after that. You’re pulled every which way to be kissed and loved it makes you dizzy, and Jonathan nearly loses balance when Danny tries to prevent him from having an attack because of all the excitement.

“Oh, oh!” Jonathan coos when he sees his newborn son looking soulfully up at him from the sling. “Hello my love. Don’t cry, did I scare you?”

“I think he’s overwhelmed with all this love.” Erina laughs, picking up her son as easily as one would a feather pillow so that George could look at his new baby brother.

“My brother!” It’s all George can seem to say.

You beam at the attention, cradling the baby and pulling back the sling so your lovers can gush about their new son. To Erina, who hadn’t been able to attend your birth, this is the first time Giorno has been seen outside of an ultrasound or touched outside of her beautifully slender hands caressing the taut skin of your tummy. Jonathan attended the birth and stayed a few weeks after, and there’s a wordless struggle for possession of the baby between him and Erina as they lean towards your chest to place kisses on his plump cheeks.

Even more sweet is the tiny hand that reaches out from the sling, groping for something, the three of you are unsure what he wants, until you see Giorno’s tiny hand lightly caress George’s cheek.

“Let’s go, we need to get your bags, and then make our way home.” Erina smiles, kissing your lips ever so gently.

“Home…” Jonathan coos fondly.

The way they say it, it makes you ache. You won’t stop aching until you get home, but the pain begins to dull when Erina takes one hand, and Jonathan the other, leading you to the luggage carousel where you will collect the last few things you own. Your old life is behind you now, the prospect of a new life, a happier one now that you’re home, looms in the distance. At this time of night the airport is slowly being deserted, but there’s still a crowd that looks on, almost perplexed at the family consisting of three adults, a service dog, and two little boys who look at each other as if they have found a treasure.

[worldcakecakecake]

On Deutschland and Italia, by Lovino Valenti

Lovino writes a series of blog entries on the relationship between Germany and Italy as he deals with a move to Hamburg, his brother’s wedding, and his budding romance (which he denies) to the infuriating Gilbert Beilschmidt.

                                                               Chapter 7

It was almost midnight and yet Lovino remained awake, sitting by his balcony, reading a novel, indulging himself in some wine, smiling and being at peace…even when a certain loudmouth and insane albino was kept well in his mind.

 He read how the charmer of the tale romanced his beloved with a ridiculous song he whaled for the whole street to hear, embarrassing himself but making the lover laugh in just the high volume that made them present in their setting.

 Lovino chuckled, being reminded himself of the song Gilbert shouted high in the car on their way back. Feliciano joined along, a sudden band ready to play in the concert hall they passed by that moment. It wasn’t until the last song that Lovino dared join, with a thunder of wonderful voice that momentarily made Gilbert and Feliciano fall in awed silence. They returned to finish, making their band complete, laughing and clapping when they had arrived to the restaurant, Augusto heading out with a guitar and Aldrich with a microphone, thinking they still had time to be a part of it.

 Lovino smiled, deciding a halt to his reading, enjoying in the sweet memory and how handsome Gilbert looked, how much he wanted to continue a song and dance about in the restaurant as they had done before.

 It was interrupted by a call, his brother, having him questioning, with it being so late.

 “Pronto,” he answered wanting to get quick into it.

 “Be…Lovi…are you doing anything tomorrow?”

 “Just the office in the morning. What’s going on?” He suspected.

 “Is it all right if you can go to my flower arrangements appointment tomorrow? It’s in the evening so I’m sure you can go. Me and Ludwig have to go…somewhere.” Feliciano gazed over to his fiancé, speaking about in the phone with one of his superiors, pacing and making some accords. Before him on the counter were still lots of papers he needed to read over, sign, get copied, send and some needed translation into Spanish.

 “You two have your own apartments. If you want to do it, just do it. No need to leave to some godforsaken place. You’ll have enough of that in your honeymoon.”

 “It’s not for that!” Feliciano was insulted Lovino would insinuate it. “It’s just something to do with his job and my volunteering. Trust me, I wouldn’t push the appointment aside just to…”

 “Fuck?”

 “Yes. Besides, right now Ludwig is scheduling intercourse for the afternoon after he comes back from work,” Feliciano reported proudly while Lovino wanted to hurl.

 “Too much information and who the hell plans these things? You just do it and that’s it.”

 “We’ve been really busy. Oh, and, is it okay if Gilbert goes with you?”

 The name brought pink and airs that smelled like the sweetest perfume to Lovino.

 “Why-why…why would he have to come?” He really tried to sound annoyed, but Feliciano could tell that there wasn’t the usual harsh cut.

 “Ludwig suggested, thought it could help.”

 Lovino rolled his eyes and faked an annoyed sigh, “fine, I’ll go. Send me whatever I’ll need and I’ll get you some damn flowers. Don’t complain if they are not the exact ones you want.”

 “I know you’ll make a good decision, Lovi. Now, ciao, ti voglio bene!”

 The call was gone and Lovino was left with excitement.

  On Deutschland and Italia.

Art and Inspiration.

I’m taking a part.

 I believe that it’s through art that we show the faces of our country. It speaks more so than any political statement. The European union actually makes it easy to create this movement with different kinds of artists, encouraging connection and understanding. Cities like Berlin are a traditional destination for fashion and architecture from Italy, as well as a point of reference for promotions and managing the most modern museums. Germany is constantly being inspired by Italy. In food, lifestyle, and of course art. Most galleries are filled with proud Italian artists that Germans are awed to see. It presents communication and improves the country’s image more so.

 It is definitely not recent, as this inspiration traces back to the renaissance, when you had Germans coming down to the peninsula hoping to see and admire these paintings that were so talked about. Printing is invented through this, as Germans were trying to find ways to showcase what they saw in Italy to their own kingdoms. They followed their example in their art techniques, not as memorable, but enough to be proud of and make Italians themselves wonder.

 In music, Germans took their most sublime pieces and gave it Italian names, using our created instruments to make memorable melodies to join our own composers.

 Their writers wrote on Italy’s beauty, through constant travel tales or stories of their imagine to explain their experiences. Many of these phrases we quote, and it fill us with pride, and we are happy to read them.

 It works to get us curious, to travel to Germany as well and be inspired by colorful villages, hills of story and cities of feast.

 It is a trade I am happy to share in with these very entries.

  He wore a fine buttoned shirt, a pristine yellow he assured well that morning to be exceptionally clean. Tight jeans, his best shoes, with movement and stride that he wanted people to think of only king’s. Lovino tested it on his office that morning and the gazes he got proved to him that it would be enough.

 He left precisely and was smiling as he took the transport to the flower shop. He spotted Gilbert’s car at the entrance and so smirked, sunglassed eyes making entrance, the ring turning Gilbert, who had been leaning by one of the counters, turning to get baffled, wide eyed and luckily his hanging mouth could be covered by the fact that he kept a hand over it. Lovino removed his sunglasses, showcasing hazel that fitted well with the greens and colors that surrounded the shop.

 To Gilbert, it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

 “Hey! Why so fancy today?” He tried to act like it didn’t evoke any blush, hiding it by facing the cashier, hoping whoever attended this to come that instant.

 “Just uh…an important meeting in the company,” Lovino excused, coming to take seating right in the stool next to Gilbert.

 He really tried to resist, but the corner of his eyes still went down the figure hungrily, especially loving how those jeans hugged those thighs. Much to his embarrassment, Lovino had caught it.

 “What is it?” He didn’t sound annoyed and Gilbert wasn’t landed a hit on the head, in fact, there was temptation in that voice, accepting more of that gaze.

 “Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear the bell ring.” In came a young man, wiping dirt off his hands and laying before them, taking a notebook where surely appointments were written.

 “Beilschmidt-Valenti?”

 “Yes,” both answered.

 “Oh, you both came. Rarely do I get the couple coming together to pick flowers.”

 Both blushed heavily.

 “Oh, wait, no!”

 “We’re not the couple!”

 “Not…Beilschmidt-Valenti?”

 “Well, yeah, we are, just-”

 “Not Ludwig and Feliciano. Were Gilbert and Lovino, their brothers. They couldn’t make it today and so they sent us to deal with the flower arrangements.”

 “Oh, right! My colleague just put a note. Didn’t see it earlier.” He shut the notebook and went to proper introductions. “I’m Toris Laurinaitis and your brothers have chosen me for the flowers. Feliciano already sent me some information concerning the venue, the cake and the theme he wants. I already have some ideas and would like to show some displays we have up.” He stood and led way, the brothers following behind.

 They spent a good half an hour watching all the suggestions, Toris explaining meanings and how things could be set up, as well as trying to sell, making them all a dream beauty that actually made it difficult for Gilbert and Lovino to choose, for their own taste and their brothers.

 “These are beautiful greens, but I don’t think they will fit with what my brother wants.”

 “I agree, but it’s one our of pride works and we love showing it to all our customers.”

 “I do like how you pile them up,” Gilbert admitted, all coming together like one big tree, surrounded beautifully by ornaments.

 “I love this one with the marigolds.”

 “Marigolds? For Ludwig and Feliciano? Definitely not.”

 “Being honest, I think the best option will be…this one,” Gilbert pointed to the vined one with white roses, arched, extended, simple, and despite that green…it would actually flow well with the wedding.

 “Gilbert…I actually agree with you,” Lovino smiled to him.

 Toris joined as well, “I also believe it will be the best option.”

 They settled some minutes of gazing, assuring, decided.

 “We’ll take this one,” Lovino worded.

 “Very well then, I’ll schedule the delivery and date.” He left to surely implement this on a schedule, Lovino holding the card Feliciano gave him ready to pay.

 “You know…the one with the lilies, candles and gold stands would have been more expensive,” Gilbert smirked.

 “And it was stunning, but I know both of them would have found it too excessive. Besides, it was with red roses that Ludwig had confessed to my brother, so roses had to be a must. White for purity.” Gilbert raised an eyebrow. “Purity of the moment. Whatever, I’m glad I could choose it for my brother,” Lovino held himself high, showing well his pride.

 “Wow…we really are trying to make this wedding perfect here.”

 “Hey! Uh…um…uh…” Lovino had no excuse to fill this time, which gave Gilbert a fit of laughter.

 “It’s fine, it’s fine, we’re good…I’m actually glad we’re trying.” Gilbert didn’t know where that impulse came from, how his hand reached a simple red daisy that lay on a table nearby, raising it to lay in the thresholds of Lovino’s curls, sided perfectly, elegant on his face, shinning him the more in lovely colors that drove him closer.

 “Should we…do something to trick Berwald with the flowers?” Gilbert suggested with a chuckle that was endearing, not at all mocking.

 “I…I can’t think of something.”

 “Yeah I uh…I highly doubt they would sell some…poisoned stuff here.”

 It was such a beautiful exchange, Toris coming and not knowing how to interrupt, tapping his foot to the floor awkwardly, until he stepped harshly enough to get their attention. “Sorry to…interrupt, but I have put your brothers on the schedule and now all I need is the payment.”

 “Got it here,” Lovino raised the card, slow in his walk for both to reach the cashier. “I think we’re pretty much done. If you want, you can go ahead.”

 “Are you sure? We could go do something now if you want?”

 “I…” how Lovino would have loved to, but he had to keep some sort of field from letting this extend on. He still had to think, still had to come to terms with what exactly he was feeling and what he wanted with Gilbert. He needed more time. “…I promised to have dinner tonight at Nonno’s and I…have to get going to help.”

 Gilbert only let his disappointment pass low through his eyes, but nodded and understood. “Well…I’ll see you later then…”

 “Yeah…” why did it feel like there was more that they should do? More than that awkward wave and only that intensive look of their eyes.

 Lovino refused to let himself be captive to it, focus on the payment, picking receipts and leaving back home. He kept himself excited at the sea food platter he was sure his grandfather could suddenly prepare. He didn’t notice how Gilbert stared at him still from the comfort of the shop, making sure he was well underground, into the trains and he had the shop for himself once again.

 “Is there…anything else you need?” Toris shyly came forward, wondering still his presence.

 “Yes, can I make an order?”

  It was sudden, but Augusto welcomed his grandson’s visit, indeed having enough fried seafood to keep them chatting and drinking to distraction well into the night. It was midnight when Lovino decided to take his leave, picking his stuff and ready to take the simple stairs up to his own apartment.

 “Oh! Before I forget! Clemente sent me a message that something arrived for you. He hopes you don’t mind he went into your apartment and left it on your table.”

 “Did he tell you what it was?”

 “He was afraid to say.”

 “Must be that new underwear I ordered,” was his farewell.

 One more floor and he was entering his apartment, only a single lamp lighting the large bouquet of tulips. They were bountiful in beauty, in purples, reds, whites and enchanting oranges, in their vase, ordered well and Lovino was paralyzed at the entrance in awe. He wondered if perhaps they were delivered in the wrong apartment, looking about the hall expecting for the real owner to come forward, but the night continued silent and the flowers seemed to keep waiting for him.

 Closing the door behind him he headed closer, noticing a large card, on one side his name written elegantly.

 Yes…they were for him then. But who? He knew of no admirers, he wasn’t dating anybody and lately…the only person on his mind was…he turned the card and noticed the name at the bottom, his heart flourishing and a smile already plastered on his face by the first word at the top.

 ‘Toris here told me that tulips stand for forgiveness, so I thought it be appropriate. I could have asked this in person, and we still can, but it’s a nice gift to truly show and make you understand that I apologize. Not just now, I apologize for everything I’ve done to you ever since we met when you were like…what? Two months old? Whatever just…I’ve realized I was douche, still am and I want things to be different between us from now on. I hope we can be friends. I hope you can give me forgiveness.

 Gilbert.’

 Lovino couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled so largely, he had felt so ecstatic as to even jump across his apartment and scream. He held the letter tight to him, embracing the words and copying them to his heart. He couldn’t wait for a next meeting that would surely be placed by whatever wedding planning Ludwig or Feliciano set. He took his phone, hunting down different chats hoping to find his number, surely once that Feliciano or Nonno had sent it just incase. He remembered scoffing intensely when they did, yet here he was, calling that number, heart about to burst and holding to the card like some desperate teenager.

 “Hallo?” came the questioning answer.

 “It’s…me…”

 “Lovino?”

 “Yeah, just uh…wanted to say, that, I…saw the flowers and they’re…gorgeous and thank you, and I…forgive you.”

 Petrifying silence, the only sound their breaths, their understanding of the words just said.

 “Yes…it’s hard to believe that I would actually forgive you, but…being completely honest, I too was a���jackass. My family was right, I could have avoided a lot of stuff if we could have just actually…talked nicely, found common grounds, had fun, enjoyed. I shouldn’t have been so…stubborn and judging. But…you were right, we were just kids. We didn’t understand anything and we acted on whatever impulse came first.” He breathed, he waited for whatever new words, but instead decided on continuing, “but we are not depending on those impulses anymore. We’re rational, we’re adults and should…understand our feelings more.” Something Lovino wished he could really take to himself. “So…yeah, I’m…sorry and let’s just…be friends, I guess.”

 Silence once again, utter silence.

 “Did you hang up?” Lovino threatened.

 “No, no! I’m here, just…wow, taking all that in.” And finally he heard breathing. So Lovino let him that, settling in laying in their own comforts, until a word could be ready to be said.

 “I…forgive you too. And…yeah, let’s…try this friendship out and actually…make our families proud.” Gilbert was so glad to have made Lovino laugh.

 “Then, that’s great! So…I think we should be heading to sleep now, right?”

 “…yeah.” Gilbert held his extensive words, he wanted to talk, of other things like…holidays, their favorite drinks, sunsets, anecdotes and music, but from all that variety, he remained in his stupefied silence, hoping that maybe Lovino would start.

 “Well, buona notte! Sleep well and I’ll…see you around,” he smiled, one Gilbert could even feel, hoping it was more on his skin.

 “Ja…Gute Nacht…”

 Lovino forced himself to shut the call, turning his glance to the flowers, grin wide, standing, picking and deciding to put them in his room as a good kiss for the morning and before he shut his eyes.

  On Deutschland and Italia.

Exchange Programs.

And what it can lead to.

 Another way to strengthen the relationship between two countries is through academia. What better way to see than through student exchange programs and research institutes.

 The ‘Erasmus’ and ‘Leonardo’ programs are well flourishing in both Germany and Italy, outside of the expecting England, France and Spain. There is in Italy a program literally called ‘University center for the documentation and study of the juridical relationship between Italy and Germany’ which’s job, as the title very obviously suggest, is to establish a relationship of professionals, writings and course students. My own brother was a part of this, which ended in an exchange of cultures, of learning, expanding, settling, even landing him a future husband.

 I did not hear the end of it when he visited me in Naples.

 It’s a youth that is being exposed to our dealings, our works, our being and culture, sharing and enlightening it to become better known, better recognized and for more artistic and intellectual inspirations to come.

  ‘I wish that it could be like that…why can’t it be like that…’ The music only helped to keep Lovino lost, with scenarios in his head, ideas that he shouldn’t be feeding, but what a fantasy he was living.

 “No,” Feliciano decided, scratching it off of the list, stopping the song, looking through his library to hear the next.

 “Wha-what-what? Why-why, why not?” Lovino startled himself from his stupefaction, worried and actually looking slightly…broken.

 Feliciano questioned and grew hesitant to play the next one, afraid he would only make his brother feel worse. “Well, the song is too sad and I think it will just make those without a couple or date more miserable, plus it’s not something Ludwig and I could relate to. Thankfully, our love was never forbidden.”

 The next song that played was a French-Italian song, one Feliciano himself really liked, but decided well against it knowing Ludwig’s distaste for French.

 “Well, we’re you lucky.”

 “One day you’ll be lucky too, Lovino!” Feliciano kept up.

 “Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, I don’t need that sappy shit.”

 “Really?”

 “Yeah, I’m fine, there’s no one-”

 “Not even Gilbert.”

 Lovino held himself completely.

 “He’s…he’s…we’re not talking about this! I’m just here to help you with the damn music. You scratched off that breaking up song, right?”

 “But it’s so catchy!”

 “Hell no! Add some Adele!” He began writing a lot of her songs down in a list, leaving the table in silence.

 “You know…with Gilbert it wouldn’t be forbidden.”

 “Feliciano!” He slammed the pen to the table.

 “I’m just trying to help and make you realize.”

 “Don’t help! All right? It should be enough to you that we’re actually friends now.”

 “But you both want more!”

 “You don’t know that! I don’t know that! I…don’t know what I should do next.” He let himself those thoughts of wondering, of imagining, of acting.

 Feliciano smirked, leaning with a teasing gleam in his eyes, “…you could…tell him exactly how you feel…”

 “Hell no!” Lovino put one of the notebooks against Feliciano’s face.

 “Oh, Lovino…imagine how free you would feel, the happiness you could be in, the wonder, the romance of adventures!” Feliciano wowed, leaning well against the table with the notebook, to the point Lovino thought he would soon break it.

 “Feliciano, were two dumbasses living in Hamburg. There’s no fantasy in that.”

 “But you could make it! You could be together!”

 “Look! I admire your effort here, but really, leave it be, it will take its course and we’ll see what happens.”

 “But you have to let me-”

 “Shhhh!” He commanded harshly, not sparring another words unless it was to deal with this damn music list.

 Feliciano pouted, heavily as they continued their picking. At some point it eased, but whenever it raised again, Lovino would hit him with his pen.

 “I really like that Of Monsters and Men so-” his phone rang loudly, Lovino catching a glimpse, the number from the Dominican Republic. He suspected enough that it had to be from the volunteering Feliciano meant to do there.

 “Scusi, I have to take this.” He stood and was adamant on keeping this conversation out of the apartment, Lovino hearing the echo of voice go upwards, to the top most attic, running away from any prying ears.

 Why was it so important he kept so far? It was a volunteering project. What did Feliciano have to hide about that? Never mind, he kept adding songs by himself, this time Italian rap songs in the purpose of annoying the German attendants, smirking and already laughing at what their expressions would be. He was finishing an entire page by the time Feliciano returned, a deep smile, ecstatic, jumping and holding to his phone in such a grasp Lovino thought he was ready to throw it.

 “Dio, what happened?”

 “Oh, Lovino, they just gave me-” he sat, he began and then he stopped, mouth wide open, looking about, realizing what he had almost done. He changed his glance to the new list his brother made. “Lovino, I really don’t think we should add Caparezza, I mean, Fedez is okay maybe, but-”

 “Hey! Hey! Hey! Don’t change the subject! What happened? Tell me!” He demanded, ready to hear.

 Feliciano pushed his lips in, still with his eyes away, clearly in hiding.

 “Really? Can’t say anything?”

 “It’s…a surprise,” Feliciano hoped could work.

 Lovino rolled his eyes, sighing, tapping his pen to the table. “Fine, keep your stupid surprise and I’ll take all the Caparezza songs out, but I’m adding more Fedez!”

 Feliciano smiled at his achievement on focusing the topic away, oh but Lovino kept it his mind. He will find out soon enough.

  The apartment was in the calm Ludwig sometimes needed by himself. A simple read, a cup of coffee…luckily Feliciano came in his loud presence just as he was beginning to miss him. Footsteps rushed up in a way Ludwig could tell was him even before he burst into the room, laughing, jumping into his arms, showering in kisses and his tight hold warmth that Ludwig let himself lean to, keeping him well on his lap.

 “Are there any special occasions or is this just your usual?” He smirked.

 “They gave me the job!” He shouted, his smile going along with its high volume.

 “The-the the job?”

 “The hospital in Santo Domingo! They were actually in need of a nursing director. I had a lot of the qualifications and experiences and they decided to take me! I’ll be getting paid normally with all the benefits!”

 Ludwig glowed, even moving back trying to take the largeness of the wonderful news. “That’s…that’s amazing, Feliciano! Congratulations!” He brought his arms around his waist and settled on his chest as he rocked them on the sofa with the static of the excitement.

 “Yes! It will be wonderful! You will have nothing to worry about! You can focus on starting the company and I’ll provide for us! I’ll buy the food, pay the bills, make you comfortable and make us happy.” It was a dream, now a reality so close. “I was with Lovi when they called and almost told him, but I think it’s best we leave it a surprise,” he smiled grandiose…but Ludwig soured, dropping down, new agitations instead. “What’s wrong?” Feliciano wondered, dropping down with him, settling on laying on his chest.

 “My family will think me a leech.”

 “No!” Feliciano pouted with an adorable grimace. “You are not! I am just helping you out while you deal with starting a big business, as well as I’ll be advancing in my own career. We’ll be like kings one day!” Feliciano excited high, hands in the air and everything.

 “My family will not understand it this way. They expect me to arrive to Santo Domingo already living in a castle and…providing for you.” But it seemed like the opposite was to happen, saddened, dropped and oh how it made Feliciano just as gloomed, but leaned more into him, taking his face, looking into his eyes, wanting to give him all the sureness of the world.

 “Don’t let what they think decide how we live. When the time comes, we will sit down and explain everything and I’m sure they will understand.” He was positive. “For now it will do and it will make us happy. I want to be given the chance to provide for you as well…it’s more than what my family expected,” he chuckled.

 “They’ll probably think I’m leeching off you too.”

 “No! We will make them understand, I’m sure of it. If you want, maybe we can plan a day to sit down and talk to them. All before the wedding. We’ll show everything and they’ll be okay.”

 Ludwig sighed, a bit more shine to bring his arms back around his fiancé, strengthening and loving. “All right, but until then, we can’t let anybody know.”

 “Got it, amore mio!” He saluted, in a charm that had Ludwig grinning, bringing him down to a deepened kiss that will soon lead to the riding of clothes.

< previous chapter                                                                                                   next chapter >

[roseskiesandbutterflies]

Killer Queen - Chapter 12: Thank God It’s Christmas

Summary: Life is easy when things go your way. I know this from experience. I also know that that can disappear in an instant and that you have to be able to rely on your friends. Luckily my name is Arabella Ruth White and I’m the fifth marauder. But I want to show you the girl behind the mask. It takes a lot of work to be this fabulous, darling. (This story is also on Wattpad and AO3 of the same name.)

A/N: So hello again! I know it’s been 3 months since I last updated this fic, and a lot has changed since August so let me catch you up real quick. First of all, in the UK we basically came out of lockdown only to go back into it last week so that’s great. I’m in Year 11 now which is the last year of high school if you didn’t know, and I’m in the middle of my mocks right now, so my free time has plummeted. This unfortunately means that updates across all of my fics will be much slower for the foreseeable future, or at least until Bojo finally cancels our exams. We can but hope.

I hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry it’s kind of a filler but I promise that the plot is properly about to kick in, just like I said a couple chapters ago. I’ve realised that I’m now the same age as these characters which makes things a lot easier in terms of writing them realistically. Also I’ve decided that all of the characters and just this whole fic in general has main character energy which is Good. We love to see it. Anyways I shall see you next time! Hasta luego.

Warning(s): swearing

Word Count: 3.1k+

Inspiration: random headcanons I found on Tumblr and Pinterest, The Boy Who Killed God by SeraMGrigori on AO3, All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89 on AO3, Sweet Things by Cocomouse on AO3

Taglist: @bhmay @briarrose26

Ask/comment to be on my taglist! Let me know if it’s for a specific fandom(s). Full list is in my bio.

Ruth had her face pressed right up to the glass of the tiny kitchen window, making it smear up from her breath, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She curiously watched her cat, Sooty, cautiously interact with the much larger cat from down the road, circling each other in a manner that would be rather ominous if the former wasn’t a quarter of the latter’s size. Sooty was almost completely obscured by the overgrown grass that was screaming to be cut; Ruth wouldn’t have even known he was outside if it wasn’t for his extraordinarily long tail poking through.

“Ruth, why are you sitting on my poor washing machine?” her mother came in, half amused, half concerned, “You’re going to break the damn thing.”

She gasped in mock offence and turned round to look at her, “Are you trying to say something, Mum?”

She gave her a knowing look and said, “You know that’s not what I meant. Now, you didn’t answer my question, what on earth are you doing on my washing machine?”

She jumped off before Jocelyn could chastise her any further, “I’m waiting for the boys. We were saying about going down the pier or something today so we could give each other our presents, and I’m waiting for James’s parents to apparate them all to our garden. And they’re taking forever,” she pouted, elongating the last word way more than necessary.

“Well, what time did you tell them to come round?”

Ruth thought about it for a second before saying, “Around one o’clock, I think.”

She raised an eyebrow, “And what time is it now?”

She looked at the ground and mumbled, “Half twelve.”

“Well, there you go. You have half an hour, and you haven’t even got dressed yet,” she pointed out.

“But-”

“No buts. You’re not going out in your dressing gown so go and get dressed,” she said, playfully swatting Ruth with the tea towel and chasing her out of the kitchen.

She laughed maniacally as she ran out of the room, “But Mother, I am dressed,” she said, taking off her dressing gown like a stripper.

“Then why are you wearing your dressing gown?” Jocelyn asked exasperatedly.

“Because it’s bloody cold!” Ruth grinned.

“Language,” she muttered, shaking her head with a smile but sobering up when she noticed Ruth’s face fall, “What’s up with you?”

She faltered for a moment, caught off guard by Jocelyn’s quick observations, “Mum, did you, erm, did you hear about Melanie?” she grimaced with the fear of treading grounds such as those. Her cousin hadn’t mentioned anything about who she had told about the pregnancy, so for all Ruth knew, Jocelyn didn’t have a clue and she was about to get Melanie into some serious trouble.

Luckily for them both, Jocelyn’s face softened with understanding, “I heard. Your aunt told me all about it a couple weeks ago.”

“What do you think about it all? I mean, Christ, Mum, she’s only seventeen,” Ruth sighed, running a hand across her hair with an anxiety that she hadn’t even realised she had been suppressing.

“Come here,” she said, taking Ruth into her arms and holding her for a moment, “She’s going to be okay. She’s not alone, remember that. She’s got your aunt and us and that boyfriend of hers. She’ll be fine.”

A sudden knock at the window followed by four familiar faces made both Ruth and her mum look up in surprise, followed by a disappointed laugh from the former when she noticed that Sirius was only wearing his signature leather jacket, with no hat, scarf or gloves. She opened the kitchen door to let them in, hugging each of them as they entered.

Jocelyn smiled at the group before winking at her daughter, “I’ll make myself busy, then. Have fun today,” she said as she left with her steaming cup of tea.

Ruth grinned before turning to the boys, “Sirius, darling, it’s December, not June. Where the hell is your coat? And don’t tell me you’re too cool to actually keep yourself warm,” she added before the boy in question could say anything.

“Leave it, Ruth, I’ve been trying to talk some sense into him all morning, he won’t listen,” James sighed dramatically, sounding scarily like an exhausted mother.

“I won’t listen? You’re the one who nearly strangled me with that damn scarf!” Sirius exclaimed, looking desperately to the others for back-up, only to be met with shrugs.

“You dress appropriately for the weather, or you face the consequences,” James deadpanned, before bursting into laughter from the miffed expression on Sirius’s face.

“God, you really have become your mum, haven’t you?” Peter smirked, holding back his own laughter.

“Shut up, Pete!” he whined, stomping on the ground petulantly.

“Now you’re my brother,” Ruth snorted.

*************

The fresh air bit at their noses as they made their way down the bustling high street, bracing themselves against the crisp December wind. Sirius was still the only one not wearing a coat, the rest of the group bundled up in their Gryffindor scarves which may or may not have been the only scarves they owned. Except for fifteen-year-old-grandmother Remus, who absolutely had a worrying obsession with anything you could make via knitting and the like. Peter had been positively swallowed up, and between his hat that looked about two sizes too big and his scarf, you could only see his eyes and the top of his nose.

“It’s a bit nippy out here, lads,” Ruth said, just as an icy gust of wind hit them, bringing tears to eyes, and actually making Peter stumble a little bit. As Jocelyn said at every possible opportunity, the wind was always stronger at the seaside.

“Is it really, Ruth? Gosh, I hadn’t noticed, thank you for telling me,” Remus glared at her, which would have been tenfold more menacing if half of his face wasn’t concealed by windswept hair.

“You are most welcome, dear Remus,” she grinned, sticking her tongue out at him in defiance.

“Children. Actual children,” Sirius muttered in a tone not at all dissimilar to that of an exasperated father.

“Says the one who refused to put his scarf on because he’s a stubborn bastard,” James said pointedly.

“Oh, you’re still going on about that one?”

“Always, my dear boy, always. I’m already making sure my best man’s speech mentions it at least twice,” he said proudly.

“He’s gotta find someone to marry first,” Peter pointed out, voice muffled from under his scarf.

“And what’s that supposed to meant, Pete?” Sirius rounded on him, forgetting completely about James’s strange obsession with his lack of winter clothing.

“Well, I don’t know but it might have something to do with the fact that you’ve never had a girlfriend for longer than three weeks,” Ruth shrugged.

“Oh, that’s rich coming from you, Ruth,” Remus laughed, “But she does have a point, Sirius.”

“Why are you all ganging up on me, it’s very rude,” he huffed, “Anyway, it’s not my fault that I want to win the bet me and Ruth started in third year.”

“Darling, you’ve always had the option to pull out and admit that I am proud to be the biggest hoe that Hogwarts has ever seen,” she said with as much faux innocence as one can muster while talking about sex.

Sirius was silent for a moment before pointing out, “Wait, hang on, I’ve had a girlfriend for longer than three weeks. I went out with Emmeline Vance for about five months!”

“You mean you were on again, off again with Emmeline Vance for about five months,” Remus raised an eyebrow.

“You’re both gonna end up clapped as anything by the time we leave,” Peter mumbled as they walked through the threshold of their destination: Ruth’s beloved record shop.

Cromer’s one and only record shop was a favourite haunt of Ruth’s. If anyone wanted to find her during the school holidays, the record shop would be the first place they would go to, the second being the arcade on the promenade because they have the best games darling, and the third being the beach. It never seemed to cross anyone’s mind to look for her at her own home; it was a generally unspoken rule of sorts in the town that seeing Ruth at her house was as rare as seeing a double rainbow. It was the place where a good part of her pocket money went to, and the owner was incredibly grateful to have such a loyal customer. Ruth just told him to consider himself lucky that his was the only establishment in walking distance of her house that supplied her with her vinyl obsession. And oh boy, did he do just that. The White family were responsible for a good twenty per cent of his sales.

They filed into the shop, instantly taking off their hats when the somewhat aggressive heat hit them. The limited daylight spilt in through the floor-length windows that flanked the door, highlighting the records on show. The shop itself was rather small, with only two aisles running straight down to the till. They were separated by cases upon cases of albums, packed like sardines into their crates and sorted semi-alphabetically. Posters adorned almost every available space on the otherwise dull walls, looking over the customers with a keen interest. Underneath them were further crates, these ones pushed back against the walls and full of singles, which were ordered even more haphazardly than the albums if you could believe that. Ruth made her way down one of the aisles, leaving the boys to browse artists that they barely even knew. At the back end of the shop sat the counter, behind which sat the owner, Steve.

Steve was a rather short and stout man who had the grave misfortune of looking around a whole decade older than he actually was. That was more so to do with the way with which he held himself, and the fact that he wore those glasses that had a chain attached that you only see on elderly men, than his physical appearance. He had a terribly receding hairline that seemed to creep back every time Ruth came into his shop. She reckoned that he’d be completely bald by the time she left Hogwarts for good. He always seemed to wear the same attire, consisting of loose-fitting trousers and a grey t-shirt that always had a stain that Ruth would rather not enquire after. His fingers were coated with a nicotine stain that you only get after smoking for a good few decades, teeth and fingernails tinted yellow.

His smile was warm, and his eyes lit up like a match when he noticed Ruth walking up to the counter, “Arabella, good to see you!”

“You too, Steve, how’s everything been these past couple of months?” she asked, leaning on the counter with her elbows.

“Not bad, not bad,” he said, “A lot better than this time last year, that’s for sure. Thanks, by the way, for the advert in the newspaper suggestion. Business has gone up a great deal since then.”

“Well, I couldn’t let you give up the shop that easily, could I? Nah, you’ve supplied me with the very best music these past few years, it was the least I could do,” she beamed.

He smiled gratefully at her before glancing at the boys behind her, leafing through bands they’d never even heard of for the most part, “I see you’ve brought your mates at last.”

Ruth snorted as they all poked their heads up and waved at the same time, each one oblivious to the other, “Yeah, I thought I might as well, I’ve been putting it off for too long.”

“One of them your boyfriend?” he winked, laughing at Ruth’s mortified expression.

“No! God, no, that’s a horrible thought,” she shivered, recoiling in disgust.

“What’s a horrible thought?” Sirius asked as he sauntered up to the counter.

“Your face,” Ruth muttered as he swatted her shoulder, mouth agape in shock.

“How rude! I can’t believe you would say something like that!” he gasped before turning around and whining, “James! Ruth’s being mean to me!”

It was then James’s turn to gasp in disappointment, “Is she? Oh, come here, I’ll protect you from the meanie,” he said in the most motherly voice he could muster, opening his arms and hugging Sirius while glaring at Ruth.

She stared at them in disbelief, looking at Remus and Peter for guidance, only to be met with shrugs. She resolved to simply shaking her head in exasperation and turning to the ‘new releases’ section of the shop.

*************

“You know what we should do,” Ruth said, holding up a chip to emphasise her point, “We should go on a gang holiday when we’re older. Just go travelling for a couple of weeks or something.”

They were currently sitting on the beach which, as you can probably imagine, isn’t the most pleasant of experiences in the middle of winter. The harsh wind nipped at their faces and Peter’s nose was crimson with the cold, but they found themselves sitting there anyway, watching the teal waves advance and retreat under the December mist that lazily rested on the ocean’s surface. They were sharing a couple of bags of chips that they’d bought from the chippy just aound the corner from Ruth’s house, trying their best to shield them from the prying seagulls circling the skies above them like hawks.

Peter audibly gasped with excitement, “We should get one of those caravans that muggles used to drive all the time in the sixties.”

“Yes! And we could charm it so it’s bigger on the inside like the tents they have at the Quidditch World Cup!” James added, ecstatic just to have been able to chime in with a Quidditch reference, let alone about the actual holiday. Sirius grinned stupidly as they high fived, making Ruth cringe and groan like an embarrassed daughter having to watch her parents kiss. Though, once she thought about it, that analogy was pretty accurate, perhaps more than she would have liked.

Remus held out his hands in suspense, something he always did when he’d thought of a master plan, “Two words. Tardis. Caravan.”

The sounds that then erupted from the group could not be described as human, more like a group of over-excited seagulls.

Once they’d calmed down, which took more time than it probably should have done, James suggested, “We should go to France so Sirius can show his French off!”

Sirius glared at him, muttering under his breath and by doing so, proving James’s point, “Putain de chienne. Je ne me montre pas, vous seriez tous perdus sans moi.”

“Oui, oui, er, baguette,” Peter snorted, rubbing his arm when Sirius hit at him playfully.

“Right, well,” Remus cut in before they jumped at each other’s throats, “Presents? The whole reason we’re here?”

“Gosh, Moony, here I was thinking that you were here because you wanted to see us and enjoy our company, but no, you just want your damn chocolate,” Sirius huffed.

Remus blinked at him for a second before asking tentatively, “Moony?”

“Moony,” he nodded.

Remus pinched his brow and sighed, “I’m going to regret asking but why?”

“Werewolf. Moon. Moony,” he explained as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

He raised an eyebrow at him, “Do I get a say in this by any chance?”

“No. I’ve thought of names for all of us, actually. I’m Padfoot, Peter’s Wormtail, Ruth is Silverspot and James is Prongs,” he counted off his fingers before nodding resolutely.

James smirked, eyes gleaming and Ruth already knew what he was going to say, “Am I Prongs because of my big–”

She slapped a hand over his mouth and glared at him menacingly, “Finish that question and I swear to God, James, I will slap you into next year.”

“Sirius, I think you’ve had far too much spare time on your hands,” Remus said while James and Ruth engaged in a very mature staring competition that lasted all of ten seconds.

“Yeah, five days without us and you’ve given us all nicknames,” Peter added, looking rather concerned for his friend’s mental state.

“Do you want me to change yours to Massive Knobhead?” Sirius asked with a scarily fake smile on his face.

James cut in before any fighting could ensue, “Okay, let’s get on to the presents, shall we?”

Sirius just shrugged and made a noise of vague agreement, while Peter just looked rather relieved to avoid conflict.

*************

“Sirius, will you keep still!”

It was the fifth time that Remus had had to utter those words in the past two minutes, much to everyone’s annoyance and to Sirius’s amusement.

“Keeping still is for wimps!” Sirius announced with a stupid grin on his face before ruffling his hair once again.

“My fingers are gonna fall off from the cold at this rate,” Peter scowled, shooting daggers at Sirius with his eyes. Remus had given him a polaroid camera for Christmas after he’d been going on and on about wanting a muggle one all year, and he’d been trying his best to get a photo of the others for what felt like hours.

“Sirius stand still or I will petrificus totalus your sorry ass,” Ruth groaned, and James had to suppress a cheer when Sirius finally, finally, did as he was told. Peter took the photo as quickly as he could and waited patiently for the photo to develop, grinning when the image came into colour. “Let us see, then!” she exclaimed impatiently, holding her hands out like a baby would and snatching the photo from Peter.

“Oi, careful, I did not wait that long for Sirius to stop moving for you to just rip the bloody photo in half,” Peter huffed, re-joining the group with a false reluctance.

James grinned when he got a look at the photo, “Oh, Pete, that’s a bloody good photo. You should be a photographer or something,” he said, ruffling Peter’s hair playfully as the boy’s face flushed red.

“He’s got a point, Wormtail,” Remus mused, watching Sirius’s face light up at his use of the nickname, “It is a good photo. Though it’s weird having us stood still for once, I’m so used to us being in magical pictures.”

“I like it,” Ruth smiled, glancing at the boys affectionately, “I think it makes it even more special,” she paused for a moment, inhaling the very essence of that moment and relishing in it, “Happy Christmas, lads.”

[petri808]

A Forgotten Email

Finale. I don’t think it’s as long as the first two parts, but has a New Years Eve twist 😊.   Happy New Year Everyone!

Part 1 Part 2  modern InuKag AU.  it’s a little rushed, but I really wanted to get this posted tonight.  

The rocky beginnings of their introduction were all but a distant memory for Inuyasha and Kagome.  It hadn’t gone from weeds to roses over night, but at least they got along now, and the relationship was a slow bloom in progress much to the delight of certain individuals.  Toga was pleased with Kagome as both an employee and possible love interest for his son.  The girl was smart, sweet, but feisty.  Now that they were on a good track, Toga backed off to watch from a distance.

“Everything’s been set up Toga,” Kagome began reading off her clipboard.  “Caterer, bartender, servers, decorating company, music, and invitations have gone out this morning.”

“Well done Kagome!” He sits back in his chair with a smile. “Our annual New Year’s Eve Gala has always been popular with our clients and employees, but with your skills, I believe this will be the best one yet!”

Kagome blushes. “You flatter me too much. I’m just doing my best.”

He chuckles, “I speak no lies. Over the years, I’ve had many secretaries, but you are in the top three.”

Her eyebrow raises, amused. “And it has nothing to do with me dating your son?”

Toga feigns shock, “of course not!”

She laughs, knowing that a tiny bit of it lays with that fact.  “Okay boss.  If that will be all, I’ll see you in the morning.”

“That would be all.”

In the two weeks leading up to the party, there were a lot of things to take care of for the business.  It was customary for the company to close from January 1st and reopen on the 4th to allow employees to celebrate according to tradition.  The party was to usher in good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year, but also kick start the short vacation.  Being closed for so many days, all orders needed to be filled, pending contracts taken care of, and end-of-year financial balancing completed.  Everyone was running around and working hard to get it all done.  

The one downside was the fact Kagome couldn’t see Inuyasha as often as she’d have liked.  Working through lunches, one would work late, but not the other, didn’t allow for much personal time.  Most days she was tired and just wanted to sleep so she’d be fine the next day.  But it couldn’t be helped because of their positions.  This was her first time having such heavy responsibilities, though it was nice to know her boss appreciated what she did.  

‘Did you get your dress yet?’  Inuyasha messages Kagome a week before the party through the intra-office system.

‘Not yet.  I was going shopping this weekend to find one.  Why?’

‘It’s not me.  My… mom did.’

‘Your mom??’

‘She wants to take you shopping, something about making it a girl’s day.’

‘…..’

‘I know.  Want me to have her call you?’

‘Um.  Okay.’

‘Cool.  BTW how is the report coming?’

‘Bringing it down by lunchtime.’

‘Perfect…’

Within 15 minutes of logging off with Inuyasha, Kagome’s cellphone rings.  It was his mother, Izayoi.  A sweet and sprightly woman that Kagome adored from the moment she met her, and it was obvious the feeling was mutual.  Izayoi insisted on taking her out on Saturday to do her nails and find a dress for the gala, saying something about the whole family matching.  Of course, Kagome tried to respectfully decline. She didn’t want to appear as though she were taking advantage of them, but Izayoi swiftly dismissed the girls worry.  A mom always wants the best for her son, the woman had put it, and as far as she was concerned, Kagome was already a part of their family.  Kagome spent the rest of the afternoon wondering just what did Izayoi have planned.

Asking Inuyasha was of no help.  That evening during a late dinner, the man simply shrugged his shoulders and said his mom knew his clothing size and would have his outfit prepared and ready before the dinner.  He had no idea what it would look like.  Oh well, it wasn’t such a bad thing, Kagome guessed.  Based on everything Inuyasha had told her, and from her own knowledge of the woman, Izayoi had good tastes, so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

The rest of the week blows by soon enough.  Things at the company were moving right on schedule.  All the orders that needed to be filled would be finished with time to spare, and the accounting department was finishing up the reports.  The business had done well that year, finishing with a net profit that exceeded their annual projections.  In fact, aside from just having a lot to juggle, the only real issue that came up was the caterer unable to find a specific new year’s ingredient.  Luckily for Kagome, and with Toga’s approval, they were able to find and fly it in from another country.  Crisis averted.  

On Saturday morning, Izayoi picks Kagome up around 10am.  First, they had any early lunch to fuel their plans for the day.  Next stop was nails, pedicures, and facials.  Kagome had to admit that it was a nice, relaxing break.  It had been awhile since she’s ever had the works done like this.  In fact, the last time was probably back when she and Sango were still in college as a way to de-stress after finals.  She wasn’t very fond of wearing fake nails, preferring to keep hers short to make typing easier, but for the holiday, it would look nicer.  So, when it came time to choose the style or color, Kagome allowed Izayoi take the reins.  A white base with reddish and gold accents, perfect for the New Year’s good luck tradition.

It was at that point, as the chauffer drove them to their final destination, that Izayoi told Kagome of the type of dress she was hoping to find.  

“Back in the old days,” the older female muses, “we would wear fancy kimono and elegant head pieces to such events.  But times are different now.”

“Really?”  Kagome tips her head in confusion.  It was becoming rare in these modern times for women to dress up in such a way except for very special events.  She knew they may don kimono or yukata to attend New Year’s church ceremonies, but headpieces too?  

Izayoi chuckles, “well, I was a Princess during those times, so it was expected of us.”

“Princess?!”  

“Oh,” the woman laughs, her eyes crinkling in amusement, “Toga didn’t tell you anything about me?”

Kagome shakes her head.

Izayoi sits back, looking up as if in contemplation.  “My memory sometimes fails me, but that was about 300 years ago.  Life was very different back then, so much simpler.  It took some getting used to all the change’s but having my family around makes it easier.”  

Kagome’s jaw drops.  She knew the yokai world was very different from the human one, but Izayoi was also human.  How could she be over 300 years old?!  The surprised expression spread across her face made Inuyasha’s mother laugh.  

“My dear, you really had no idea, did you?”  

Again, Kagome shakes her head enthusiastically.  

“Yokai age very, very slowly.  On the rare occasion that they fall in love with a human, certain things must be done so that the human can be with them.”  She places a hand on Kagome’s knee.  “I will let Inuyasha explain more in due time, but just know that yes,” Izayoi chuckles again, “I am much older than I look.”

“Wow….  I sometimes wondered what would happen.  I mean, I knew Inuyasha ages differently from me, but I never really thought about the future and how it would affect us.”

Izayoi’s eyes crinkle, happy with Kagome’s words and tone.  She could tell this girl was falling in love with her son but didn’t want to be too nosy.  If it was meant to last, it will.  When her husband Toga had first told her about Kagome, she hadn’t wanted to hold out too much hope.  Her son rarely ever showed any interests in a female, nor did many stick-around because of his personality.  Toga spoke very highly of the young woman their son was seeing, but it was only after 6 months of dating, did she decide to see who this Kagome was for herself.  Needless to say, she had been pleasantly surprised.

“Does it feel better to know, things will be fine?”

“Yes,” Kagome exhales.

“I’m happy to hear that.”

The two women search through a couple of high-end stores before finding just the right dresses, not only for Kagome, but Izayoi as well.  After that, they stop at a tailor and pick up the custom suits Izayoi had ordered for Toga and Inuyasha.  She explained, that because of the men’s physiques, it was easier to have the suits made for them.  Kagome could understand that.  Inuyasha and Toga both had large, broad chests and shoulders, that if the shirt and jacket were not cut well, it would be extremely tight and uncomfortable to wear.

As Izayoi drops Kagome off at her apartment, she leaves with one final, and uncompromising message.  “Our driver will pick you up at 2pm next Tuesday.”

“But the dinner isn’t until 6pm.”

Izayoi grins, “hair and makeup, my dear, takes time to perfect.”  She winks, “see you then!  And tell my son nothing, I want you to be a surprise.”

Kagome stands on the sidewalk, watching the car drive away.  Oh boy, she chuckles and shakes her head with a small smile.  A surprise for Inuyasha?  It was true, this’ll be the first time he’ll see her dressed up in a gown.  A beautiful gown, and one that would have taken her a month’s salary to afford on her own.  She found it amusing and endearing how much effort his mother was putting into this party attire, but she guessed it was to be expected to want the best for one’s child.

For the next two days, it wasn’t easy keeping her word to Izayoi, when a certain Hanyo son was constantly bugging her to know what his mother had said or done during their Saturday shopping trip.  Kagome did her best, simply saying they’d had a great time doing girly things.  Inuyasha whined that his mom was meddling, but Kagome shrugged it off.  That’s what mothers do sometimes.  At least in this case, it wasn’t personally intrusive, but rather quite sweet.  

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Kagome wakes up by 8am and readies herself for the day because it was going to be a long one.  She gathers everything she’ll need, expecting to not get home until the wee hours of New Year’s Day.  And sure enough, Izayoi’s driver is parked outside of her building at 2pm on the dot.

Kagome gets into the car, where Izayoi greets her and explains they’ll be going to a private salon to prepare for the evening.  There, they’ll be dressed, have their hair and makeup done, and any other last-minute touch-ups made.  The place was nothing like any salon Kagome had ever seen before!  The most she’s ever spent on her hair was a few dollars to trim it, and well makeup was something she barely wore.  It was all new experiences for the young woman who’s never had someone dress her before.

Three hours fly by quickly, and before Kagome knew it, they were ready to make the drive to the hotel where the company party was being held at.  When they arrive, Izayoi ushers her into a side room.

“Wait, but I’m in charge of making sure things are set up for the party.”  Kagome insists on not staying in the room.  

“It’s fine, I asked Miroku to step in for now.  I don’t want you to appear in the ballroom until Inuyasha arrives.”

Oh geez, this woman really was hell-bent on surprising her son.  

“Shouldn’t be much longer, I promise.  Toga texted me that they are on their way now.”  

A few minutes later, Izayoi’s phone ping’s and she leaves the room.  Meanwhile Kagome waits, pacing the floor.  She knew that Miroku was capable, but if anything goes wrong, it was her responsibility to take care of it.  Everything wrong that could happen funnels through her mind causing her anxiety to rise, so after 10 minutes, Kagome is tired of waiting.  She stomps over to the door and swings it open, running right smack into Inuyasha.

“Kagome?!”

“Inuyasha?!”

Seconds tick by when a staring contest ensues, neither able to tear their eyes away.  It was like seeing each other for the first time.  Turns out, Izayoi’s surprise swung both ways.

“Wow… you look so beautiful Kagome.”  Inuyasha was stunned.  The red dress seemed made for her.  Its smooth fabric hugging her hourglass frame like it was molded to her body, while the skirt flowed free right at the thigh to allow movement.  The strapless, boned corset top snuggly held her bosoms and showed… a little too much of her milky skin.  Not too much for him, oh no, too much for other males prying eyes.  Kagome’s hair was pinned up on one side with a decorative hair pin and miniature kanzashi pick, while the other side was twisted and wind-swept to fall in light curls draping over her shoulder.              

Her face heats up into a blush.  “You look pretty handsome yourself Inuyasha.”  His white, double-breasted suit with red handkerchief in the pocket cut was cut in immaculate fashion.  That tailor had really outdone themselves.  A matching tie, and his hair polished and pulled into a high ponytail completed the masterpiece.    

Inuyasha reaches out to cradle her cheek, gently running his fingers over her skin.  He holds her gaze, and Kagome her breath as he leans in…

“Ah hem.”  The pair stop and turn to the voice of Toga Inutaisho.  “As much as I’d like to leave you two alone, that belongs for midnight.”  He snickers, “we have guests arriving.”

“Oh hun,” Izayoi chuckles quietly, “there’s nothing wrong with one kiss.”  She was thrilled to see that her work brought the results she’d been hoping for.

Toga laughs and sweeps in his own wife around the waist, placing a quick kiss on her lips.  “Tis true my love.  Alright kids, just make it quick.”

As soon as Inuyasha’s parents leave them alone again, Kagome looks back to see Inuyasha with the most pissed off look, and one she hasn’t seen since the day they’d met.  She giggles, for yes, she couldn’t agree more.

“Hey,” she turns Inuyasha’s face to hers.  “The moment hasn’t left… yet.”

“But that prick just had to interrupt….”

“Inuyasha…”

He stops whining, “yes?”

Kagome giggles again.  “Will you just shut up and kiss me.”        

The hanyo’s ears perk up and a wide grin reappears.  “Screw the party and lock the doors cause imma kiss you till the clock strikes midnight…” 

[aceoutofplace]

My first 24 hours

So.... I made it. After 3 days, 3 planes and an hour and a half car ride, I made it to Zomba, Malawi for my 9 week internship. Holy cow. I had absolutely no expectations when I started my journey, and so far it has blown my mind. As I write this, I’m sitting on my porch looking out over a lush valley. I’m playing Hozier from my phone. Birds are singing and the occasional family of monkeys is wandering by. So how did I get here? Let me just review the last 24 hours for everyone.

I landed in Blantyre around noon yesterday (Saturday) and was picked up by a driver at the airport. He was so sweet and funny. He tried to teach me Chewa, although that was for nought. All I remember is that the second part of good morning sounds like branch. We talked about customs, dress, animals, and everything under the (very hot) sun. Unfortunately, I didn’t get his name, but I hope our paths cross again. Once I got to the office, one of the interns, Bongani, gave me a tour of the office and my living quarters. She drove me to a convenience store to get some food and snacks for the weekend since I wouldn’t see anyone else until Monday. I got beans, bread, some chicken, and margarine. They didn’t have peanut butter or jelly or any sandwich meats. Luckily, I brought quite a lot of snacks and vienna sausages from home (@ Jackie). Bongani also advised me to wait to buy more stuff until I could get to a market since everything was way over priced at the store. 

Once we got back to the house, Bongani left me to unpack and rest. I couldn’t take a nap until I was completely unpacked since I’m neurotic. There’s more closet and storage room than my house back in Seattle, but I still managed to use a vast majority of it... I may have over packed. Whoops. I also wanted to spruce up the place so I stole a plant from the hallway. I may have to put it back eventually, but hopefully they won’t notice. Once I finally unpacked everything and felt satisfied, I laid down for a nap. As soon as I hoped into bed, one of the legs snapped off. I’m trying not to be offended by it. I was too exhausted to do anything about it, so I angled myself in order to put most of my weight on the remaining three legs and slept for five hours. When I woke up, it was 9:30 pm. I was still tired, but I didn’t want to wake up too early the next day so I started my reflection paper for class, and called my mom and friend, Jackie. I also texted my supervisor about the broken bed. I watched a couple of youtube videos and finally went to bed at 11:30.

I woke up this morning at 5:45 am. Much to my horror, I couldn’t go back to sleep so I played some games on my phone, listened to music and chilled (diagonally) in bed. I finally decided to get up at 6:30, took a quick shower, got dressed, and then made myself a delicious and nutritious breakfast of coffee, toast, and vienna sausages. I also treated myself to a kind bar while I finished my reflection. Quality. Just past 8, I left the house and walked until I found a church. I sat through the remainder of the service not understanding anything besides amen. They did do a version of Amazing Grace that I really got into. I ooo’d harmony. It was great. The choir took up multiple rows of pews and many of them were wearing matching skirts that had the logo of the church on them. They were really official and sounded so good. Some songs had choral-ography and everything. After service I walked home. While I did really enjoy being able to experience that service for myself, I’m hoping someone from the office will be willing to take to an english speaking service for the remainder of my time here. 

Something that I knew I would experience, but it didn’t really hit me until I got here, was the fact that I would be a minority in Zomba. I thought that I would be used to it since I am used to being one of the only people of color in a room or conversation. In the US really anyone not visibly white is bunched into the same category. We find camaraderie in our experience as minorities. Because I grew up understanding blackness to include a vast amount of shapes, colors, and sizes, I learned to think of other black people as the same as me. Here, however, I am so obviously not the same. People stare, laugh, and honk at me. I really didn’t think it would be so obvious that I’m not from here. Call it ignorance, but I thought mixed race people would be a lot more common here than they are. Even lighter skinned black people are rare. I’m still processing it, and I’m sure I’ll have many more conversations with people about race, skin color, and the history of imperialism in Malawi, but facing it so explicitly today, and by myself, no less, has been really shocking. Something else that I didn’t expect was the huge gender divide that exists everywhere. Anytime you see a group of people, you either see a group of men and young boys, or women and young girls. There’s little to no intermingling unless it’s a short conversation, a family, or a young boy amongst a group of women or girls. Here, there’s a very obvious separation between gender. Even in church this morning, women sat on one side and men sat on the other.  I’m sure there will be many more conversations in the coming months about gender and cultural expectations in Malawi, but those have been my thoughts and observations so far. 

There’s really no way that I can encapsulate my last day’s experience in one phrase, or even one post, but I think the best way to summarize it has been that everything is the same as the US, but really different. 

Tiwonana,

This world traveler. 

[milenasanchezmk]

Ask the Coach: Primal Health Coaches Answer Your Questions

A couple weeks ago I asked for ideas for our Primal Health Coaches—what questions have you ever wanted to ask a Primal Health Coach? Many of you wrote in, and I loved reading your ideas. There were so many excellent thoughts I couldn’t begin to include them all here. (Luckily, our coaches might join us for a future post.)

So, sit back and take a look at what our Primal Health Coaches have to say about meal plans, cardio classes, behavior change, physician recommendations, their Primal Health Coach Institute experience, and more!

Question #1, from Jeannie: “Do you make customized, individual plans for every client? What does that encompass? Also, what resources do you use as a Primal Health Coach that allows you to provide support for your many clients?”

“The framework for the Primal lifestyle is the same for everyone, and most people will get really far with the basic template. Initially my goal is to help my client get the baseline set, see what changes, and then make adjustments from there. My suggestions are tailored to each client and the goals they wish to reach. While I do supply handouts for the first month I don’t for the additional months because any changes that are made are usually small. I know many people like meal plans but I don’t think they promote long term success. Meal plans can help give a client ideas, but that rarely translates into generating meal ideas on one’s own. In my opinion it can often lead back to old habits, because nothing was really learned.” – Jen Essary

“I approach all clients from an individual perspective in order to meet them where they are. We work together to come up with their top three health goals, and then narrow this down to one that they can most easily be successful with in order to motivate them to move on to the next. I rely on many of the resources I’ve gained from the Primal Health Coach course, as well as my years of experience working as a personal trainer.” – Regina Barak

“I do not customize. My service offers the opportunity to achieve optimal health. Healthy people tend to reach their ideal weight, and experience less disease and sickness; and healthy people tend to avoid chronic disease. I have to ensure all aspects of a healthy lifestyle are put into effect for a total life transformation. Most people will say they already eat right, exercise correctly or live a stress-free lifestyle. But missing any one of these factors will sabotage the overall goal of optimum health.” – Ron Drillen

“I will usually ask for food preferences and offer a selection of about 21 meals to try to add to their repertoire. I share all of my favorite food bloggers whose recipes I trust, so they can explore and make their own choices.” – Roxann Morello

“Hi Jeanine. The quick answer is, no, I do not make customized meal plans for each client. I work alongside the client to develop a weekly meal strategy. When a client goes into the week with a strategy (what to eat, and why), they tend to be more likely to stick with it. For me the best approach is to talk through the personal and work challenges in the week ahead. Are there going to be a few long nights at work? Is there a kids’ practice or game that will keep them out later, or unable to make a full meal? We work together to identify the strategy that will work best for those specific scenarios. I believe weekly meal plans certainly have a place, but they should not be given without a real strategy in place for the week.” – Steven Konsdorf

“I make a customized plan with every client. I have clients fill out an intake form a few days before our first session. When we meet, we can discuss their specific answers, goals, and visions of health, and begin forming a plan to get there. We move forward each week with their individual plan. During our coaching sessions, clients often bring something they want to discuss; a favorite book or article, or a recipe. We dissect it together and find ways it can fit into their Primal lifestyle. I use all kinds of resources! I love the Tendencies quiz by Gretchen Ruebin to help client learn about how they deal with internal and external expectations. I have blogs, podcasts and books I use and recommend, and also a lending library of books and cookbooks for my clients. One of my favorite resources is the supportive network of Primal Health Coaches. I can ask anything of these great people and I get brilliant ideas back! I love resources, learning and sharing new ideas. It’s my favorite aspect of coaching!” – Sara Baird

“In many cases, developing customized meal plans is actually out of scope of practice for health coaches. Health coaches are advocates for behaviour change… and I can tell you from experience that very few people ever established a new behaviour (and had it stick!) from following a prescribed meal plan. As a Primal Health Coach, I take my clients on a journey of education: so they can learn and understand WHAT foods support them and – this is the important part – WHY. The entire goal is to eventually graduate ciients from my care, and I need to feel confident that they know how to feed themselves in the absence of a meal plan. I supply my clients with a comprehensive Foods To Use and Foods To Lose list, and let them make meals they love, in whatever configuration they like.” – Erin Power

Question #2, from Julia: “I like taking 45-60 mins long spin classes. But, my heart rate gets VERY high. It’s definitely not slow and steady cardio and the class drills are a bit long to qualify as sprints. When or how do I work these workouts in to a primal lifestyle?”

“I have so many questions about this scenario. How often are you taking these classes? How do you feel afterwards? How are your sugar cravings? Are you starving after class? Do you have weight loss goals? What are your goals? From what you have written it sounds like you’re training in the “black hole.” The heart rate might not be high enough to qualify as high intensity, especially with the length of the class. It also isn’t low enough to be aerobic. My advice would be to limit the frequency of these classes. Mark has several articles about heart arrhythmias and chronic cardio which you can reference. For endurance training and fat burning purposes you’d come out ahead by keeping your heart rate below 180-age (Maffetone equation). I’d recommend working with one of the coaches who has taken the Primal Endurance Mastery Course if racing is one of your goals.” – Jen Essary

“If you love the spin class, keep it up! It’s great to have fun! Just perhaps allow yourself more sweet potatoes, fruit, sleep, and more rest days! You could try phase training: do 80% spin and 20% cross training for 3 weeks; then switch to 80% cross training and 20% spin class for 3 weeks weeks; and so on. Using the methods outlined in Primal Endurance, you could also emphasize more slow workouts until your aerobic base can support your current speed in spin class.” – Matt Zastrow

“Hi Julie, I would ask you to think about the goal of the class. Why are you doing this specific class? Is it for fat loss? If so, then there are potentially better ways to accomplish that with less stress on the body. Are you taking the class because it fits your schedule? Again, there are certainly other options with less stress that can be done for those 45-60 minutes. Are you taking the class because you enjoy it? If this is the answer then good for you and don’t stop. If you truly enjoy the spin class and it matches the goals you have then keep doing, but be strategic about it. Keep the spin class to once or twice a week. Leave several days in between classes to adequately recover. You can certainly have a spin class, but stay smart about it so that it fits your Primal lifestyle.” – Steven Konsdorf

“Fellow group fitness junkie here; and I’m a spin instructor too! First of all, that moderate-to-high intensity effort, sustained for an entire hour, is typically what we’d refer to as being in the “black hole” of intensity: not easy enough to be easy, but not hard enough to be hard. If you love it, then continue to do it, but consider scaling back to two a week. And add in some low-and-slow stuff (like walking), and some short-and-sharp stuff (like lifting weights and sprinting) to ensure you’re getting the optimal fitness and gene expression benefits from your time spent in the gym. And don’t forget recovery!” – Erin Power

Question #3, from Rosie: “What strategies would you recommend for breaking/replacing bad habits like eating at certain times not out of hunger but out of habit?”

“First I would ask how long you’ve been primal and what your current eating habits look like? If you’re relatively new to primal you may not be fully fat adapted. If you’ve been primal for awhile then I’d want to know more about your level of insulin sensitivity, any previous health challenges, and what a typical food day looks like for you right now. I would want to explore with you the origins of eating out of habit. Where does that belief come from? When did it begin? Are you misinterpreting a signal for something like thirst as a prompt to eat? My job as a coach is to help you explore these kinds of questions about your habits and challenges. When you understand the origins and the whys it makes it easier to re-frame that habit and make a new choice.” – Jen Essary

“I would suggest you create a food diary for one week so we could take a look at what kind of food you are eating. For instance, a diet consisting of processed foods and starchy carbs does not satisfy hunger, and leaves the brain wanting more. In that case we would discuss how carb dependency creates a cycle of needing more carbs from both a psychological point of view and a physical dependency as well. It’s a process, but we would establish small goals so you’re not feeling deprived along the way.” – Regina Barak

“More often than not, regimented eating schedules are a project of societal and/or workplace guidelines as to when you are “supposed” to take your lunch break. Most of us get indoctrinated into this behaviour from a very young age, and becomes a very strong habit that is hard to retrain. One effective tool to use to tell if you are truly hungry or just experiencing cravings out of boredom or habit, is to ask yourself: “Would I like to eat an hard-boiled egg right now?” If the answer is yes, you are hungry and should go eat some real food (like a hard boiled egg!). If the answer is no, you may be falling victim to (sugar) cravings and old habits that play tricks on you.By making yourself aware of what current state you are actually in, it can help provide you with the willpower to stay clear of the cravings, and making an informed decision of a more healthy choice.” – Jonas Drott

“Great question, Rosie! Eating out of habit instead of out of hunger is something I’ve struggled with as well. First, I would figure out the real reason for eating while not actually hungry. What started that habit in the first place? Are you bored, tired, anxious, stressed, etc? Second, I’d encourage you to replace the “bad” habit with a healthier one, like drinking water or unsweetened tea, or going for a quick 5-10 minute walk when the urge to snack hits. Third, I’m a firm believer in using affirmations to retrain your subconscious mind to help you make better choices automatically. Create an affirmation and say it out loud throughout the day multiple times. You could say “I only eat when hunger ensues naturally.” Use positive language and make sure your affirmation is stating what you do want and not what you don’t want.” – Melissa Emmons

“Time for my client and I to become detectives and scientists! Detectives and scientists ask a lot of questions. Then they ask more questions. They ask them without judgement, simply gathering data. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? What am I feeling at that moment? What would I rather do instead? What is a better way to take care of myself I love the shared excitement when a client has a lightbulb moment and zeroes in on what is actually happening. Especially when it’s a moment of personal reflection and understanding of their own behavior, followed by the support and empowerment to change that behavior. Getting to the next level feels so good.” – Sara Baird

“We need to be motivated to make the right choices. One way to do this is to write down your goals, and your reasons for those goals. Read these goals frequently; perhaps every morning. Be sure to include the Why of your goal(s). For instance, you might have a goal to lose weight, and the Why might be to prepare for an upcoming wedding or vacation; or to not hate clothes shopping; or to manage Diabetes symptoms. Brainstorm what is important to you and then go for it! Think of developing new habits being like you are standing on the sand at the beach and your goal is to go body surfing in the ocean. You get there by taking one step at a time until your feet are wet, then you keep going until you are deeper in the waves. It is the forward action, one step at a time, one decision at a time to keep putting one foot in front of the other, heading towards the waves where you want to be. This analogy may not work for you, but it works for me because I love the beach. You may need to find something more inspiring for you. As Erasmus said long ago, ‘A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.’” – Vanessa Marsden

Question #4, from Jack: “How would you balance the advice from a Primal Health Coach with doctor recommendations? The two view points often seem like they are at odds. Doctors seem to have outdated views on nutrition, but ignoring their advice seems like it could be dangerous.”

“Hi Jack. It’s definitely unwise to ignore doctors’ advice, and equally not recommended to follow a PHC’s advice blindly. A good health coach will back up his/her advice with actual scientifically-validated evidence, which you can study and run past your doctor yourself. Similarly, a good doctor would be open to discussing the evidence you’ve provided. With this exercise, you get to evaluate both your doctor and PHC; if you are still in doubt, you can always seek out a second opinion. Remember: you are 100% responsible for your health, and you really want to be confident and comfortable with the decisions you ultimately make. Good luck.” – Victor Chew

“This can be a tough situation if there are differing opinions between the coach and the doctor. Some doctors are less open minded about non-drug therapies, but this is why it’s really important to look for medical practitioners that offer a more holistic approach that includes a nutrition and lifestyle component —such as an integrative or functional doctor.” – Rachel Peterson

“Never ignore the advice from your doctor. Any and all information is invaluable when you have to make the best decision on your health. Doctors, like all professionals should be seen as advisers. Each offering a little piece of the information puzzle you need to complete the health puzzle. Ultimately you have to decide what direction you need to go in order to reach your goal. It is never advisable to hand over the responsibility of your health to another person without question.” – Ron Drillen

“Hi Jack. When working with a client I highlight the fact that my role as a Primal Health Coach is not to diagnose or prescribe a diet or contradict a doctors prescribed approach. If a client wants to go Primal, I encourage them to talk with their doctor about it. Simply meet with your doctor and lay out the Primal approach you want to take with your health coach, and seek to understand the concerns or objections your doctor may have, and why. You can even show examples of how the Primal Blueprint has helped others with the same diagnoses; just search Mark’s Daily Apple for plenty of Success Stories. Getting your doctor’s buy in is a great first step and shows you also have vested interest in taking control of your health.” – Steven Konsdorf

“Despite our opinions (right or wrong) about conventional medicine, your doctor’s orders are important and truthfully not to be ignored. In a perfect scenario, the relationship between client, health coach and doctor would be absolutely collaborative and synergistic. Take the bull by the horns and ensure that your doctor and your health coach are working together to move the needle on your health goals. Introduce your doctor to your PHC; introduce your PHC to your doctor. In a perfect scenario, the relationship between client, health coach and doctor would be absolutely collaborative and synergistic. It’s your health, and you are within your rights to build your own dream team of allied health care practitioners to help you achieve your optimal human badassery!” – Erin Power

Question #5, from Will: “Hey coaches! I am ready to sign up for the health coach certification program. However, it’s important that I have my wife’s buy-in and support before investing in the program — seeing as it will effect her and our two young sons. She’s on the fence. What is the value of this program (particularly for a young family) based on your experience as a health coach that I can relay to my wife as an outside perspective? How has the mastery of primal nutrition and lifestyle impacted your family?”

“Hi Will. I’ve been in just those shoes myself, not too long ago! I’d like to suggest that you ask yourself why you want to enroll: Do you have a passion in helping others? Do you want to start a health coaching business, or use the knowledge and skills from this program to grow your existing business? Do you just love to geek out on the primal lifestyle and hang out with your tribe? Obviously, these are just a few of the questions you’d want to ask yourself to understand your true motivation, and you are the only one that can answer them. For me, the answers were all yes! I do have a full time job that I also love, so it’s not imperative for me to start generating income with this certification right away. However, the knowledge, skills, support, and just being part of the this awesome tribe have made my family’s lives richer, in the sense that we’re healthier, stronger, and more adventurous, because we feel better and can move better. What more can be more prosperous than that?” – Victor Chew

“The value of this program for me has been a more foundational understanding of what it means to live holistically, and to age in such a way that keeps me young, energetic, and virtually medication-free. This has a ripple effect for everyone you are living with! At age 65, I feel like I’m 40. My own experience with the program has been awesome; I’m walking the walk instead of simply talking the talk.” – Regina Barak

“We are a family of four, and it feels like we are team. We have found our groove of food we all agree is delicious and meets our standards for health. My husband and I are also much more likely to jump in and gof around outside with the kids, now that we understand the importance of play in a long healthy life. That brings us closer as a family. Since I’ve taken the course, my family has been inspired to learn too. Now I take what I’ve seen work in my own family and use those tools as a starting point for my clients. It’s a pretty fantastic career in that I thrive off learning and coaching, while also reaping priceless benefits to my family and our health.” – Sara Baird

“The benefits to the overall health of the family are enormous. The course takes all the information in the books, the website and podcasts and goes deeper. It organizes it all in one place and is continually kept up to date. Understanding the “why” and the “how” behind all of this brings so much more confidence in actually helping other humans. The content on how to take this information, translate it and actually apply to different situations and to different people allows you to help more than just your family. You can now take this passion and turn it into another income stream for your family. Many of us started here because we found we were the “go-to” person for nutrition and health advice for friends and family. We were sort of already doing it, for free and with no real direction or organization. I can personally attest to how great it felt to have my son’s first year of college paid for and to be able to say yes to better vacations working VERY part time doing something I loved. Finally, the transition to doing this full time and leaving a career that was causing me entirely too much stress became a reality. I now see my kids more. I am a better mom. The family is happier and healthier. It takes time for all of this stuff to come to fruition (it took me a few years) but you’ve got to start somewhere and you’ll never get there unless you are willing to take the first step.” – Laura Rupsis

Thanks again to all of you who submitted questions for the coaches. And thank you also to our Primal Health Coaches for their time and perspectives today. Feel free to visit the sites and social media accounts of the coaches who joined us today, or check out the full directory of Primal Health Coaches who lives in your area or who offers coaching in a..

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Ask the Coach: Primal Health Coaches Answer Your Questions

A couple weeks ago I asked for ideas for our Primal Health Coaches—what questions have you ever wanted to ask a Primal Health Coach? Many of you wrote in, and I loved reading your ideas. There were so many excellent thoughts I couldn’t begin to include them all here. (Luckily, our coaches might join us for a future post.)

So, sit back and take a look at what our Primal Health Coaches have to say about meal plans, cardio classes, behavior change, physician recommendations, their Primal Health Coach Institute experience, and more!

Question #1, from Jeannie: “Do you make customized, individual plans for every client? What does that encompass? Also, what resources do you use as a Primal Health Coach that allows you to provide support for your many clients?”

“The framework for the Primal lifestyle is the same for everyone, and most people will get really far with the basic template. Initially my goal is to help my client get the baseline set, see what changes, and then make adjustments from there. My suggestions are tailored to each client and the goals they wish to reach. While I do supply handouts for the first month I don’t for the additional months because any changes that are made are usually small. I know many people like meal plans but I don’t think they promote long term success. Meal plans can help give a client ideas, but that rarely translates into generating meal ideas on one’s own. In my opinion it can often lead back to old habits, because nothing was really learned.” – Jen Essary

“I approach all clients from an individual perspective in order to meet them where they are. We work together to come up with their top three health goals, and then narrow this down to one that they can most easily be successful with in order to motivate them to move on to the next. I rely on many of the resources I’ve gained from the Primal Health Coach course, as well as my years of experience working as a personal trainer.” – Regina Barak

“I do not customize. My service offers the opportunity to achieve optimal health. Healthy people tend to reach their ideal weight, and experience less disease and sickness; and healthy people tend to avoid chronic disease. I have to ensure all aspects of a healthy lifestyle are put into effect for a total life transformation. Most people will say they already eat right, exercise correctly or live a stress-free lifestyle. But missing any one of these factors will sabotage the overall goal of optimum health.” – Ron Drillen

“I will usually ask for food preferences and offer a selection of about 21 meals to try to add to their repertoire. I share all of my favorite food bloggers whose recipes I trust, so they can explore and make their own choices.” – Roxann Morello

“Hi Jeanine. The quick answer is, no, I do not make customized meal plans for each client. I work alongside the client to develop a weekly meal strategy. When a client goes into the week with a strategy (what to eat, and why), they tend to be more likely to stick with it. For me the best approach is to talk through the personal and work challenges in the week ahead. Are there going to be a few long nights at work? Is there a kids’ practice or game that will keep them out later, or unable to make a full meal? We work together to identify the strategy that will work best for those specific scenarios. I believe weekly meal plans certainly have a place, but they should not be given without a real strategy in place for the week.” – Steven Konsdorf

“I make a customized plan with every client. I have clients fill out an intake form a few days before our first session. When we meet, we can discuss their specific answers, goals, and visions of health, and begin forming a plan to get there. We move forward each week with their individual plan. During our coaching sessions, clients often bring something they want to discuss; a favorite book or article, or a recipe. We dissect it together and find ways it can fit into their Primal lifestyle. I use all kinds of resources! I love the Tendencies quiz by Gretchen Ruebin to help client learn about how they deal with internal and external expectations. I have blogs, podcasts and books I use and recommend, and also a lending library of books and cookbooks for my clients. One of my favorite resources is the supportive network of Primal Health Coaches. I can ask anything of these great people and I get brilliant ideas back! I love resources, learning and sharing new ideas. It’s my favorite aspect of coaching!” – Sara Baird

“In many cases, developing customized meal plans is actually out of scope of practice for health coaches. Health coaches are advocates for behaviour change… and I can tell you from experience that very few people ever established a new behaviour (and had it stick!) from following a prescribed meal plan. As a Primal Health Coach, I take my clients on a journey of education: so they can learn and understand WHAT foods support them and – this is the important part – WHY. The entire goal is to eventually graduate ciients from my care, and I need to feel confident that they know how to feed themselves in the absence of a meal plan. I supply my clients with a comprehensive Foods To Use and Foods To Lose list, and let them make meals they love, in whatever configuration they like.” – Erin Power

Question #2, from Julia: “I like taking 45-60 mins long spin classes. But, my heart rate gets VERY high. It’s definitely not slow and steady cardio and the class drills are a bit long to qualify as sprints. When or how do I work these workouts in to a primal lifestyle?”

“I have so many questions about this scenario. How often are you taking these classes? How do you feel afterwards? How are your sugar cravings? Are you starving after class? Do you have weight loss goals? What are your goals? From what you have written it sounds like you’re training in the “black hole.” The heart rate might not be high enough to qualify as high intensity, especially with the length of the class. It also isn’t low enough to be aerobic. My advice would be to limit the frequency of these classes. Mark has several articles about heart arrhythmias and chronic cardio which you can reference. For endurance training and fat burning purposes you’d come out ahead by keeping your heart rate below 180-age (Maffetone equation). I’d recommend working with one of the coaches who has taken the Primal Endurance Mastery Course if racing is one of your goals.” – Jen Essary

“If you love the spin class, keep it up! It’s great to have fun! Just perhaps allow yourself more sweet potatoes, fruit, sleep, and more rest days! You could try phase training: do 80% spin and 20% cross training for 3 weeks; then switch to 80% cross training and 20% spin class for 3 weeks weeks; and so on. Using the methods outlined in Primal Endurance, you could also emphasize more slow workouts until your aerobic base can support your current speed in spin class.” – Matt Zastrow

“Hi Julie, I would ask you to think about the goal of the class. Why are you doing this specific class? Is it for fat loss? If so, then there are potentially better ways to accomplish that with less stress on the body. Are you taking the class because it fits your schedule? Again, there are certainly other options with less stress that can be done for those 45-60 minutes. Are you taking the class because you enjoy it? If this is the answer then good for you and don’t stop. If you truly enjoy the spin class and it matches the goals you have then keep doing, but be strategic about it. Keep the spin class to once or twice a week. Leave several days in between classes to adequately recover. You can certainly have a spin class, but stay smart about it so that it fits your Primal lifestyle.” – Steven Konsdorf

“Fellow group fitness junkie here; and I’m a spin instructor too! First of all, that moderate-to-high intensity effort, sustained for an entire hour, is typically what we’d refer to as being in the “black hole” of intensity: not easy enough to be easy, but not hard enough to be hard. If you love it, then continue to do it, but consider scaling back to two a week. And add in some low-and-slow stuff (like walking), and some short-and-sharp stuff (like lifting weights and sprinting) to ensure you’re getting the optimal fitness and gene expression benefits from your time spent in the gym. And don’t forget recovery!” – Erin Power

Question #3, from Rosie: “What strategies would you recommend for breaking/replacing bad habits like eating at certain times not out of hunger but out of habit?”

“First I would ask how long you’ve been primal and what your current eating habits look like? If you’re relatively new to primal you may not be fully fat adapted. If you’ve been primal for awhile then I’d want to know more about your level of insulin sensitivity, any previous health challenges, and what a typical food day looks like for you right now. I would want to explore with you the origins of eating out of habit. Where does that belief come from? When did it begin? Are you misinterpreting a signal for something like thirst as a prompt to eat? My job as a coach is to help you explore these kinds of questions about your habits and challenges. When you understand the origins and the whys it makes it easier to re-frame that habit and make a new choice.” – Jen Essary

“I would suggest you create a food diary for one week so we could take a look at what kind of food you are eating. For instance, a diet consisting of processed foods and starchy carbs does not satisfy hunger, and leaves the brain wanting more. In that case we would discuss how carb dependency creates a cycle of needing more carbs from both a psychological point of view and a physical dependency as well. It’s a process, but we would establish small goals so you’re not feeling deprived along the way.” – Regina Barak

“More often than not, regimented eating schedules are a project of societal and/or workplace guidelines as to when you are “supposed” to take your lunch break. Most of us get indoctrinated into this behaviour from a very young age, and becomes a very strong habit that is hard to retrain. One effective tool to use to tell if you are truly hungry or just experiencing cravings out of boredom or habit, is to ask yourself: “Would I like to eat an hard-boiled egg right now?” If the answer is yes, you are hungry and should go eat some real food (like a hard boiled egg!). If the answer is no, you may be falling victim to (sugar) cravings and old habits that play tricks on you.By making yourself aware of what current state you are actually in, it can help provide you with the willpower to stay clear of the cravings, and making an informed decision of a more healthy choice.” – Jonas Drott

“Great question, Rosie! Eating out of habit instead of out of hunger is something I’ve struggled with as well. First, I would figure out the real reason for eating while not actually hungry. What started that habit in the first place? Are you bored, tired, anxious, stressed, etc? Second, I’d encourage you to replace the “bad” habit with a healthier one, like drinking water or unsweetened tea, or going for a quick 5-10 minute walk when the urge to snack hits. Third, I’m a firm believer in using affirmations to retrain your subconscious mind to help you make better choices automatically. Create an affirmation and say it out loud throughout the day multiple times. You could say “I only eat when hunger ensues naturally.” Use positive language and make sure your affirmation is stating what you do want and not what you don’t want.” – Melissa Emmons

“Time for my client and I to become detectives and scientists! Detectives and scientists ask a lot of questions. Then they ask more questions. They ask them without judgement, simply gathering data. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? What am I feeling at that moment? What would I rather do instead? What is a better way to take care of myself I love the shared excitement when a client has a lightbulb moment and zeroes in on what is actually happening. Especially when it’s a moment of personal reflection and understanding of their own behavior, followed by the support and empowerment to change that behavior. Getting to the next level feels so good.” – Sara Baird

“We need to be motivated to make the right choices. One way to do this is to write down your goals, and your reasons for those goals. Read these goals frequently; perhaps every morning. Be sure to include the Why of your goal(s). For instance, you might have a goal to lose weight, and the Why might be to prepare for an upcoming wedding or vacation; or to not hate clothes shopping; or to manage Diabetes symptoms. Brainstorm what is important to you and then go for it! Think of developing new habits being like you are standing on the sand at the beach and your goal is to go body surfing in the ocean. You get there by taking one step at a time until your feet are wet, then you keep going until you are deeper in the waves. It is the forward action, one step at a time, one decision at a time to keep putting one foot in front of the other, heading towards the waves where you want to be. This analogy may not work for you, but it works for me because I love the beach. You may need to find something more inspiring for you. As Erasmus said long ago, ‘A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.’” – Vanessa Marsden

Question #4, from Jack: “How would you balance the advice from a Primal Health Coach with doctor recommendations? The two view points often seem like they are at odds. Doctors seem to have outdated views on nutrition, but ignoring their advice seems like it could be dangerous.”

“Hi Jack. It’s definitely unwise to ignore doctors’ advice, and equally not recommended to follow a PHC’s advice blindly. A good health coach will back up his/her advice with actual scientifically-validated evidence, which you can study and run past your doctor yourself. Similarly, a good doctor would be open to discussing the evidence you’ve provided. With this exercise, you get to evaluate both your doctor and PHC; if you are still in doubt, you can always seek out a second opinion. Remember: you are 100% responsible for your health, and you really want to be confident and comfortable with the decisions you ultimately make. Good luck.” – Victor Chew

“This can be a tough situation if there are differing opinions between the coach and the doctor. Some doctors are less open minded about non-drug therapies, but this is why it’s really important to look for medical practitioners that offer a more holistic approach that includes a nutrition and lifestyle component —such as an integrative or functional doctor.” – Rachel Peterson

“Never ignore the advice from your doctor. Any and all information is invaluable when you have to make the best decision on your health. Doctors, like all professionals should be seen as advisers. Each offering a little piece of the information puzzle you need to complete the health puzzle. Ultimately you have to decide what direction you need to go in order to reach your goal. It is never advisable to hand over the responsibility of your health to another person without question.” – Ron Drillen

“Hi Jack. When working with a client I highlight the fact that my role as a Primal Health Coach is not to diagnose or prescribe a diet or contradict a doctors prescribed approach. If a client wants to go Primal, I encourage them to talk with their doctor about it. Simply meet with your doctor and lay out the Primal approach you want to take with your health coach, and seek to understand the concerns or objections your doctor may have, and why. You can even show examples of how the Primal Blueprint has helped others with the same diagnoses; just search Mark’s Daily Apple for plenty of Success Stories. Getting your doctor’s buy in is a great first step and shows you also have vested interest in taking control of your health.” – Steven Konsdorf

“Despite our opinions (right or wrong) about conventional medicine, your doctor’s orders are important and truthfully not to be ignored. In a perfect scenario, the relationship between client, health coach and doctor would be absolutely collaborative and synergistic. Take the bull by the horns and ensure that your doctor and your health coach are working together to move the needle on your health goals. Introduce your doctor to your PHC; introduce your PHC to your doctor. In a perfect scenario, the relationship between client, health coach and doctor would be absolutely collaborative and synergistic. It’s your health, and you are within your rights to build your own dream team of allied health care practitioners to help you achieve your optimal human badassery!” – Erin Power

Question #5, from Will: “Hey coaches! I am ready to sign up for the health coach certification program. However, it’s important that I have my wife’s buy-in and support before investing in the program — seeing as it will effect her and our two young sons. She’s on the fence. What is the value of this program (particularly for a young family) based on your experience as a health coach that I can relay to my wife as an outside perspective? How has the mastery of primal nutrition and lifestyle impacted your family?”

“Hi Will. I’ve been in just those shoes myself, not too long ago! I’d like to suggest that you ask yourself why you want to enroll: Do you have a passion in helping others? Do you want to start a health coaching business, or use the knowledge and skills from this program to grow your existing business? Do you just love to geek out on the primal lifestyle and hang out with your tribe? Obviously, these are just a few of the questions you’d want to ask yourself to understand your true motivation, and you are the only one that can answer them. For me, the answers were all yes! I do have a full time job that I also love, so it’s not imperative for me to start generating income with this certification right away. However, the knowledge, skills, support, and just being part of the this awesome tribe have made my family’s lives richer, in the sense that we’re healthier, stronger, and more adventurous, because we feel better and can move better. What more can be more prosperous than that?” – Victor Chew

“The value of this program for me has been a more foundational understanding of what it means to live holistically, and to age in such a way that keeps me young, energetic, and virtually medication-free. This has a ripple effect for everyone you are living with! At age 65, I feel like I’m 40. My own experience with the program has been awesome; I’m walking the walk instead of simply talking the talk.” – Regina Barak

“We are a family of four, and it feels like we are team. We have found our groove of food we all agree is delicious and meets our standards for health. My husband and I are also much more likely to jump in and gof around outside with the kids, now that we understand the importance of play in a long healthy life. That brings us closer as a family. Since I’ve taken the course, my family has been inspired to learn too. Now I take what I’ve seen work in my own family and use those tools as a starting point for my clients. It’s a pretty fantastic career in that I thrive off learning and coaching, while also reaping priceless benefits to my family and our health.” – Sara Baird

“The benefits to the overall health of the family are enormous. The course takes all the information in the books, the website and podcasts and goes deeper. It organizes it all in one place and is continually kept up to date. Understanding the “why” and the “how” behind all of this brings so much more confidence in actually helping other humans. The content on how to take this information, translate it and actually apply to different situations and to different people allows you to help more than just your family. You can now take this passion and turn it into another income stream for your family. Many of us started here because we found we were the “go-to” person for nutrition and health advice for friends and family. We were sort of already doing it, for free and with no real direction or organization. I can personally attest to how great it felt to have my son’s first year of college paid for and to be able to say yes to better vacations working VERY part time doing something I loved. Finally, the transition to doing this full time and leaving a career that was causing me entirely too much stress became a reality. I now see my kids more. I am a better mom. The family is happier and healthier. It takes time for all of this stuff to come to fruition (it took me a few years) but you’ve got to start somewhere and you’ll never get there unless you are willing to take the first step.” – Laura Rupsis

Thanks again to all of you who submitted questions for the coaches. And thank you also to our Primal Health Coaches for their time and perspectives today. Feel free to visit the sites and social media accounts of the coaches who joined us today, or check out the full directory of Primal Health Coaches who lives in your area or who offers coaching in a..

[watsonrodriquezie]

Ask the Coach: Primal Health Coaches Answer Your Questions

A couple weeks ago I asked for ideas for our Primal Health Coaches—what questions have you ever wanted to ask a Primal Health Coach? Many of you wrote in, and I loved reading your ideas. There were so many excellent thoughts I couldn’t begin to include them all here. (Luckily, our coaches might join us for a future post.)

So, sit back and take a look at what our Primal Health Coaches have to say about meal plans, cardio classes, behavior change, physician recommendations, their Primal Health Coach Institute experience, and more!

Question #1, from Jeannie: “Do you make customized, individual plans for every client? What does that encompass? Also, what resources do you use as a Primal Health Coach that allows you to provide support for your many clients?”

“The framework for the Primal lifestyle is the same for everyone, and most people will get really far with the basic template. Initially my goal is to help my client get the baseline set, see what changes, and then make adjustments from there. My suggestions are tailored to each client and the goals they wish to reach. While I do supply handouts for the first month I don’t for the additional months because any changes that are made are usually small. I know many people like meal plans but I don’t think they promote long term success. Meal plans can help give a client ideas, but that rarely translates into generating meal ideas on one’s own. In my opinion it can often lead back to old habits, because nothing was really learned.” – Jen Essary

“I approach all clients from an individual perspective in order to meet them where they are. We work together to come up with their top three health goals, and then narrow this down to one that they can most easily be successful with in order to motivate them to move on to the next. I rely on many of the resources I’ve gained from the Primal Health Coach course, as well as my years of experience working as a personal trainer.” – Regina Barak

“I do not customize. My service offers the opportunity to achieve optimal health. Healthy people tend to reach their ideal weight, and experience less disease and sickness; and healthy people tend to avoid chronic disease. I have to ensure all aspects of a healthy lifestyle are put into effect for a total life transformation. Most people will say they already eat right, exercise correctly or live a stress-free lifestyle. But missing any one of these factors will sabotage the overall goal of optimum health.” – Ron Drillen

“I will usually ask for food preferences and offer a selection of about 21 meals to try to add to their repertoire. I share all of my favorite food bloggers whose recipes I trust, so they can explore and make their own choices.” – Roxann Morello

“Hi Jeanine. The quick answer is, no, I do not make customized meal plans for each client. I work alongside the client to develop a weekly meal strategy. When a client goes into the week with a strategy (what to eat, and why), they tend to be more likely to stick with it. For me the best approach is to talk through the personal and work challenges in the week ahead. Are there going to be a few long nights at work? Is there a kids’ practice or game that will keep them out later, or unable to make a full meal? We work together to identify the strategy that will work best for those specific scenarios. I believe weekly meal plans certainly have a place, but they should not be given without a real strategy in place for the week.” – Steven Konsdorf

“I make a customized plan with every client. I have clients fill out an intake form a few days before our first session. When we meet, we can discuss their specific answers, goals, and visions of health, and begin forming a plan to get there. We move forward each week with their individual plan. During our coaching sessions, clients often bring something they want to discuss; a favorite book or article, or a recipe. We dissect it together and find ways it can fit into their Primal lifestyle. I use all kinds of resources! I love the Tendencies quiz by Gretchen Ruebin to help client learn about how they deal with internal and external expectations. I have blogs, podcasts and books I use and recommend, and also a lending library of books and cookbooks for my clients. One of my favorite resources is the supportive network of Primal Health Coaches. I can ask anything of these great people and I get brilliant ideas back! I love resources, learning and sharing new ideas. It’s my favorite aspect of coaching!” – Sara Baird

“In many cases, developing customized meal plans is actually out of scope of practice for health coaches. Health coaches are advocates for behaviour change… and I can tell you from experience that very few people ever established a new behaviour (and had it stick!) from following a prescribed meal plan. As a Primal Health Coach, I take my clients on a journey of education: so they can learn and understand WHAT foods support them and – this is the important part – WHY. The entire goal is to eventually graduate ciients from my care, and I need to feel confident that they know how to feed themselves in the absence of a meal plan. I supply my clients with a comprehensive Foods To Use and Foods To Lose list, and let them make meals they love, in whatever configuration they like.” – Erin Power

Question #2, from Julia: “I like taking 45-60 mins long spin classes. But, my heart rate gets VERY high. It’s definitely not slow and steady cardio and the class drills are a bit long to qualify as sprints. When or how do I work these workouts in to a primal lifestyle?”

“I have so many questions about this scenario. How often are you taking these classes? How do you feel afterwards? How are your sugar cravings? Are you starving after class? Do you have weight loss goals? What are your goals? From what you have written it sounds like you’re training in the “black hole.” The heart rate might not be high enough to qualify as high intensity, especially with the length of the class. It also isn’t low enough to be aerobic. My advice would be to limit the frequency of these classes. Mark has several articles about heart arrhythmias and chronic cardio which you can reference. For endurance training and fat burning purposes you’d come out ahead by keeping your heart rate below 180-age (Maffetone equation). I’d recommend working with one of the coaches who has taken the Primal Endurance Mastery Course if racing is one of your goals.” – Jen Essary

“If you love the spin class, keep it up! It’s great to have fun! Just perhaps allow yourself more sweet potatoes, fruit, sleep, and more rest days! You could try phase training: do 80% spin and 20% cross training for 3 weeks; then switch to 80% cross training and 20% spin class for 3 weeks weeks; and so on. Using the methods outlined in Primal Endurance, you could also emphasize more slow workouts until your aerobic base can support your current speed in spin class.” – Matt Zastrow

“Hi Julie, I would ask you to think about the goal of the class. Why are you doing this specific class? Is it for fat loss? If so, then there are potentially better ways to accomplish that with less stress on the body. Are you taking the class because it fits your schedule? Again, there are certainly other options with less stress that can be done for those 45-60 minutes. Are you taking the class because you enjoy it? If this is the answer then good for you and don’t stop. If you truly enjoy the spin class and it matches the goals you have then keep doing, but be strategic about it. Keep the spin class to once or twice a week. Leave several days in between classes to adequately recover. You can certainly have a spin class, but stay smart about it so that it fits your Primal lifestyle.” – Steven Konsdorf

“Fellow group fitness junkie here; and I’m a spin instructor too! First of all, that moderate-to-high intensity effort, sustained for an entire hour, is typically what we’d refer to as being in the “black hole” of intensity: not easy enough to be easy, but not hard enough to be hard. If you love it, then continue to do it, but consider scaling back to two a week. And add in some low-and-slow stuff (like walking), and some short-and-sharp stuff (like lifting weights and sprinting) to ensure you’re getting the optimal fitness and gene expression benefits from your time spent in the gym. And don’t forget recovery!” – Erin Power

Question #3, from Rosie: “What strategies would you recommend for breaking/replacing bad habits like eating at certain times not out of hunger but out of habit?”

“First I would ask how long you’ve been primal and what your current eating habits look like? If you’re relatively new to primal you may not be fully fat adapted. If you’ve been primal for awhile then I’d want to know more about your level of insulin sensitivity, any previous health challenges, and what a typical food day looks like for you right now. I would want to explore with you the origins of eating out of habit. Where does that belief come from? When did it begin? Are you misinterpreting a signal for something like thirst as a prompt to eat? My job as a coach is to help you explore these kinds of questions about your habits and challenges. When you understand the origins and the whys it makes it easier to re-frame that habit and make a new choice.” – Jen Essary

“I would suggest you create a food diary for one week so we could take a look at what kind of food you are eating. For instance, a diet consisting of processed foods and starchy carbs does not satisfy hunger, and leaves the brain wanting more. In that case we would discuss how carb dependency creates a cycle of needing more carbs from both a psychological point of view and a physical dependency as well. It’s a process, but we would establish small goals so you’re not feeling deprived along the way.” – Regina Barak

“More often than not, regimented eating schedules are a project of societal and/or workplace guidelines as to when you are “supposed” to take your lunch break. Most of us get indoctrinated into this behaviour from a very young age, and becomes a very strong habit that is hard to retrain. One effective tool to use to tell if you are truly hungry or just experiencing cravings out of boredom or habit, is to ask yourself: “Would I like to eat an hard-boiled egg right now?” If the answer is yes, you are hungry and should go eat some real food (like a hard boiled egg!). If the answer is no, you may be falling victim to (sugar) cravings and old habits that play tricks on you.By making yourself aware of what current state you are actually in, it can help provide you with the willpower to stay clear of the cravings, and making an informed decision of a more healthy choice.” – Jonas Drott

“Great question, Rosie! Eating out of habit instead of out of hunger is something I’ve struggled with as well. First, I would figure out the real reason for eating while not actually hungry. What started that habit in the first place? Are you bored, tired, anxious, stressed, etc? Second, I’d encourage you to replace the “bad” habit with a healthier one, like drinking water or unsweetened tea, or going for a quick 5-10 minute walk when the urge to snack hits. Third, I’m a firm believer in using affirmations to retrain your subconscious mind to help you make better choices automatically. Create an affirmation and say it out loud throughout the day multiple times. You could say “I only eat when hunger ensues naturally.” Use positive language and make sure your affirmation is stating what you do want and not what you don’t want.” – Melissa Emmons

“Time for my client and I to become detectives and scientists! Detectives and scientists ask a lot of questions. Then they ask more questions. They ask them without judgement, simply gathering data. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? What am I feeling at that moment? What would I rather do instead? What is a better way to take care of myself I love the shared excitement when a client has a lightbulb moment and zeroes in on what is actually happening. Especially when it’s a moment of personal reflection and understanding of their own behavior, followed by the support and empowerment to change that behavior. Getting to the next level feels so good.” – Sara Baird

“We need to be motivated to make the right choices. One way to do this is to write down your goals, and your reasons for those goals. Read these goals frequently; perhaps every morning. Be sure to include the Why of your goal(s). For instance, you might have a goal to lose weight, and the Why might be to prepare for an upcoming wedding or vacation; or to not hate clothes shopping; or to manage Diabetes symptoms. Brainstorm what is important to you and then go for it! Think of developing new habits being like you are standing on the sand at the beach and your goal is to go body surfing in the ocean. You get there by taking one step at a time until your feet are wet, then you keep going until you are deeper in the waves. It is the forward action, one step at a time, one decision at a time to keep putting one foot in front of the other, heading towards the waves where you want to be. This analogy may not work for you, but it works for me because I love the beach. You may need to find something more inspiring for you. As Erasmus said long ago, ‘A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit.’” – Vanessa Marsden

Question #4, from Jack: “How would you balance the advice from a Primal Health Coach with doctor recommendations? The two view points often seem like they are at odds. Doctors seem to have outdated views on nutrition, but ignoring their advice seems like it could be dangerous.”

“Hi Jack. It’s definitely unwise to ignore doctors’ advice, and equally not recommended to follow a PHC’s advice blindly. A good health coach will back up his/her advice with actual scientifically-validated evidence, which you can study and run past your doctor yourself. Similarly, a good doctor would be open to discussing the evidence you’ve provided. With this exercise, you get to evaluate both your doctor and PHC; if you are still in doubt, you can always seek out a second opinion. Remember: you are 100% responsible for your health, and you really want to be confident and comfortable with the decisions you ultimately make. Good luck.” – Victor Chew

“This can be a tough situation if there are differing opinions between the coach and the doctor. Some doctors are less open minded about non-drug therapies, but this is why it’s really important to look for medical practitioners that offer a more holistic approach that includes a nutrition and lifestyle component —such as an integrative or functional doctor.” – Rachel Peterson

“Never ignore the advice from your doctor. Any and all information is invaluable when you have to make the best decision on your health. Doctors, like all professionals should be seen as advisers. Each offering a little piece of the information puzzle you need to complete the health puzzle. Ultimately you have to decide what direction you need to go in order to reach your goal. It is never advisable to hand over the responsibility of your health to another person without question.” – Ron Drillen

“Hi Jack. When working with a client I highlight the fact that my role as a Primal Health Coach is not to diagnose or prescribe a diet or contradict a doctors prescribed approach. If a client wants to go Primal, I encourage them to talk with their doctor about it. Simply meet with your doctor and lay out the Primal approach you want to take with your health coach, and seek to understand the concerns or objections your doctor may have, and why. You can even show examples of how the Primal Blueprint has helped others with the same diagnoses; just search Mark’s Daily Apple for plenty of Success Stories. Getting your doctor’s buy in is a great first step and shows you also have vested interest in taking control of your health.” – Steven Konsdorf

“Despite our opinions (right or wrong) about conventional medicine, your doctor’s orders are important and truthfully not to be ignored. In a perfect scenario, the relationship between client, health coach and doctor would be absolutely collaborative and synergistic. Take the bull by the horns and ensure that your doctor and your health coach are working together to move the needle on your health goals. Introduce your doctor to your PHC; introduce your PHC to your doctor. In a perfect scenario, the relationship between client, health coach and doctor would be absolutely collaborative and synergistic. It’s your health, and you are within your rights to build your own dream team of allied health care practitioners to help you achieve your optimal human badassery!” – Erin Power

Question #5, from Will: “Hey coaches! I am ready to sign up for the health coach certification program. However, it’s important that I have my wife’s buy-in and support before investing in the program — seeing as it will effect her and our two young sons. She’s on the fence. What is the value of this program (particularly for a young family) based on your experience as a health coach that I can relay to my wife as an outside perspective? How has the mastery of primal nutrition and lifestyle impacted your family?”

“Hi Will. I’ve been in just those shoes myself, not too long ago! I’d like to suggest that you ask yourself why you want to enroll: Do you have a passion in helping others? Do you want to start a health coaching business, or use the knowledge and skills from this program to grow your existing business? Do you just love to geek out on the primal lifestyle and hang out with your tribe? Obviously, these are just a few of the questions you’d want to ask yourself to understand your true motivation, and you are the only one that can answer them. For me, the answers were all yes! I do have a full time job that I also love, so it’s not imperative for me to start generating income with this certification right away. However, the knowledge, skills, support, and just being part of the this awesome tribe have made my family’s lives richer, in the sense that we’re healthier, stronger, and more adventurous, because we feel better and can move better. What more can be more prosperous than that?” – Victor Chew

“The value of this program for me has been a more foundational understanding of what it means to live holistically, and to age in such a way that keeps me young, energetic, and virtually medication-free. This has a ripple effect for everyone you are living with! At age 65, I feel like I’m 40. My own experience with the program has been awesome; I’m walking the walk instead of simply talking the talk.” – Regina Barak

“We are a family of four, and it feels like we are team. We have found our groove of food we all agree is delicious and meets our standards for health. My husband and I are also much more likely to jump in and gof around outside with the kids, now that we understand the importance of play in a long healthy life. That brings us closer as a family. Since I’ve taken the course, my family has been inspired to learn too. Now I take what I’ve seen work in my own family and use those tools as a starting point for my clients. It’s a pretty fantastic career in that I thrive off learning and coaching, while also reaping priceless benefits to my family and our health.” – Sara Baird

“The benefits to the overall health of the family are enormous. The course takes all the information in the books, the website and podcasts and goes deeper. It organizes it all in one place and is continually kept up to date. Understanding the “why” and the “how” behind all of this brings so much more confidence in actually helping other humans. The content on how to take this information, translate it and actually apply to different situations and to different people allows you to help more than just your family. You can now take this passion and turn it into another income stream for your family. Many of us started here because we found we were the “go-to” person for nutrition and health advice for friends and family. We were sort of already doing it, for free and with no real direction or organization. I can personally attest to how great it felt to have my son’s first year of college paid for and to be able to say yes to better vacations working VERY part time doing something I loved. Finally, the transition to doing this full time and leaving a career that was causing me entirely too much stress became a reality. I now see my kids more. I am a better mom. The family is happier and healthier. It takes time for all of this stuff to come to fruition (it took me a few years) but you’ve got to start somewhere and you’ll never get there unless you are willing to take the first step.” – Laura Rupsis

Thanks again to all of you who submitted questions for the coaches. And thank you also to our Primal Health Coaches for their time and perspectives today. Feel free to visit the sites and social media accounts of the coaches who joined us today, or check out the full directory of Primal Health Coaches who lives in your area or who offers coaching in a..

[victoria25q3-blog]

Love Contents

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