June 5, 2016 In Freedom, Links, Live the life you want to live, Photos

do stuff, don’t buy so much stuff

I like to wander by myself. I love people and connection and sharing for sure, but contrary to popular belief, I spend a lot of time alone and always have. If you have just started following here to give you an idea, I drove to Alaska from Wilmington, NC alone- and with no music a few years back; that kind of alone. Some think It’s weird. I think It’s awesome to go solo, sometimes.

Last weekend, as I wandered around the streets of Chicago alone (yes! – scored a super cheap non-stop round trip plane ticket for Memorial Day Weekend!), I observed a zillion people with shopping bags galore weighing them down. Knowing that one of the biggest reasons I could actually afford go to Chicago for some guilt-free good exploring, eating, and meeting up with old friends was the fact that I don’t ever weigh myself down with shopping bags galore, I had one of those aha moments:

DO stuff, people! Don’t BUY so much stuff! (“Stuff” here to me, means an over abundance of material CRAP that you simply do not use or do not need.)

If you’re offended by the word crap, please try not to be. I’ve been told a hundred times over that I/we should not call other people’s stuff “crap” but if we are being realistic, the extra (note I said, extra!) stuff piled in your closets and drawers that you forgot you even had, is kind of all just a bunch of crap. Wouldn’t you agree? If if makes you feel any better, I call my own stuff crap, too even though I have very little of it. I think a lot about what I would do if the small amount of stuff I own vanished. (I’ve actually lost it all before, and when I realized the people who took it all didn’t shoot me, I seriously felt relieved and lucky.) I can say with 100% confidence, that if all my stuff (crap) disappeared, but I had my health, people who loved me, and could sip a glass of wine, eat a block of cheese, and back that all up with a quality piece of chocolate, I’d be happier than a pig in you know what.

I’m thinking you might be right there with me.

And now we are off and running here on this Blue Lollipop Road with a little series moving forward I will theme; The Do’s & Don’ts of stuff. 

It’s all about priorities, really. Me, I find value and prioritize people, time, and experiences more than stuff. Some may not- but I think I can help encourage a little more prioritizing the important “stuff” here, so hope you jump on the train of less stuff = more freedom = happy life with me.

More on Chicago soon (I always pull that “soon” card, don’t I? I’ve got to keep you coming back:), until then today’s post is meant to share about today. My Sunday Funday and how I love the summer, the heat, and the colors of it all. During some client appointments today, I ran into a sweet little farmers market on a road I never go down, far from the city:

Farmer's Market

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Farmer's Market
I stocked up for some good grilling.

Windows down, music blaring, then back to the house to sit outside and type here, one of my most favorite things to do:

Sunday Porch Time

EAT good stuff that you’ll really enjoy with good company, don’t BUY a bunch of (material) stuff you don’t really need.

Spend some time alone, prioritize, and live that life you want.

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #DoStuffDontBuyStuff #Summer

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May 27, 2016 In North Carolina, Photos, Quotes, Uncategorized

last night I wanted to punch the world in the face

And I don’t usually punch things, any things…especially in the face.

I felt abnormally blah all day yesterday, just yucky, even though I kicked off a brand-new (and very exciting) BLR collaborative project that’s a big deal. (More on that in an upcoming post.)

I couldn’t shake the funk, so at the end of the work day I came home and laid right down on the wood floors in my apartment on my back and closed my eyes in hopes to exorcise my funk demons. My arms and legs were right out straight as if I was trying to make a snow (ahem- dust angel.) After a few minutes of lying there I knew I needed to get outside, so I got up, strapped on my sneakers, and went for a 2 hour walk:

Night Walking

…doing my best to hide behind sunglasses and a hat, and just disappear.

Being in nature in the quiet is a wonderful magical medicine.

After sharing about my funk with a friend this morning who knows all too well, the hell that life can bring sometimes, I got this in my inbox:

“There are three things you can do when life sends a wave at you. You can run from it, but then it’s going to catch up and knock you down. You can also fall back on your ego and try to stand your ground, but then it’s still going to clobber you. Or you can use it as an opportunity to go deep, and transform yourself to match the circumstances. And that’s how you get through the wave.”

~ Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs

What I learned on my walk last night and from that friend today:

1.) Exercise has saved my life, mentally and physically- and more times than once. I could never advocate enough for moving your body in any way, shape, or form. Every. Day.

2.) I am increasingly thankful for love and support around me. Being loved and feeling loved is pretty awesome. Feeling lonely is awful.

3.) I feel incredibly lucky to have a healthy body and legs that can walk for two hours, even though the past year or so has been by far the most challenging one of my life, and often left me feeling paralyzed head to toe.

4.) No matter how broken I ever feel, I will always believe that this world is one big party train full of possibility, and we all have the choice to hop on anytime we want to.

Nature

Life is always unfinished. Look up, and just keep walking…

#GetUp #GoDeep #AlwaysKeepLookingUp

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May 22, 2016 In Inspiration, Links, Live the life you want to live, North Carolina, People, Photos

867 reasons you should have a dance party

Actually, just 1:

Because It’s fun.

I went to the BOB Awards tonight. It was a blast. I went with a crew, one of whom at one point (on the dance floor) said; “This makes me want to take off my boots!…and then he did. It was awesome, we laughed and strangers took photos.

We “snuck” (no one was paying attention to any one or any thing- so why not), into the VIP lounge a few times to get cocktails and treats from the s’mores bar. (Hello dripping, melty chocolate fountain!) We were the group that started the dance party. I personally never need an invitation to get the floor moving and was glad I was with a group that didn’t either.

It’s close to midnight on a Saturday night, and as I type in silence smiling from a great time after my party has ended for the night, I’m hoping everyone is out there in this big world living a little bit of eff-it! – just letting go and having fun. Whether you stayed in or went out, and whether you got wild or stayed calm, remember, there are no rules. What you do with your life is YOUR CHOICE. We should care a lot less about what other people think, we should get that dance floor moving even when (especially when), we’re sober, we should laugh loud enough that our face hurts, and we should sneak into the VIP lounge (ahem…in everyone situation), like we own it. Take initiative, don’t ask for permission, and…

…dance my friends, just dance.

#GetYourGrooveOn #WhenInDoubtBeyonceItOut #Fearless

BOB awards

Bonus fun if you strike a pose with a friend on the way out the door and see how long you can hold your Blue Steel face without cracking up.

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May 15, 2016 In Inspiration, Links, Live the life you want to live, Today Is The Day, Videos

lets just kick the shit out of option b

It’s Sunday morning, May 15th and I just had a much needed long slumber after a busy week. I woke up missing some people I love, some living and some not. This is an everyday thing for me. In the quiet, all snuggled up in my fleece blanket staring at the blue sky out the window I thought for the gazillionth time how strange it is to consistently feel so happy, excited, and lucky, and yet so heavy-hearted, too.

As I sipped my coffee, I texted a few friends about this book, just published. My sweet friend Sam wrote it. This was a huge dream of his, and how I wish he was here to hold the actual printed version in his hands.

This time of year is my favorite; Warm temperatures, lots of exciting summer plans to be outside in the fresh air and sun, BLR Play It Forward is coming soon, and of course, commencement speeches. I never went to college, so I’ve only experienced commencement speeches online or at some else’s graduation. I wish these kinds of speeches happened all year around, and not just at universities during graduation month. I dig inspirational messages from people who’ve pushed through a bit of life’s minefield keeping a hard-earned smile, and then share their lessons.

I got a phone notification this morning as I was snuggled up, about Sheryl Sandberg’s Commencement Speech at UC Berkeley. She talks about grief, loss, and what she learned in death. Well worth the 26 minute watch:

My favorite parts are at around the 9:45 and 18:45 marks and towards the end when she says “Now I celebrate always.”

My Blue Lollipop Road mantra has always been to live simple. That “stuff” doesn’t matter…people and time do. Our theme for Play It Forward is Remember. Celebrate. Live; Remember where you came from, celebrate memories and what you have, and live like today is the day- don’t wait.

I know like Sheryl and many of you, I will wake up tomorrow still missing. I will always miss someone, a hug or holding that hand. I will always miss seeing some certain smiling faces or a laugh I remember that always felt so good to be around. I will also wake up tomorrow celebrating, because no matter what we’ve been through, we’ve got to keep kicking the shit out of option B. I hope all of us continue to love hard and leave it all on the field.

If there were only 11 more days left…what would you do?

#Celebrate #TodayIsTheDay #HopToIt

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