Can I get a whoop whoop?!
What makes you scream “fuck-yeah!”
#FindYourThing #Badass #AskForgivenessNotPermission
Like millions of other people who have been following this story, I feel heartbroken for the family of Brittany Maynard. Lately it seems like a furry of young, beautiful, smart women with their whole lives ahead of them have been taken, far too soon, in the most unfair of ways. This has made me think about my own fate a lot these past few weeks. I’ve cried, I’ve thought about all the people I love and all the things I still want to do, I’ve had crazy dreams. It is so bizarre to have my mind wander; what if this was me?! Headaches out of nowhere, diagnosed with brain cancer, then given 6 months or less to live?!
Laura Yost is on my mind, Hannah Graham is on my mind, Maria & Brandy are always on my mind, and now Brittany too. I am so incredibly humbled by this news around me. The photos of these ladies- each of the images of their smiling faces inspires me, and burns in my soul, a whole new motivation to keep seizing the day, and never take time for granted.
“Make sure you’re not missing out. Seize the day. What’s important to you? What do you care about? What matters? Pursue that. Forget the rest.”
~Brittany Maynard
If you are reading this. I hope whatever it is that you might be waiting to do- you start doing it right now.
Remember.
Celebrate.
Live.
TODAY is the day. What are you waiting for?
#Humbled #TodayIsTheDay #LiveLikeYouMeanIt
Rainy, gloomy Saturday at home base. Missing the road & wishing I was on a bigger adventure than I am at the moment. In an effort to fight off that Groundhog Day feeling and to stay inspired, I click on a the Roadtrip Nation series on PBS. (Can’t get enough of RTN. It’s going on 15 years I’ve been a super fan.) On this episode, road-trippers interviewing Rick Moonen, Chef/Owner of Rm Seafood:
“Find out what really drives you. Find out your passion, because It’s what you’re going to do best at. It’s what you’re going to kick the covers off on the next morning, you know- out of desire. If you don’t have the desire, how are you going to succeed?”
Ahhh…yes. Amen Rick! Love that, and agreed.
What makes you kick the covers off in the morning?
#FindYourBlueLollipopRoad #WorkThatMatters #Inspiration
Ever have one of those weeks that leaves you wondering how in the world some people got to the point they’re just plain hateful and miserable?
(Yeah…that’s why I’ve been absent from here. Sorry about that. Won’t be happening again- I promise:)
A perfect time to share this quote:
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
~Rumi
I will always seek those who fan my flames, and hope you will too.
Who sets you on fire?
#FireMeUp #LifeOnTheUpswing #LiveLikeYouMeanIt
“Follow the pull of your heart, and listen to your intuition. Neither of those will steer you in the wrong direction. Don’t worry about logic or practicality for just a little while; simply allow yourself to move toward those things that fulfill you and give you the sense of being in the flow.”
Thanks RGini!
What lights you up?
#TrustYourself #FollowYourHeart #DoIt
…and while it had some very slow moments, I really liked it, and thought it told a story that so many of us can identify with:
I rarely press pause during movie time, but I did twice during this one to note a couple of lines that intrigued me:
“I always thought that…I’d end up with somebody who’d make the world feel bigger.”
“Oh, you know, taking a lifetime to become an overnight success.”
I’m putting See Girl Run in the BLR recommended movie pile for sure. Check it out if you want to take 1.5 hours of chill/think time this weekend.
Who makes the world feel bigger to you?
#WhatIf #NevertForgetWhereYouCameFrom #ComplicatedLove #Maine
I think one of the coolest and smartest organizations/movements out there is Roadtrip Nation. I’ve written about them multiple times and I follow them regularly. Just saw this quote today from a guy Doug Baum the participants have interviewed. It cracked me up and I wanted to share:
“I’m raising camels in Texas- do you think I care what people think?”
Now that’s owning what you do! Gotta love it.
Here’s another recent one I saw and thought deserved equal props. Interview with Roger Thomas:
“I came to the conclusion very early that, whatever it is that I do, it should be something I would do for free.”
Rock it out Doug and Roger, rock it out.
My favorite thing about the NY Times is the travel section. The feature travel spot on the front, 36 hours and why we travel are the perfect things to check out with a coffee on a Sunday morning. I daydream of somehow hitting up each place I read about in one lifetime. I love the photo from yesterday of Timothy Williams traveling in Crete and a part of his quote:
“Travel is freedom, and the smallest things become and adventure. It’s a departure from the everyday that reminds you that there is a huge world out there worth exploring.”
Hmmm, I wonder where I can find this guy and if he’s single…
As I sit here on this peaceful morning sipping my coffee and munching on my multigrain toast, 9 days into my trip- I decide I better finally look at a map and driving directions to Alaska from where I am in Upstate New York. Two words come to mind as the lake laps, the sun shines, and the breeze blows perfectly…
HOLY SHIT.
No I have not looked at a map for more than 30 seconds since I “planned” this trip. Yes, I know that AK is clear across the country and up through Canada Yes, I know that before taking on this challenge, perhaps I should’ve actually understood how far I’d be going. I didn’t. All I did was calculate that it was going to cost me at least $700 worth of gas to drive my route. It’s too late to turn around now and I don’t want to, but my am I going to have a lot more figuring out to do than I ever expected. (I have a tendency to jump then think. Blissful ignorance. No wonder why people get frustrated with me and stubborn has always been one of the top 3 words Mom uses when describing me.)
I now know that it’s a simple 10 hours from where I am to Chicago. No problem. That’ll be done in a day and a snap of a finger for me. From there though, it’s 34 hours straight driving to get to Seattle before going on the final leg to AK. Seattle to AK? Gulp…two days straight driving. It takes a lot for me to feel daunted, but I have to admit the holy shit and oh craps are running through my head now. I suppose because reaching this goal of mine was in the category of travel, and I love travel, I’ve instinctually had the; Pshaw! Cakewalk! Easy for me!- attitude. Sitting here now, I’m hitting a bit of the “wall” (like the one when you’re running a marathon, see mile 25 and think you’re done because you’re delirious, until it registers that indeed it is 26.2 miles to completion, not 25.2 and you want to scream- are you effin kidding me?! You want me to keep running?!) Push push push and get it done or drop.
Oh the wall.
After my engagement break-up a while back when I was a pile of train wreck disaster, a friend had said to me:
“This is when you either become that crazy old lady who lives alone on the side of a mountain in a log cabin to never come down, or you kick it into high gear, tear it up and own your life. It’s your choice Diane.”
I keep the above quote in mind, in those moments when I am exhausted, broke and wondering why the hell I am such a blissful idiot sometimes to do what I do. I’ll be channeling the spirit of my lost friends I am honoring and figuring it out as I make my way to Alaska and beyond. Perhaps this trip is meant for me to learn than place where you jump with a parachute. I’m already feeling like a different person since I left my starting point. I can’t explain it but it’s pretty amazing, it’s as if I’m getting to know myself and seeing my personal limits. Maybe I’m finally going to get to that place where I’ll start using those things they call baby steps. If this trip has already transformed me as it has by only day 9, I know without a doubt that it was the right decision and time for me to take this journey.
Here’s to tearing it up but starting to recognize balance too.