We ease into the weekend. For some reason I’ve shifted my natural waking time to be more of a morning person than I recall being in a while. I’ve been taking great pleasure in waking up and reading with my coffee in the morning. Bertram rousing himself for just enough time in the morning to re-arrange himself draped over my leg on the couch as I read.
My morning was spent reading – starting a new YA book that I’m unsure of, but making headway, getting distracted by another non-fiction title that I just wanted to re-read a few sections of. Forcing myself to stick to attention with one book rather than toggling between… several… is a challenge.
I had my monthly gathering with a group of women who are in my executive leadership group; we worked on catching up, and a presentation by Tisha, a member of our group on DEI focused on values. Some of the key takeaways: never doubt your significance, and the way authenticity can impact others.
Questions to ponder:
What are your top three values?
Why are those values significant to you?
How do your values impact your choices and actions?
Some other key points from the talk: nobody deserves to be mined as a resource. Also: the value of seeking out relationships that challenge you. I’m so grateful to Tisha for bringing her work into our group and sharing with us as she leads in her own communities.
Another member of our group, Rebeqa, led us in a guided session: “My ideal day 3 years from now”. The value of this exercise: if you know what your vision is, you can make it happen now. The process was a free write, with the goal of focusing on both the external details: Who is there? Where are you? What are you doing with your day? What are you looking forward to? And the internal details: using your 5 senses to describe what you are experiencing that day.
To wrap things up, we took turns identifying our super powers; including grappling with the term “super powers” and what that actually means. One member of our group reframed it: superpower: “I’m at my best when…”
Generally, I’m so deeply appreciative of the kind humans who show up to do this work together.
Other good things, today:
Food: Gnocchi alla sorrentina with chopped fennel for dinner. For a late brunch, a Joseph’s Lavash wrap with cream cheese, chicken, Trader Joe’s green goddess dip. Snacky things. I started buying Trader Joe’s snack packs of almonds, which are very handy to have on hand if you are getting hangry. I also got myself some Candy Cane Joe-Joe ice cream, but my ability to make a decision on which dessert I want is completely shot at this time of night.
Movement: long dog walk, short (freezing) run, 30 minute cycling, and a decompress and rest yoga class! I really enjoy the opportunity to do a variety of different forms of movement to break up my day, and re-charge in the moment.
Relaxation: I took the time to watch the newest episode of the Mandalorian. I don’t watch very much television these days, but try to savor the time that I do!
Tomorrow I’m looking forward to: writing up this week’s CRAW recap (we’re in Colombia!), some batch cooking, a weekly retro with my “sprint” buddy, and a curated exhibit zoom of Monet at the MFA!
:: Sometimes – the answer for dinner is cereal. Okay, so it was also a single cupful (the end) of my mushroom soup, full of mushrooms, with a capful of extra sherry, two (microwave) poached eggs, and a sprinkle of parm. It wasn’t enough, but enough to tide me over during my power yoga class at 9:30 pm, and then follow up with a small bowl of Trader Joe’s high fiber oh’s with… brown sugar and half and half. I have no regrets.
::Movement – I kicked off this leg of CRAW with 13 miles on the bike during my book club tonight. Bertram got a good walk, and I made my mile – all in all, an active day to balance out a full day of meetings and hard work.
::The End of the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, really the end this time – a few final chapters savored in the morning with a steaming cup of coffee on a gray, rainy day. I really quite enjoyed this book.
My eyelids are closing, but here we are. End of the evening pause for gratitude for a very full day.
Just a few more chapters of my current morning read (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue), but I’ve been savoring them.
My work day was booked solid with good, meaningful meetings and work. The kind of day where you just keep going until you are done, and sit back and just exhale deeply.
I managed to get in lots of movement – 20 minutes on the bike, a good long walk with the dog, a mile run, and a flow to yin class.
Trivia night! With the extended Wilkins / Foo Kune clan and friends.
Leftovers from dinner last night: fresh tuna steak, potatoes, and green goddess dip from Trader Joe’s.
Bertram has a new safety light for our evening walks. He looks like he’s having his own little rave.
Also, I finished the first leg of Circumpolar Race Around the World tonight – with #TeamBattleDucks – my mom, Lizzy, Heather, Caroline and Sondy!
We’ve gone 2513.53 miles from Texas to Panama. Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. (My mom leading the way with a wildly impressive 582.16!) Every week I write a recap of where we’ve traveled, the sites we’ve seen, fun facts, and of course FOOD! I’ve immersed myself in internet videos, Netflix food specials, Instagram location hashtags, and more. I’ve done a lot of reading of Spanish websites – not remotely surprising, the Wikipedia articles in English vs. Spanish often have a very different slant.
We’ve eaten a lot of tamales (both metaphorically and literally), seen amazing animals, traveled to volcanoes, lakes, beaches. We’ve learned quite a bit about history, people, and culture. From pre-Colombian history: the Huastecs, the Otomis, Olmecs! Totonacs and so many more. We’ve learned about many historical figures of note.
I’ve been diving into the economy, agriculture, and exports – and thanks to Trader Joe’s, enjoyed quite a few location specific small lot coffee. There has been a lot of seafood, and many a cheese that I’ve envied. I’ve also enjoyed some new places locally and mail order – including Guatemalan/Salvadoran at Mi Tierra; and cheese from The Mozzarella Company.
I’ve picked up a few new cookbooks along the way. Can’t wait to continue the next leg of the journey! We start TOMORROW!
A short list tonight – while today was a low key day, I find myself completely exhausted by 9pm.
Today is Veteran’s Day. Thank you to all my friends, acquaintances, and family who have served. This year has been particularly meaningful because of our work with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Getting to give back to those who have served every day of the year is now a reality.
A socially distanced walk with my friend Daria.
*Do The Thing Hour. We got things done!
Picking up my farm share. Curiously low on actual vegetables (you get to pick your own items each week), but I did make the smart choice of ordering fresh tuna for tonight’s dinner.
My CRAW (Circumpolar Race Around the World) team is reaching the end of our first leg of the world. Through Mexico down to Panama. We’ll likely be done tomorrow – then on to the next leg!
That’s all today. Hope you are all getting some well needed rest this week.
Today I spent 30 minutes breaking down cardboard. I’ve developed a cardboard mountain near my front door, which has been building steadily as I grow uneasy looking at it every time I leave the house.
Tackling cardboard is one of my least favorite activities. You have to break it down, rip it up into pieces to fit it into the recycling bin. It’s a physical, exhausting task. Alternately, you can fit a ton of it into a big trunk, and haul it to the recycling center, but now you have to make an appointment in advance – which is a second layer of ordeal.
I’m sure there are people who are just effortlessly able to do these kinds of nagging tasks that require a few different steps in order to complete the task. I am not one of them. Here are a few of the ways I deal with this and other things like it.
Keep a running list of nagging tasks.
Schedule in a time of week where I complete the first step of a nagging task.
Hold a weekly *Do the Thing hour on Wednesday where folks often complete these things together. (I’m looking at you phone calls to insurance, switching licenses, and doing PT exercises!)
Ask a friend to hold me accountable to my task (shout out to Courtney who texted me reminders)
Break down the task into a small action. What can I do to get started in 10 or 30 minutes?
Pair the task with a positive thing: in this case, I put in an audio book, pulled out the boxes outside into the driveway in the sun and got to work.
Reinforced positive feedback loop by literally writing a tweet giving myself a gold star, and then writing this blog post patting myself on the back. (You need to get your dopamine somewhere.)
What’s on your list? Please let me encourage you (and give you a gold sticker!)
The Second Lunch is a (mostly) food blog by Sam Tackeff about recipes, food writing, ingredient hunting, travel, healthy living, fitness, and everything in between.
Please do not steal! Email me at sam [at] thesecondlunch.com – if you’d like to use one of my photos, and I’d be happy to share my terms. Thanks!
Disclosure
I occasionally link to products using affiliate links, including Amazon. I get a small commission if you purchase something from that link and this helps cover hosting costs (I use DreamHost and have been a happy customer since 2009). Thank you for supporting The Second Lunch!
