Snow, songs and beautiful thoughts from questionable sources

Good morning, friends!

It's snowing here in Jackson Hole. Just a bit, but any amount of snow is enough to get my thrill meter going.

Snow is beautiful.
Snow makes cozy clothes and pajamas not just delightful, but necessary.
Snow makes me feel better about closing myself up in a warm room, huddled over my desk hour after hour.

But I didn't really mean to write about snow. I just got distracted by the view beyond my computer screen.

No, what I really wanted to talk about is theme songs. As I was driving this morning, my theme song came on. It's called "Swim Until You Can't See Land," and when it comes on, I sing uproariously and feel like I could have written every word. So I'm wondering, do you have a theme song? If you don't, but you want to, what would it be?

My life - my running, my writing, my driving - they're all fueled by music. When I'm looking for new fuel, I visit some of these places:

• Spotify lets you listen to any music you want for FREE. The free version includes ads and limits the devices you can use for listening, but there are affordable premium options, if you feel the need for that sort of thing.
• RCRD LBL lets you stream and, in some cases, download for free, music by new artists.
• Pandora is a personal favorite because it lets you type in a song or artist you like, then it plays songs with similar characteristics. If you're in a particular mood (snow! fireplace!), Pandora offers a quick and easy soundtrack maker AND lets you fall in love with new music.

One last thought: my current theme song, "Swim Until You Can't See Land" reminds me of a quote I read recently, one that has followed me around for weeks, even though I initially wanted to reject and ignore it because of its source.

"You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Christopher Columbus

I haven't been able to get rid of it, so I'm finally deciding to give in. Sometimes wisdom shows up in the most unexpected places.

Hope your day is - and sounds - beautiful.
Juli

A Healthy Outlook

Hi, friends,

Most of you know that four years ago, I started running. Most of you also know that it changed my body and, more importantly, it changed my life. But the thing is, at the beginning, running was all about making my body a certain way, a way that I wasn't ashamed of, a way that I thought someone else might love. It took years to transform my relationship with running into a true appreciation of what the sport does for my life. Even so, I still fight a battle for balance. The "stout girl," as my middle school cheerleading coach called her, is always inside me, worried much more about what people think than about how she feels about herself.

In honor of that girl, and the cheerleading coach who I'm sure had no idea she was making a statement I would carry around for decades, today's email is about organizations that help girls find their way into healthy lives much earlier than I did. By making all kinds of sports available and possible for young girls, these organizations teach the next generation of women how to make their whole selves confident, capable and centered. If we empower girls with the experiences and skills to build beautiful lives and whatever body they decide they want, maybe they won't be so desperate to find someone to love them and care for them. They will already know how to do that for themselves.

GoGirlGo! was founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King. The organization not only runs programs that get girls involved in athletic pursuits, they also provide financial help to girls who aspire to a higher level of competition.

Girls Inc. started during the Industrial Revolution to serve the needs of the newly emerging young, female working class. Today their programs include health and physical activities, but also extend to money management, understanding media and developing girls' interest in math and science.

Girls on the Run uses running to help young women become fit, strong and confident. At the end of each season, girls and their running buddies complete a 5K. I'm tearing up just writing that, people.

Just one last thought, then. It's not mine, but I like it:
"It is no measure of good health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." ~Jiddu Krishnamurti.

Be well, and take good care of yourselves.
Juli

Returning to the cool stuff

I've been reading the September issue of National Geographic, and I've noticed something: the preponderance of ads for arthritis medication, knee replacement technologies and hearing aids. What is the deal with that? I love all of the aided hearing/replaced knee/arthritic readers out there. I do. In fact, I love them extra because they are apparently the only people who understand what's important.

Parents, why are you not buying National Geographic for your kids? Why have we, Gen X and the Millennials, abandoned all the cool stuff?

For heaven's sake, get off Facebook for a half hour and read National Geographic, if only to be reminded that you don't know even close to everything, that, in fact, there are all KINDS of things in the world that you never imagined. Here are a few good reasons:

• One of the stinkiest and weirdest looking plants in the universe. 
• A really good reason not to touch armadillos, in case you needed one.
• Another great reason, this time demonstrating why you (and your kids) should eat more vegetables.
• A thoughtful look at the bizarre weather we've been having.
• Mind and heart twirling photography.



Photograph by Kim Eijdenberg, Your Shot

Several of those things I had to find on various sites online, but National Geographic collects all this fascination in one place for you. It costs $15. A year. You spend more than that on lattes or iTunes every week, and you know it, neither of which puts the wide, beautiful, fascinating world between your two tiny human hands once a month. 

Travel Tip #1

Genius tip from the woman next to me at an O'Hare bar: can't find an outlet in the airport? There might just be an outlet behind the bar that your cord can reach. Ask. And, obviously, buy a drink. And tip well.

Giving and Getting

Hi, friends,

I've been thinking a lot lately about getting out of my own head. When I'm busy working or helping someone else, I have a lot less time to worry. So in honor of how nice it can be to be out of my own head and in case you need a cerebral escape of your own, here are a few unique ways to give:

• One Frickin Day: Forget giving a few people to give more. The world would do better if more people gave less. One Frickin Day asks for just that. Give a day's salary and be done. Or better yet, skip the donation altogether and give one day a month to a local school. Go in and share whatever you can: talk about your job; read with a kid.
• Hole in the Wall Camps: In founder Paul Newman's words, these camps give kids with serious illnesses a place to "raise a little hell." Who can't get behind that? It's about taking fun seriously, and the organization, as a result, is changing its name: from here on out you can give your time, services and cash to the SeriousFun Children's Network.

Learning is another way to focus on something productive, and school has also been on my mind, as the kids all around me head back to their classrooms. Whether you learn about how the universe is put together or how to put together a dress, we could all use a lesson or two. And bless the sweet Internet, these days you can learn all kinds of marvelous stuff - like this, this and this- from where ever you are.

Also, this is just captivating. Enjoy the view into a beautiful somewhere else.

Happy learning and living,
Juli

"It is of interest to note that while some dolphins are reported to have learned English — up to fifty words used in correct context — no human being has been reported to have learned dolphinese. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)

This is your brain, (not) on radiation

 
Friends, I like your brains. That's why I'm sending you this: a not-at-all-for-sure-but-possibly radiation blocking cell phone case.

“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

-Dalai Lama

Throw your dream into space like a kite

Throw your dream into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, or a new country. 

-Anais Nin, author (1903-1977)

This week is the annual Washington State International Kite Festival, which includes a competition AND choreographed kite flying. That seems like something to see.