Yes.

Posted by random olio

We all have things we want to change in life. It is why so many individuals decide to make New Year’s resolutions. Sometimes that means that some need to add more adventures in their lives, and others might need to cut back to make room for space in their lives.

Last week I finished reading: “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person” by Shonda Rhimes. At first I did not want to read it. While I watch all of Rhimes television shows, I do not know much about her as a person, and sometimes books that come from the Hollywood bore me. I was happily surprised. Shonda Rhimes is a badass.

She talks you through her experience from no shows to having 3 shows on Thursday night at once and what it is like to be so successful, have a family, and be a black woman in Hollywood. And yet, want to hide from it all. Year of Yes is her year to start saying yes to life, yes to what comes her way, and quit hiding from the world. We could all probably use a bit of “yes” in our life. On discussing the 100 pounds she lost (from saying yes to how she approached food):

“Did I not just say it was never going to be easy? Never going to be quick, would there be anyone left out there who talked about struggling with their weight? Now, I’m betting all of these big-time programs you see advertised and recommended by your doctor work. But only if you decide that YOU are going to do the work to make the programs work. Meaning, nothing works if you don’t actually decide that you are really and truly ready to do it.” Page 157

The key is “decide that you are really and truly ready to do it.” Applicable to so many decisions in life. Making the choice to really be in your marriage, to be the parent you want to be, to give your job your all, to stay fit and healthy. Decide to do it. It is that easy. Yes.

Hello Parody

Posted by random olio

Sometimes you get something in your head and you cannot get it out. Adele’s new song “Hello” has been one of those songs. Jimmy Fallon (with The Roots) and Saturday Night Live both did fun or parody versions of it and that does not help keep the song out of mind.

Today someone shared this parody of “Hello” — one that almost perfectly changes all the words and talks about food cravings and exercise. It is hilarious. Chris and I were commenting though that it would be even funnier if they acted it out (eating Fries and Krispy Kreme and all else).

My favorite lines: “Hella craving for some fries,” “That’s not sweat, my body’s crying,” and “Krispy Kreme gives me life.”

Enjoy – and have fun trying to get it out of your head!

National Anthem w/hiccups

Posted by random olio

Sometimes you see something and it inspires you, makes you laugh, and leaves you in awe. I have always had something inside me that when something catches me as funny, I sometimes have a hard time not laughing. It does not matter the situation. I can be in a room where it is not funny (say a funeral, or very important meeting) and if what strikes me as funny hits me hard enough I will not be able to stop myself from laughing.

This boy from Australia is amazing. First, you could never get me in front of any amount of people to sing (let alone the National Anthem). To then start singing and have the hiccups throughout the entire song, I think if I was him I would have started laughing — which would have led to crying, and I probably would not have been able to finish. You’ll notice the players from both teams are chuckling as the camera pans across them a few times. Why is it that when things like this happen it is our nature to laugh? In this case, no one is laughing at Ethan, it is like getting the hiccups at the worst time is somehow hilarious deep inside.

I was left in awe as Ethan made it through completely composed. Way to go Ethan!

Is mini Conk an artist?

Posted by random olio

I often feel like my belly is the inside of a bouncy castle, or a trampoline. This ‘lil man inside me is one active guy. There are days when I love it and think about what he must be doing inside there, and there are other days when it drives me nuts and all I want is a bit of peace, quiet, and less jostling happening inside. This past week has felt like an incredibly active week!

So when I saw this I thought, maybe I should have mini Conk make his first painting later this week when we have a bit of downtime over the holiday and when he has a particularly active span of time. I am a fan of abstract painting and there is something slightly surreal about having the movement of your unborn baby paint their first painting. I am curious!

We are looking forward to meeting the ‘lil man!

Reading minds and pooping pants

Posted by random olio

Have you ever thought about what you would ask for if you could be given superpowers? I often have and I always come to the same conclusion — I would want to read people’s minds. Whenever I give that answer others raise their eyebrows and think WHY!?! For me my biggest pet peeve, or strongest pain point, is trust and honesty. I often wonder how often are others really telling the truth and how often are they telling you what they think you want to hear.

I can take it — give me what you really think. I truly believe being honest and direct while sometimes hard — it is the only way to go truly deep. Going deep brings people closer together, it creates trust, bonds, and often allows others to open up. When we stay on the surface and never go deep, what is there to bring you closer together? Think about it in relation to a flower – the deeper the root the harder to pull out of the ground. I want those close to me in my life to have roots that are deep, and I would rather pull the loose flowers and remove them from my life.

Back to the superpower of reading minds. Many that have heard that as my response think “you would go crazy with all that information” and I think maybe, but it would be reality. A fun conversation with a friend last night makes me think of one other superpower that would be fun to have — but maybe slightly malicious. Have you ever been in a meeting with someone and they just got under your skin? They were rude, or condescending, or did not treat you with respect. You want to put them in their place, but you might not have the leverage to do so. Our fun conversation circled back to how fun (or funny) it would be if you had the power to make them poop their pants in a meeting every time they were rude to someone, or maybe a loud fart came from them. Maybe not the nicest thing to think about, but it might provide the comic relief to break barriers (among other things).

What would you pick for your superpower?