You are not a Wuss…

Posted by random olio

As a child, when I fell down or hurt myself my dad always told me to get up and buck up, that I was strong, and to brush it off.

I remember one time that I will never forget (and yes this story might sound strange). We were shucking dozens and dozens of ears of corn. I grew up in Indiana and yes the vegetable of Indiana is corn. Lots of it, everywhere. So the one fresh vegetable we always had in abundance was corn. We had a freezer in the garage that housed frozen corn and Icee pops (remember those)! Corn was at the time my favorite vegetable, considering that I disliked all vegetables with a vengeance. Now, things have changed and I rarely eat corn. I kind of think it just goes through you and does not do much for nutritional value. I like the darker, green, leafy vegetables at this stage in my life.

I digress. My sister and I were sitting on the front porch shucking corn ears. We had been through dozens of ears, when I felt a sharp pain in my thumb. There was a piece of glass in the ear of corn. How it got in the corn under the husk, I will never know or understand. I ran inside to put my bleeding thumb under the kitchen sink to clean it. I then passed out and was on the floor of the kitchen.

My dad comes into the kitchen where my sister has let him know I have passed out. When I came to I was completely freaking out about my thumb. It hurt a lot and was still bleeding and there was still a piece of glass in it. Once my dad gets the glass out, he sort of yells at me to stop being a baby. I think I always felt like he was yelling at me, and maybe he was, but now I wonder if he just wanted me to be strong. Compared to his capacity for pain as a contractor (nails in fingers, fiberglass, etc) this was nothing. To me it was such a big deal. To this day I dislike shucking corn.

So dad, while I did not appreciate it then, I appreciate your constant urging to be strong and to not cry over spilled milk or some blood. Although still to this day I pass out if I see too much blood. Some things never change, but some things do make us stronger.

me and my dad at my high school graduation

40th Anniversary of Women allowed to run the Boston Marathon

Posted by random olio

I subscribe to Runner’s World, and I find some of the articles interesting, some helpful, and some I just skim. I recently read an article on running “Heros.” The one that intrigued me the most was Kathrine Switzer. As a newer runner and a woman, I should probably already know about Kathrine Switzer, however, I had not heard of her. So I wanted to share her story with you. It is Woman’s History month, and Kathrine has definitely made history for all women.

In 1967, “Switzer became the first woman to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon. She registered using her then-standard signature, K.V. Switzer. But near mile two, race official Jock Semple–irate that a woman was in his race–grabbed her and tried to yank off her number. Images of the scuffle helped launched Switzer as a potent symbol for equality. She went on to promote women’s running and equality in sports; it became her life’s work. She created a running series that held events in 27 countries for over a million women and fought for the inclusion of the women’s marathon in the Olympic Games.” Runners World, January 2012 issue. Full excerpt here.

In 1972, women were finally allowed to run in the Boston Marathon, thus this year marks the 40th Anniversary. The first Olympic Women’s Marathon, however, did not occur until the Olympics were in Los Angeles in 1984. How is it possible that it took until 1984 for women to be able to run an Olympic marathon?

In October 2011, Kathrine was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Syracuse, New York. You can learn more about Kathrine Switzer on her website here. If you scroll down on her homepage, you will see she is traveling all over the place this year for different races and speaking engagements. In 2013, a PBS documentary will be released called, “Makers: Women Who Make America.” Kathrine will be interviewed in this documentary. You can watch a short preview here. You can also view the list of AMAZING women that will be interviewed in this documentary here.

I cannot wait for this documentary to be released next year. In addition to Kathrine, the other women in this documentary are courageous, funny, fierce, sassy, and inspirational!

Listening to Self + Words

Posted by random olio

I had a rough weekend, spent mostly in bed or on the couch. Starting to feel a bit better, but still snuggled on the couch. So rather than share a recap of my not so great weekend, and since it is Monday, I thought I would share two Daily Om’s from last week hopefully as inspiration for your week.

As you might be able to tell from past blog posts, I am a strong supporter of women’s issues. I love finding ideas that promote the strength, poise, and talent of women. So when I came across this Daily Om from Monday, March 19, 2012 a smile grew on my face. In the past I have mentioned the Daily Om that I subscribe to daily (Here are two of my past Daily Om posts). Like any newsletter, there are days that it resonates with me more than others. This is the part of this Daily Om that I love:

“Even though we might want to think of a strong woman as being defined in this way, what really makes a woman confident is her capacity for listening to her true self and being able to call upon her feminine wisdom to any situation that may arise. A woman does not need to step into an assertive role or act like a man in order to be effective at what she does—she simply needs to get in touch with her insight and sense of compassion to truly demonstrate the depth of her strength.”

This is a great reminder for all women. Rock on feminine wisdom and intuition!

The second Daily Om I wanted to share is from March 22, 2012, called: “The Music of Language.” I love the following idea from this Daily Om:

“When we speak or write, we use the vehicles of words to carry meaning, as well as energy, from ourselves to another person or group of people. We may be speaking to our baby, our boss, or to an audience of 500 people. We may be writing a love letter, a work-related memo, or an entry in our own diary. Whatever the case, each word we speak or write has a life of its own, a vibratory signature that creates waves in the same way that a note of music creates waves. And like musical notes, our words live in communities of other words and change in relation to the words that surround them.”

We often forget that our words have energy and lives of their own. Our tone and how we deliver and communicate each word has an impact on those listening to us. Are we creating a story of positive, helpful, and uplifting communication? Or do our words bring others down?

I have a print idea (on my husband’s honey-do list) that I want to put in the entry way of our home: “You are responsible for the energy you bring into this home.”

So this week, women: listen to your true self. Women and all: watch for the energy behind the words you use!

Happy Monday!

Do you watch Shark Tank?

Posted by random olio

So I really like the show: Shark Tank, especially with the addition of Mark Cuban. I love the banter and the bluntness of the judges. Since I have always been interested in the entrepreneur side of things, it is intriguing to watch different business owners (although some just have an idea and not functioning businesses yet) try to tell their story, their idea, themselves, and the worthiness of their product or company. Some guests are spot on with their approach: their ideas are clever, their sales approach is solid, and they get the money they need and the right investor to support them. Others are horrible. I guess like American Idol, there has to be a few that just miss the mark (and sometimes horribly so).

The show always makes me think about how I would approach the Sharks, and what savvy way would I try to win them over? Of course I would need a great business or product idea, but so much of the sales pitch is in the story and the confidence in which it is presented. Each judge has their own interesting nuances that you get to know over time. Mark Cuban has become my favorite judge, he is a bit cocky, but will also put himself out there for someone he believes really works hard and will truly make him money on his investment. Not all the judges will put themselves out there like that.

If you do not watch, it airs on Friday nights, and you can probably multi-task a bit while you watch (check Facebook, knit that hat, give yourself a pedicure). Yes, even some of you men should be doting on your feet, why not while catching up on your DVR?

the 'largest' shark tank

Enjoy!

From Homeless to Harvard

Posted by random olio

Feel like reading a good book and heartfelt memoir? A few months ago, I read: Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard, by Liz Murray. It is a book that even if you had a good upbringing will make you feel like anything is possible.

Liz grew up in the Bronx with drug addicted parents. While she was not living on the streets until she was 15, the apartments she did live in were not truly habitable. This book shares her story of coming out of horrible circumstances. She eventually graduates from high school in two years, and wins a New York Times scholarship to Harvard. It happens because of her perseverance to change her current circumstances. Some parts of the book are hard to read, but as you read, remember that she lived these experiences. There were times when she would hide in her friend’s closets on very cold days. Other times her friends would smuggle her into their rooms and feed her. My heart just yearned for the fact that her friend’s families did not take her into their homes completely. Maybe the parents were just getting by to feed their own children. I so badly wanted someone to notice her situation and take her in.

She watches both of her parents abuse drugs for many years. They steal any money Liz might make for food or clothes to pay for their drugs, and they use their welfare check at the beginning of the month for drugs. She has such love for her parents, regardless of what they put her through. Without giving it away, you will see how later in her life, the unconditional love she gives them.

After college, Liz Murray founded the Broome Street Academy, one of the first high schools for homeless youth. You can find more information about Liz Murray on her website, Manifest Living.

I encourage you to read Breaking Night. It will remind you that we are capable of more than we know.