Tag: New Year

• Humbled and Thankful

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on January 3, 2018

  In my last post I briefly shared about an unexpected emergency surgery my cat was undergoing, as well as my impromptu decision to create a GoFundMe account. Within less than 24 hours I was given hundreds of dollars towards a lofty goal, more than I ever expected when I created the account. Friends and strangers donated in multiple increments coming together proving that no amount was too small.

  

  Each donation I received brought tears to my eyes, some from friends, some from strangers. This process happened so quickly, and has permanently changed a piece of my heart in a way I never imagined possible in such a short period of time. The generosity of giving and helping with my cat, while unplanned and not ideal, has shown me how powerful we as a species can be when we come together.

  This season is known for gifts and giving, but when the gifts are this monumental, they can change hearts.

  

  I spent a lot of 2017 with my focus inward. I continued to struggle with my health, and with finding my voice in the world. I spent far too many days with my arrows pointing in when they should have been pointing out. What we focus on continues to manifest, and I can guarantee that my focus on healing while helpful at times, caused more mental turmoil than necessary.

  What if I had spent more time stopping to smell the roses?

  

  I don’t claim to be perfect, but I don’t feel that I’m selfish. With the recent events regarding my cat I am inspired to turn this situation into something good. The inspiration I feel from the love and support I’ve been given has been humbling in so many ways, and while I am not a fan of new year resolutions, I can tell you I have an unexpected outlook on 2018.

  This year it’s time to make a plan that focuses on other people.

  

  This year I plan to spend less time focusing on myself, and more time focusing on others. So much of my life has passed me by the last three years because my obsessions and thoughts were elsewhere when I should have been present in the moment. How sad would it be to come face to face with death, and regret living a life where most of your time was spent inside the bubble of your own mind.

  Dark thought, but necessary thought. 

  

  How many times do we read story after story about the healing power of helping others? How many times do we experience these healing moments, and quickly forget about them when problems arise? In the past I escaped to the woods when times got hard, or I would isolate myself, but what would happen if I challenged myself to help someone else when I was feeling low?

  This can be as simple as giving someone my time, and being truly present in the moment.

  

  My cat was given 12 hours to live if he didn’t make it to a specialist. The total cost for the procedure and multiple emergency rooms he visited was thousands of dollars. If we chose not to pay, he would have needed to be euthanized. I could never place a price tag on my family members, and my pets are my family.

  The emotional scar I would have been given if I took his life prematurely was a burden I chose not to carry.

  It’s been six months since I said goodbye to my 20 yr old cat, I wasn’t ready to say another goodbye. I spent a good amount of money on my last cat before we had to send him over the rainbow bridge, but we did all that we could and I don’t regret a single penny spent. Having a pet is a commitment I feel should not be taken lightly, and not doing all that I can is never an option.

   I don’t expect to get anywhere near my goal, but every penny I’ve been given was a penny more than I expected. 

  

  What is life worth if we don’t have others around to enjoy it with? No price tag is too large when it comes to love and life. Money is variable, and it can always be remade, but life can never be given back. Not to our pets, and not to ourselves. I cannot thank those that donated enough, not just because it helps financially, but because of the emotional hug it gave me.

  I’ve never felt so loved, and this was the perfect reminder for me to focus my energy on other people.

  Sometimes others need our help or our attention when it’s not convenient, like an emergency vet clinic that’s open on a holiday, but these are the times when help is most appreciated. This new year I don’t plan to neglect myself, because doing so would jeopardize others, but I plan to better myself for different reasons. I need to better myself in order to fully show up for other people.

  A simple change in perspective was all I needed. A reflection of how I’ve been living the last year.

  

  I plan to do my part to pay it forward once the dust has settled with my current situation. The thought of bringing the unbelievable joy I feel from each donation is a feeling I want to share with as many people as possible. Sometimes all we need is to know that someone cares, and that someone is listening.

  Going into the new year I leave you with this – ask yourself what would happen if you made small changes to turn your arrows outward.

  In a world that is so convoluted with hatred, my heart is full of abundant love receiving such unexpected generosity. Prayers for recovery are welcomed and appreciated as he continues to heal. To some he’s “just a cat,” but he has saved me from so many heartaches in life, it was time for me to save him.

  Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. 

  

  | 32 Comments Tagged Cat, Life, New Year

• The Last Post

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on December 30, 2016

  …..of 2016

  Another holiday down, with one more to wrap up 2016. I don’t know why, but it really grinds my gears when people complain every.single NYE about how terrible the past year was. Were you alive? Were you breathing? Were you employed? Unless you were literally struggling to survive (in which I will pray for you) then I don’t want to hear it.

  Be thankful, and quit whining about it. #saltyoldwoman

  Christmas in my house was magical, per usual. Calm, quiet, and casual. I went for a nice run, made some pancakes, and added a few more items to my collection of things.

  

  Seen on my run.

  In a previous post I discussed how I don’t really like receiving items for Christmas, but because I’m blessed with gracious family members the items come regardless. So I make things easy and list out what I could use. Let’s see if my list made a difference.

  • #1 REI Gift Card – Success, thanks mom.
  • #2 Mountain Ring – No success. Womp
  • #3 Wood iWatch Band – Success, patiently waiting for its arrival
  • #4 Glamping – SUCCESS
  • #5 Whole Foods Gift Card – No success. I will starve.
  • #6 Subaru Outback – No success. Toyota Camry prevails!
  • #7 New Birkenstocks – No success, I was hopeful for this one.
  • #8 A new iPhone – Success…almost. Working on this one.
  • #9 Mountain Earrings – Success.
  • #10 Trip to Ireland – SUCCESS!!!!

  I was totally blowing smoke into the air when I wrote Ireland as a wish list item, and then decided it was time to stop talking about it and just DO it. So I bought myself a trip to Ireland. Santa ain’t got shit on me. May 2017 my friend and I will embark on a 10 day Irish road trip (pray for us, opposite side of the road driving) starting in Dublin, and driving a makeshift circle throughout the country.

  I can’t contain myself.

  

  Me.

  2016 was the year I discovered life is much too short to settle for what you don’t enjoy. I haven’t been living my “truth” (you know, those times when your gut tells you it doesn’t want to do something and you ignore it and do it anyway)  and the universe has a way of slapping you in the face as many times as possible until you wake up and realize it.

  2017 will be the year where my gut, my head, and my heart all become very close. No more ignoring the inner voice, no more doing what others think is right, and no more waiting for the perfect moment. The perfect moment is now. So do that thing you’ve always wanted to do. Eat the damn cookie already. 

  

  I don’t know what 2017 holds, but that’s the beauty of life. Instead of trying to figure it all out I’ve become comfortable sitting back and letting the universe take me where it wants to. Apparently that means a trip to Ireland, and I’m OK with that. Maybe it means a new job, maybe it means more travel, maybe it means meeting new friends.

  I’m open, and trusting. 

  I need more exploring in 2017 than I had in 2016. More mountains, more cities, more life. The highest peak I’ve hit the last month was a mere 520′ atop the Space Needle. Starbucks gifted me a free trip to the top, but nothing compares to the top of a mountain.

  

  

  I’m ready to say goodbye to 2016, but I don’t dare talk ill of it. Every single moment we are given is an opportunity to learn and to grow. Without the hard times we would have no contrast for all the good times. Without the pain we would not know pleasure. Without the failures we would not have success, and without 2016 we would not have another year of life.

  Each NYE  for the last few years I’ve made it a point to volunteer somewhere. Typically my Arizona family and I help package meals for children in other countries, but I didn’t make it to Arizona this year. Instead I’ll be hanging out with some of my Starbucks family members making meals at a local food bank. It doesn’t matter what you do, big or small, but I find doing something for someone else is a great way to ring in the new year.

  I’m too old for that disco ball drunken dancing nonsense kids do at midnight. 

  See you all in 2017. Go do something nice for someone else.

  Q: What was the best part of your holiday?

  

  | 68 Comments Tagged Christmas, New Year, NYE, Running

• Reflections over Resolutions

  Posted at 9:25 AM by Brittany, on December 31, 2015

  I fully understand the importance of having a full time job, saving for the future, using my resources to my advantage, and “adulting” in a responsible way. I take great pride in watching my IRA and 401K grow each and everyday.

  

  With that said, I also understand the importance of living life to the fullest, whatever that may mean for you. I write these posts once every so many months, and find they are predominently written when I am away from the high paced, somewhat high stress environment that comes with a job like mine.

  

  Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% aware that what I think I become, and what I feel I project. My stress is 100% self made and it’s my choice whether or not I have a smooth day or a tough day. I can manifest my own destiny day in and day out.

  How powerful is that?

  

  These posts flare up when I have time to reflect, to think, to just be. Vacation is a fantastic opportunity to not only reset your body, but reset your mind.

  I often leave my vacations with a better mindset on how I want to live my life, in and out of a 9-5 job scene.

  

  Granted I don’t work a 9-5 job, I have chump change for a daily routine, and some days are a cake walk, but you get the idea.

  

  The feelings I get after a great run are the feelings I want in life. A sense of accomplishment from something only I have control over. I am the one to determine the effort put into each and everything I do, and at the end of the day I am the only one with control over how I view what I’ve done to succeed in life.

  Success comes in many shapes and sizes.

  

  I take comfort knowing that I am setting myself up for a future I want, but I have also made an attempt to fully accept living each day for what it is. The stress of society is not something I want to be too caught up in, and as I reflect on my year, my life, and my being, I am discovering more of what I want in my life and what I view as success.

  I finally believe that when you quiet your mind of negative thoughts, allow your creativity to flow, and accept the present moment, life works the way it’s meant to.

  

  As my last post of 2015, I leave with a compilation of reflections. My only goal for 2016 is to further explore the power of my own thoughts, and how to start listening to them better. I want to take more risks, climb more mountains, eat more food, drink more coffee, and help more people. In sum I want to be fully and 100% alive.

  What good is a life spent in an environment where you don’t actually feel alive? It’s a waste of precious chromosomes if you ask me, and I’m not one to waste.

  

  Arizona, what is this bright thing?

  No questions, just spewing brain sludge today. Cheers to a happy, healthy, and successful 2016 – whatever that means to you!

  

  | 80 Comments Tagged Arizona, New Year, Reflection, Running, Vacation

• 57 Children

  Posted at 8:05 AM by Brittany, on January 1, 2014

  The older I get, the less interested I am in staying out late and partying with my friends. Don’t get me wrong..I love to go out with my friends, but it’s rare for me to want to stay out past 10PM. I like my sleep, and I like waking up feeling refreshed, not dead. Last year on NYE I went to my first hot yoga class, played bingo with some fellow old souls, and was back home by 9:45PM. All I was missing was some prune juice and pants up to my waist.

  I thought that was great, until this year.

  

  This year I went with my dad, and my two younger siblings to help package enough food to feed 57 children for an entire year in the Philippians. As Ron Weasley would say, that’s pretty wicked.

  

  A non-profit organization called Feed My Starving Children has multiple locations, with one location out of Tempe, AZ. I had never done this before, but my copilots had and said it was a lot of fun. For two hours we swapped stations and packaged around 20,000 meals.

  

  How’s my hair?

  I started with the rice and soy station, then moved to the bagging station, then found my way to the packaging station. We were tucked into a warehouse with music blasting and laughter all around. It was quite an experience and I would love to do it again.

  

  This experience challenged me to step outside of myself and think about other people. I’ve never been one for resolutions, and the last two years I only set small goals (2012 was the year I would run my first half marathon, and 2013 I wanted to run four. I ran three in 2013 and I am so pleased with that) that I knew were attainable.

  This year I want to not only continue to better myself in my fitness/nutrition endeavors, but I want to put my focus onto those around me. I started to focus on others throughout December and it was very rewarding..the perfect way to end one year and start another. My goal for 2014 is to adapt a lifestyle where I am more selfless, helping others whenever I can. The range for this is endless, anything from helping a family in need of Christmas dinner, to helping my mom clean the dishes when she feels tired. Anything that helps.

  

  2013 was the year I started to discover who I am, it was a roller-coaster of emotions for me and I was challenged to persevere when I felt like I was falling down a black hole. 2013 opened the door to many new adventures I have yet to discover, and I learned how to find peace withing myself when my mind felt like a stormy sea.

  I have a lot more to learn about myself, but 2013 was the push I needed to start thinking about how I want to live my life. I want to better myself as a person, and to accomplish this I want to take the focus off of me. I don’t mean putting my needs, desires, or goals to the side, but when I feel the internal “me, me, me” monster flaring up at any moment I want to handle myself better and think about those around me too.

  The more I take myself out of the center, the happier I feel. The less I worry, the happier I feel. The more I give, the richer I feel. Cheers to 2014.

  Q: What’s ONE big goal you have for 2014?

  

  | 55 Comments Tagged Adventure, Family, New Year, NYE

• NYE-I’m Getting Old

  Posted at 9:03 AM by Brittany, on January 1, 2013

  I’m not one for New Years Resolutions, however I do think the idea of setting goals can be exciting. 2012 was my year of running. One race per month, with at least one half marathon. New Years Day last year included running and jumping into freezing water. Great way to start off a year of good running. This year my goal is to run four half marathons. No resolutions, no diets, just four half’s. Oh and I also have a goal of keeping my cool at the gym when all the resolutioners hog my spin classes. At least they only come to the gym for about a month.

  Enough about goals and running, you all want to hear about my wild night on the town for NYE!! Before I get to that, I’ll start with the beginning of my day. What better way to spend the end of the year than in a room full of half naked sweaty people?

  
  My first hot yoga class showed me beads of sweat on my skin in places I’ve never seen before. There is something magical about seeing sweat roll off your body, knowing that you are releasing stress and toxins onto your yoga towel. I did get dizzy a few times, and at one point felt a little queasy, but a few deep breaths and a burp cured that and the 90 minutes flew by.

  I was a little disappointed with how clothed everyone was. My yogi master (Manfriend) advised me to go with just shorts and a sports bra, so that’s what I did. There was only one other woman in there without a shirt. Once we started flowing, the heat really brought out my abs.

  

  Don’t be jealous, it takes a lot of cookies and cake to achieve this ab perfection. I had a blast doing this with my aunt, and can’t wait to get home and do it again with boyfriend.

  After a much needed shower and refuel, I did some running around with my cousin to kill time before our big party of the night. On our way out of Walmart, some representatives were giving away free food. It’s always a good day when you get free food.

  

  Four hours later, it was time for the main event.

  

  Once again, please hold back your jealousy for my night of Bingo. You know you’re getting old when you’d rather play 3hours of bingo and be home by 9:45 than go out and party. Unfortunately I didn’t win anything, but I got close. Next time..I’ll win the jackpot.

  Today is a day spent running, enjoying family time, and relaxing. Happy New Year!!

  Q: How was your NYE??

  

  | 48 Comments Tagged Bikram, New Year, Running, Yoga

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