Skateboarding Season.

I love it that I have a skateboarding husband. Even better to have a skateboarding dog. 

Life is like my own personal X-games. 

Many years ago I never would have envisioned myself married to a 30-something year old man that went mountain biking, skateboarding, sailing and skiing at every opportunity that he got.

But you know what? I love it.

Remember when you were a young buck and thought that people in their 30's were old and boring? You swore you would never become that person? 

Yeah, well TC is sticking to that plan. The man doesn't have a boring bone in his body.

He's completely fearless as he and Maple cruise the streets of our down town neighborhood. He's been waiting for skateboard season all winter and now that the snow has finally melted, and hopefully won't be returning, he and Maple are free as a bird.

Maple runs along side of him - jumping, sprinting, biting at her leash. They're perfect for each other - both have way too much energy for their own good. 

Meanwhile, Hobie and I hang back and behave ourselves like the nice girls that we are. We calmly walk inside, put on a pot of coffee and get comfortable in front of the computer. We have a quick chat with the traffic gods and then get back to doing homework and napping. 

Eventually we turn on some music, but not too loud...

I should probably be able to hear the phone ring if the ER ever calls.

My Attitude.

Warning: I've been meaning to tell y'all about our great little adventure last weekend, but I keep getting distracted by issues with positivity and perspective. I can't help it. It's like I'm some self-help guru or something.




Somewhere along the lines I've picked up the mantra Choose Your Attitude. Come to think of it, I'm sure the saying came from camp.

It's true too. You can choose your attitude. Every day. Every situation.

At camp we have another saying - and it's really cheesy. Get ready for it...Everyone's a winner!

Think about it. We don't have losers. You just didn't win.




My boss likes to say that while we haven't won every game, we have never lost a game.

After not winning a basketball game we might say something to this effect:

We went out played a great game today and put up our best effort. We didn't come out on top, but we had a great game! 

See what I'm saying? Definitely didn't win.




There is a big difference between not winning and losing.

Perfect example - An observation at work today didn't go as well as I hoped it would.

TC, being the wonderful husband that he is, came walking through the door this afternoon with a beautiful bouquet of daisies. The note read "I'm sorry your day wasn't stellar."

Like how he spun that? He could have easily written a card that said "Sorry you had a bad day!" or "Bummer that your day sucked."




Here's the thing - neither of those super negative lines would have been accurate. Remember, I choose my attitude and I chose to have a less than stellar day. Why would I choose to have a bad day when I could have a less than stellar day? Why would we incorporate the word bad in a card when we can incorporate the word stellar and still get our point across?

Actually, why would I choose to have either of those days at all? Instead, I had a good day with a minor glitch in the morning.




Another example - Before I run or workout I obsessively put Chapstick on first. Today, I forgot.

Two ways to think about this:

1. Crap. I forgot my Chapstick. This is gonna suck.

2. I forgot my Chapstick, I'll have to remember it tomorrow. 

Either way, you have no Chapstick. Either way, you're going to finish your run. Either way, you're going to remember Chapstick tomorrow. You might as well choose your attitude and choose the second option - it's much happier, right?

Anyway, this is what I thought about tonight as I ran around town with no Chapstick on, in case you were wondering. I told you, I'm like a self-help guru these days.

But seriously, try it out! Try replacing those ugly words with happy words.

10 points for using the word stellar today!

Oh, and if all else fails, buy yourself some daisies. They make even the best of days that much better.

Deep Thoughts By Kate.

Sometimes at the end of a long day, or the night before a big day, you just need some wine and cheese.

Sometimes you need to step away and take a deep breath.

Sometimes you need to step back and get some perspective.

Sometimes life isn't all about nailing an observation or interview.

Sometimes the little things, like walking the dog on a glorious day, are more important than emptying the dishwasher, folding the laundry or vacuuming.

Sometimes enjoying a glass of wine and a bowl of salty cheese with friends is more important than anything else.

Sometimes we get caught up in life and forget that life is meant to be enjoyed.

Just my two cents...

Thoughts?