October 13 - 19, 2024
It was a three city adventure this week as I wound my way from White City, OR to Las Vegas, NV and then to Colorado Springs, CO. Diverse landscapes, relationships, circumstances and adventures this week, but all with people that love and support and encourage me, so what could be better than that? Winning!
Sunday, October 13th
Today was a leisurely day with my dad. We spent all day at the house, going out to walk parts of their property together and talk. I snapped a few pics of things on the property that stood out to me– it’s my effort to try to recognize beauty in the world around me.
There was no chess tournament during this visit, just a bit of quiet time together.
We binge watched some TV together (The Old Guard and SWAT), puttered around in his workshop and enjoyed BBQ on the grill, courtesy of Cris (his wife).
There was nothing noteworthy about the day, but time with my dad is a precious commodity, and and it was all too brief a visit. I leave tomorrow- heading to Las Vegas next.
.
Monday, October 14th
Dad and Cris are early risers, so I was up early, too. I was on the road by 6:15 a.m., stopping once in Central Point, OR and then again in Fernley, NV for fuel.
Here’s a fun bit of humor for me today- I was driving through this small town somewhere between Oregon and Las Vegas, and the speed limit was 25 MPH. As I came around the bend, I saw a drove of donkeys wandering near the roadway. And, no joke, this ASS looked me right in the eyes, then sauntered out into the roadway and stopped in front my vehicle, looking spiteful.
We locked eyes in a staring contest, until he looked away balefully, refusing to move.
I waited him out, smiling slightly… after all, it’s not like it’s the first jackass I’ve had get in my way. (See what I did there?)
Eventually, he slowly stepped off the roadway, looking back at me balefully, and I continued my drive.
It was a push, but I made it my friends, Tim & Debbie Maudsley’s just after 8 pm. And it was so good to see them and their daughter, Shannon, again. We visited briefly, but after almost 13 hours of drive time and close to 800 miles, I was a tired panda who retired early.
Tuesday, October 15th
The early bird catches the worm, and I was up and out the door by 5:45 a.m. Las Vegas has grown a lot, even in the few years since my last visit, and the nearest YMCA with a pool was 35 minutes away, even with me leaving as early as I did this morning. I put in my swim time, then ran a few errands before heading back to Debbie & Tim’s place, where Debbie and I whiled away the afternoon, talking and just hanging out together.
Wednesday, October 16th
Today was definitely a day of ups and downs… Despite my misgivings, I made the 30 minute trek to the YMCA- a different one than earlier this week. Today I went to the Billie and Lillie Heinrich YMCA. While closer than the location I visited earlier, this location didn’t have a pool. Swimming was sidelined today as I needed to begin implementing the workout regimen that Jon laid out for me.
Even though every experience I have had at the various Y’s around the country has been positive, I was anxious about going to the gym to work out rather than swimming. Jon’s regimen for me includes flexibility exercises, resistance training, bodyweight training and other exercises that do not excite me. Nevertheless, I stuffed my anxiety, fears and insecurities down and made my way into the gym.
I’ll be frank- my first workout experience was a disaster. I didn’t bring my swim bag with all my stuff because I wasn’t swimming. Consequently, I forgot my lock (in my swim bag) and had no way to secure my purse and shoes in a locker. Also, I was doubly intimidated the minute I walked upstairs to their workout area. It was one medium sized room with lots of people. I walked all around the room, and then around the upstairs track (which included that room) and then tentatively sought out a mat to begin the mobility warm up routine. I was relieved because the warm-up video looked short, but then I realized that he demonstrated each move once, but was requiring me to do 10 repetitions, making my time investment much longer than the actual video length. 😭 Then, when I started the warm-up routine, I was incredibly discouraged to realize I am not neary as flexible as I thought I was. The stretches were HARD, and even though I know that it will get easier with time, it was still demoralizing. I still can’t fully extend my right arm and elbow, which was made even more evident by the pain that came from my efforts to contort. Honestly, I didn’t even make it through the warm-up. Near tears, I grabbed my gear and bolted.
Feeling defeated, I beat feet back to Debbie & Tim’s, arriving just in time to jump on my weekly Zoom coaching call with the UnleashU group.
I was already having a hard day- and 99% of it was due to my mindset.
Throw in the pressure of a Hot Seat Coaching call, and I was on the verge of unraveling. (On the third Wednesday of the month, the coaching calls are always ‘Hot Seat’ calls.) We were taking turns on the Hot Seat and I was struggling with what my offer should be. They, however, kept telling me that I had just TOLD them the offer…
Do you ever have (what I call) a dimmer switch moment? A dimmer switch moment is when you are struggling to see what is right in front of you. It’s like those old lightbulbs that were slow to illuminate, but when they finally do…
It is on days like this that I am especially grateful for the UnleashU family. They drowned me in relentless encouragement and pushed me to see past my own limiting thinking. They helped me see the light.
That kind of support is tremendously helpful, even when the encouragement comes in the form of Fabber telling me that I was pissing him off by short-changing myself (not his exact words, but that was the gist of it). 🤣
Or when Lee told me that he likes me, and that if I keep beating myself up, he’s going to have to defend me from myself. 🥊 (I had to think about this for a minute to get it). Plus, he said I was welcome to visit him and Tanya (his awesome wife!) when I come through Louisiana in a few weeks!
All in all, genuine support, kindness and the ocassional ass-kicking can be a game-changer and a mood shifter.
Here are a few takeaways from that experience:
- Everyone needs coaching and support; being a coach doesn’t exempt us from struggling or losing faith in ourselves.
- If you can admit when you are struggling, you’ll find that it is the easist and best way to:
- Get the help you need, and
- Find out who your real friends and supporters are.
With their encouragement, and a bit of a brigher perspective, I had to jump off that call before it was concluded to jump onto my call with Jon Mitchell, P.A. You may recall that Jon is the functional medicine coach I am working with to get my health in better order. On the client intake form that I had completed a couple/few weeks ago, I remember noting that I like high levels of accountability, so I was nervous about what he would say about me not finishing my first workout.
What a WASTE of angst!
All that worry and insecurity was a waste of my time and energy. My call with Jon went well. Let’s be clear- he did NOT let me off the hook about my workout, but was intentional about talking me through what was frustrating, what was challenging and what was possible. I got credit for getting my butt to the gym, and was gently (but firmly) encouraged to go back and try again.
We then went over the lab results from some of my bloodwork, and discussed changes in my diet to increase nutrient intake in specific areas, as well as some supplements I will need to start taking to get some of my vitamin and mineral levels to a more acceptable level.
It was a good call- I felt supported, but I also felt the expectations and accountability that I am being held to, and I am okay with that. 👍🏽
Once all my calls were wrapped up, l popped out to the back deck where Debbie had gone when I started my calls.
And oh my goodness– today was a reminder of the good (and bad) that comes with having friends that you can be vulnerable with. It’s good because you are 100% safe and 100% loved. It can feel bad (read: hard and/or sad and/or both) because you end up talking about the hard stuff- the heartbreaks, disappointments and betrayals. All the hurts that build up inside of us and fester like open wounds can come spilling out when it’s safe. And they did- many of those things came spilling out in halting conversation, with long pauses to regroup. Sometimes those talks help on the path of healing, and somethings, it just rips the scab and wound open again. I’m still undecided about which occurred today.
Tacos for dinner tonight, and Debbie crisped up the tortillas for us, making them extra fresh. I appreciated the brief, but heartfelt dinner grace, and dinner was filled with gentle teasing and laughter.
Over dinner, I learned the back story behind ‘Crinkles’, which they have jokingly referred to each other on occasion several times since my arrival. Shannon shared that one of her favorite teachers from South Anchorage High School, Mr. Alexander Bassett, was the one who coined the term ‘Crinkles’. She said that he allowed students to eat in class and just asked that they be quiet while doing so. One day, a student was trying to open a bag of chips and couldn’t get the bag open. The sound of crinkling plastic drowning out his talking left the other students stifling their laughter and sneaking sidelong glances at her. Finally Mr. Bassett called out, “Figure it out, Crinkles!”, before striding over and opening the bag for her while the other students burst out laughing. Ever since that time, “Crinkles” has been a running joke in the Maudsley household. Whenever someone is running water, talking loudly or making noise while someone else is trying to watch TV, the offended listener would call out, “Figure it out, Crinkles!” Over time, it just got shortened to someone yelling “Crinkles!”
Thursday, October 17th
This morning, I could not motivate for the gym– I wasn’t up to the 35-40 minute drive each way to put in swim time, and I don’t have the earphones needed to listen and follow the new workout series of videos that Jon sent me (the headphones arrive at an Amazon locker tomorrow).
Instead, I did some writing, then met up with my friend Mark, who I have not seen in years! Mark and I met on a beach in Hawaii in 2011 and became fast friends. We stayed in touch after my visit, and he visited me in Alaska in the summer of 2012. That was the last time we saw each other in person, so I was looking forward to reconnecting with him in person again after so many years. Today, we met up at the Reunion Trails Park labyrinth in Henderson because you know me and labyrinths…
We chatted there in a park for a bit, then decided to make the drive to Lake Las Vegas. It was a lovely but quiet area, and I loved the vibe it gave off. We did some more walking and talking, then stopped (at his insistence) for gelato at Bellalinda Gelateria italiana. It was a very quiet day there, so the owner, Linda, had time to chat with us for a bit about her business, growing up in Italy and the climate and challenges that small businesses are facing these days. Mark had been to Italy, so he was much more familiar with the places she was talking about. Plus. it seemed like maybe the two of them were hitting it off🤞🏽, so I carefully extracted myself from the conversation, leaving them to talk while I explored the gelateria and took photos. When they were done talking, Mark promised her he would come by again and we drifted outside, sitting not too far away and enjoyiong the sunshine for a while before beginning the drive back to Henderson to pick up his car where we had left it at the park.
All in all, it was nice to be able to reconnect with Mark and I was glad we were able to spend part of the day together. When it came time for me to say goodbye, I promised we would meet up again the next time I am in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, while Mark & I were out, I received a text from Tim, inviting me to a going-away dinner with him and Shannon later that evening. (Debbie declined to join us since she doesn’t eat at those types of restaurants, but it was one of Tim & Shannon’s favorites, so they really wanted to share it with me.) I said yes (of course!) and later that night the three of us enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Magic Noodle, a restaurant known for their hand-pulled noodles. I tried Shannon’s recommendation, and it did not disappoint!
It was delicious, but the portions were so large that I had to take 1/2 of my bowl home. (Yay for leftovers!)
Then, to my great consternation, Shannon made a beeline for the cookie and ice cream shop RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the The Happy Noodle, so of COURSE we had to get a cookie (or two). (I blame Shannon 🤷🏽♀️- the minute she said “Cookie”, I had a Pavlovian response. 🤣).
Friday, October 18th
I was up early (like, 4:15 in the morning early), and out the door by 4:45 a.m. Tim, Debbie and Shannon knew I was leaing early, so we had done our goodbyes “until we meet agains” last night. The house was completely quiet and everyone was still sleeping, so I was on the road mere minutes later. It was quiet, but exceptionally breezy.
Within an hour, I had crossed the border back into Arizona, and when I realized that I only had about a quarter of a tank of gas, I stopped for gas at the last Stop Travel Center. Note to self– it was not, as the name suggests, the Last Stop for gas, but at over $5.00/gallon, it was damn sure the last stop I’ll ever make there. 😡Imagine my frustration when I discovered a gas stations that was a few miles further ahead (and just over a hill) and would have cost me more than a dollar per gallon less. 🤬
Lesson learned.
I continued my drive, making decent time… until the rain started pouring down. And I mean, pouring! It was raining so hard that I slowed to a crawl, barely able to see the road in front of me. I inched along until lI finally hit a rest stop in St. Joseph City, AZ, deciding that pulling over to let the rain lessen was a better decision than pushing my luck.
The rain lightened a bit after an hour, and I got back on the road, only to be thwarted a few hours later.
This is how the later afternoon and evening went– Drive for a while, stop when a deluge begins, drive for a while, stop for a deluge. When I made it to Albuquerque, NM, I stopped to grab some take-out from the Flying Star Cafe, then hit the road for a bit, stopping at the La Bajada Rest Area in Santa Fe to eat. A short while later (and not very many miles), I decided to call it a night at the Thaxton North Rest area.
Saturday, October 19th
Four hours later, around 2:30 in the morning, I gave up my idea of sleeping because the rain was pounding so hard that it forced its way past the seals on the tailgate of my vehicle, soaking through the third row seatbelt hatch and drenching my sleeping bag. Wet feet is NOT a fun way to wake-up. Grr…..
Can’t sleep? Wet feet? Might as well drive for a while! 🤷🏽♀️🌧️💧
So I drove for about an hour, then decided that sleep was a greater need. Fortunately, I was able to set up a dry sleeping arrangement, and actually had a pretty blissful sleep for almost five hours.
When I got up, I hit the road, passing through Fountain, CO and arriving in Colorado Springs later that morning, where I settled in at Jeffrey & Jackie’s for a few days, meeting up with bestie Marcia, too!
Later that morning, Jeffrey stayed with A., while Jackie, Marcia & I went out adventuring. We hit several fun places, including Rusty Treasures & Worn Threads, which was a terrific little retail store specializing in vintage and second-hand clothing and accessories.
After our fun afternoon hanging out with the ladies, we enjoyed a peaceful evening back at J & J’s home. I’m looking forward to a few days hanging out with Marcia and her family here in Colorado Springs.
