Kerri On Down The Road

 On the ride home Saturday, I noticed a truck driving ahead of us.  On its tailgate was the phrase "treat yourself like someone you are in love with".  I noodled this a little bit as we continued our ride and more so when I was safely home and cleaned up.  I liked the idea of looking at how we treat ourselves and comparing it with how we treat someone we are in love with, to see where the differences lie. I first thought about how we take care of ourselves; the food we eat, the way we treat our bodies and the expectations that we place upon ourselves.  When you think of the nourishment that you take in, how would it compare to what you would offer someone you were in love with?  Would you expect someone you were in love with to eat whatever food you had lying around?  Would you tell them to pick at something off of someone else's plate?  Would you serve a meal to someone you were in love over the sink or on the run so the two of you could get some...

 When I first started cycling, I often found myself either pushing my pedals as hard as I could to keep up, or being at a complete stop.  It seemed that there were basically two speeds that I had and this made many of the rides I went on quite exhausting.  No momentum to help carry me along, purely stop and go.  Over time I learned how to soft-pedal.  This takes place when you are in an easy gear and although your feet are moving, the pedals aren't really generating any power.  You continue to move while your speed gradually decreases.  Although you aren't generating power while you are doing this, you are also still in motion and if the light changes or you have caught your breath, you can then increase your gear and begin to pedal in a more productive way again.   So, you may be wondering why does this matter (and also why am I reading a blog about this?!?)?  On a ride the other day, I started to think about how this skill was somethin...

 I first read Glennon Dolye's "Untamed" a couple of years ago.  I had read "Love Warrior" and liked her style of writing and also knew that her new book had a lot of great press behind it.  I remember reading it and experiencing many  a-ha moments, to the point where I would read a passage or two and then put the book down for a while, to let the words and ideas percolate.  Her description of meeting Abby and the feelings and confusion and love that brought forward felt very powerful to me, and also resonated quite deeply.  I had started to question my sexuality right around the time that I started to read "Untamed" and so much of what she shared made sense of the many questions I had.   For the past few weeks I have noticed the book sitting on my bookshelf and have felt a draw towards re-reading it.  Finally, with some time off of work, I had the opportunity to lean into this nudge and revisit her words.  I am so glad that I listened to...

 For many of us, the past couple of years have been an exercise in discomfort.  Examining it, sitting with it, existing despite it - no matter where we have turned there have been many reasons for feeling uncomfortable.  This state of discomfort has allowed for inner work to take place, as we have needed to learn how to coexist with that sense of unrest.  What I have noticed in my own life is this constant state of discomfort has made moments of feeling good seem alien.  The phrase guilty pleasure comes to mind...and why should feeling pleasure be linked with a sense of guilt? Is there anything inherently wrong with feeling good?  Should we deny ourselves the pleasure of blissful moments? There seems to be a popular mindset based upon the idea that suffering is the path to self improvement.  Think of the number of times someone has told you that they are following a diet plan or a gym routine that they strongly dislike because the worse it feels the be...