Apparently, today is National ‘Just Because’ Day so this is your official permission to do something you’ve been waiting for a good excuse to do.
For example, for my own amusement, I can post this picture of my nephew’s Guinea pig, Powder, in full drama mode.
Image description: my nephew’s white and black Guinea pig looking through the squares on the side of his cage. Powder has his front paws on a ledge and he is looking slightly to the side. His long hair is flipped back over his head so his large black eyes seem to be emphasized and he looks oddly dramatic and glamorous.
Maybe you can use today as a reason to eat your lunch outside.
Or as a reason to text a friend to join you for a walk/for a new class/for an afternoon on the beach.
Perhaps it’s an excuse for extra rest. (Not that *need* an excuse but it can sure as hell feel that way sometimes.)
Maybe you can spend extra time reading.
Perhaps you can challenge someone to a race or to a dance-off.
Maybe you can try a new-to-you meal or play your favourite music or watch a movie you love.
Or you could spend extra time playing with your dog (technically National Dog Day was yesterday but let’s be realistic here, every day is National Dog Day!)
You could say you’re going to meditate ‘just because.’
You could journal or draw ‘just because.’
On Saturday, my friend Mary and I represented our community arts organization and hosted a table at a local art crawl held by an artist-run gallery. A lot of people took us up on the invitation to try squiggle art…just because! Image description: two monster drawings on index cards taped to the side of a red box that contains markers. The box is sitting on a purple tablecloth in the sun.
Whatever you decide to do on Just Because Day, I hope you have a grand time with it.
Because you deserve some ease and some rest and to have the joy of moving your body and you deserve to enjoy a challenge and you deserve good things.
We’re about halfway through the first month of the new year so you’ve been working towards your plans for about two weeks now.
And you’re doing great!
How do I know that?
Because you have been putting effort in, one way or another for two weeks and that is definitely moving you in the direction you want to go.
But when we’re focused on the path ahead, we tend to just keep track of how far we still need to go and forget about the distance we have already travelled.
So, this might be a good time to take a glance backwards and see how far you have come.
Maybe it’s just a little easier to get started on your practice than it was at first.
Maybe your arms are just a little stronger or your shoulder is slightly less likely to give you grief when you lift something.
Or you might find the stairs a little easier or it’s not quite as hard to swing your legs out of bed.
Perhaps your meditation practice is a little easier to slip into or you didn’t immediately feel overwhelmed and stressed when you got an email from that client.
Maybe that one stretch is no longer the worst part of your workout or maybe you have slept better a few times or maybe you enjoyed your walk a little more recently.
Those are all markers of the distance you have travelled so far* and they are worth celebrating.
I like to get my coaching clients to do a disproportionate celebration for their early milestones because these early steps to introduce something new into your life can be some of the most challenging parts of habit building.
Please feel free to do the same for your celebration – watch a movie with a friend to celebrate the fact that your ankle is less cranky, make your favourite meal to celebrate that your neck turns a little easier now, spend an hour reading in the tub to celebrate that your mindfulness practice felt a bit more doable this week.
This is your life and these are the things you want to add to it, there is nothing wrong with celebrating every success. Everything you do to make this habit feel like a positive addition is another way of encouraging yourself to continue when things get challenging.
Ok, I know the question in some readers’ minds right now:
What about if you haven’t been able to get started yet?
Well, I think you should find a way to be kind to yourself about it AND is still a good time to glance back and find something to celebrate.
Maybe you have given things some thought and/or tried some things that you decided not to continue with – celebrate the fact that you have figured out some things you don’t want to do.
Having that information means you are moving toward finding out what you actually want – your experiment has been successfully in eliminating some possibilities.
Or maybe you have some things that you want to do but you haven’t been able to get to them yet. Glancing back lets you see what your obstacles were/are – noticing the obstacles is the first step to figuring out a way around them. So, celebrate the fact that you are definitely on the path toward your goals. **
Or perhaps you haven’t started because the beginning of the year was too hectic for you and you are just now coming up for air.
First off, celebrate the fact that you kept putting one foot in front of the other through that hectic time. Go you!
And then, remember that starting things on January 1 is a tradition, not a rule. Some people like that ‘brand new year’ feeling (and maybe you are one of them) but you can start something new at any time.
January 15, 2024 to January 15, 2025 is exactly the same amount of time as January 1, 2024 to January 1, 2025. So you can start your plans whenever it makes sense for you to start.
And you can celebrate being a rebel you carved out their own timeframe for their goals. 😉
Finally, if you haven’t gotten started yet, you can also decide NOT to start. If your fitness and wellness routines feel good, you don’t have to take on any extra challenges if you don’t want to. You can let go of the idea that you should (blech – I still hate that word) be changing things and carry on with the things that already serve you well.
And that decision is definitely something to celebrate.
So, Team, no matter where you are in your plans, I hope you can take a few moments and celebrate your efforts, no matter what they are.
I hope you can glance back and find something that makes you say, “So far, so good!”
Be kind to yourself out there!
Here’s the gold star I drew to celebrate your efforts:
A photo of a drawing of a metallic gold star at the centre of a series of triangles that were formed by drawing black lines from the star to the edge of the paper. Each triangle is coloured a shade of blue or purple. The overall effect is a bit like stained glass.
*And, if you are so inclined, they are probably worth writing down somewhere so you can compare notes with today’s self the next time you glance back at your progress.
**I’ll be writing more about obstacles tomorrow – see you then!
① Campus Mile: This week, I got to walk with co-workers in the College of Arts Deans office. We did the Campus Mile. It’s the kick off event for Workplace Wellness Month. Here we are with Gryph, the university mascot. I’m on the Workplace Wellness committee at U of G but for the past few years I haven’t done the campus mile because of my knee. This year was perfect. My knees were fine. The weather was lovely. And it was great seeing so many people from across campus out walking together.
College of Arts Dean’s office staff
② Walking home from work: This week was also my first time walking home from work since my second knee surgery. I often walk that far with Cheddar. Here he is below visiting me on campus for lunch at Bob’s Dogs. But it’s more challenging walking home because it’s downhill and I’ve got my briefcase. This week, I did it. That bodes well for winter walks to work if it’s too snowy or icy to ride.
Cheddar at Bob’s DogsWaiting patiently for a bite
③ Parts of my job that I missed: House Calls and Convocation are both parts of my job that I really enjoy. House Calls is a program where we visit all the first year students in residence and see how their semester is going. I’m always impressed with how forthcoming the students are, sharing their successes and their struggles. For years, I’ve asked to go to residences where there isn’t much walking. But this year I didn’t and I got south.
South residence
I also learned a lot about our South residence. It’s another brutalist landmark, designed by the same Australian architect who designed the CN Tower. It houses 1800 students. So many stairs!
“Designed by Australian architect John Andrews, each hall has four wings, with each wing comprised of three six-storey vertical sections called houses. The small alcoves and numerous lounges foster tight-knit communities where students develop close friendships.
South Residence is the U of G’s largest residence, accommodating 1800+ students and is sub-divided into Mountain, Prairie, and Maritime Halls The buildings are a unique architectural design, with each hall laid out as identical backward “F”‘s Each hall is further sub-divided into four wings for a total of 12 wings across South Each wing is divided into “towers,” which are numbered. Example: “Woodlands 3” refers to the Woodlands Wing (in Mountain) and Tower #3 A common floor called “street level” runs across the entire residence, and each tower is situated both above and below street level Each tower is made up of a series of stacked levels that have students living in groupings of 4 – 10 people in a mix of alcove and long hallway style sections.”
Oh, and last but not least, I get to go to my other favorite event this week, University Convocation. From first year students at House Calls to graduating students at Convocation. Both are feel good events for me and I’ve missed them with my busted and now my recovering knees. I’m really looking forward to Convocation.
She was a busy person this week 8 years ago, and despite some admitted hardships (including the harbinger of a sore knee) she decided to focus on “the good stuff”: children graduating from a program for LGBTIQ2S youth; a Pride run with her daughter in Toronto, Canada; and FIFI bloggers running together with her.
According to Sam, the 2015 Pride and Remembrance Run event included some great fundraising, colourful confetti, a glitter canon, Muppets music, bright costumes, closed roads, and the presence of the province’s Premier. The descriptions and pictures make a #TBT re-visit to Sam’s post worthwhile!
This year, on Saturday, June 24, FIFI bloggers were mostly out doing other fun things during the day of the Pride and Remembrance Run. I was in the backyard of Marnie and Sheila, two awesome people who were celebrating their recent marriage with 35 other friends and loved ones. (They had a food truck!) So while I was nowhere near the Pride Run, I was still out in the world celebrating queer love, inclusion, and community spirit. However, I did sneak a peek at the Run’s photo gallery, and it seemed like an amazing day for participants, even with the periodic rain.
But 2015 and 2023 has its differences. This year, increased concerns about safety due to homophobia and transphobia were reported by the CBC to have led to potential programming cuts for the Run. Commercial “ally ship” (in the form of sponsorship) was also threatened to wane, according to Opinion writer Rob Csernyik in the Globe and Mail, following backlash/boycott responses to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney earlier that year.
As well, Ontario has had a different provincial leader since Sam’s post in 2015. Doug Ford, since his first Premiership in 2018 (and re-election in 2020), has been critiqued often for failing to support 2SLGBTQIA+ education, health and wellness, and visibility.
So, the Toronto Pride and Remembrance Run remains a popular a day-long event that incorporates physical activity to celebrate people for who they are. But, by comparing then and now, I am reminded that such events have an important, grounding message: equal rights and equitable treatment for all people must be supported actively, and all year round as well. Because things can change (and not always for the better).
Intersex inclusive pride flag is Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
Last night I went to dinner with five friends, all of whom I’ve cycled with or skied with or kayaked with. In addition to catching up on each other’s families, jobs, pets and travel, talk naturally turned to the following subjects:
gear– who has bought or upgraded lately, and what do we all think about it (some new ski boots were discussed)
activity trips– either sandwiched in during work trips (yes, one of us is conferencing/skiing in Aspen soon) or planned as actual bona fide vacay (two are headed to Costa Rica for whitewater kayaking in February)
whose kids and dogs are doing what, activity-wise, e.g. little kids using chairlifts with some help, and dogs doing mountain biking and hiking in the same day (with different human groups)
who is taking on new activities/sports– one snowboarder wants to try downhill skiing, and another person is thinking about taking up women’s chilled-out hockey team (yes, there is such a thing)
For the most part, I’m minding the shop at home for at least the next month or so. I’m back on the job after sabbatical, and feeling like returning to the yoga studio and trying out a new gym. I’ll cross country ski locally if and when there’s snow.
But, in the course of conversation, I had an idea: my friend Steph and I have birthdays in adjacent months (March and April). We both like having group parties on our birthdays. I thought: why don’t we organize some active and maybe cheesy fun in honor of our birthdays? We both like hitting and throwing things, Also, trying something new appealed to all of us. I’ve deputized myself to research the options.
Axe throwing first came to mind. As it does. I’ve yet to try it, but our dedicated FIFI staff have blogged about it here and here. I wonder if we could get a cake like this one?
Cake with a red-and-white target on top and possibly a real axe beside it. Will they allow us to use the axes to slice the cake?
I’ve never been to a batting cage, but I was a pretty good softball player when I was aged 11–13. Maybe it’s time to check out the old swing again. In my head, I picture myself doing at least as well as Susan Sarandon did in the romantic baseball movie Bull Durham.
Susan Sarandon at the batting cage back in the late 80s. I hear she later switched to ping pong and is in that business now.
Once we got started talking, more ideas cropped up. For golf, there’s the driving range, golf simulators (I don’t know what this is, but a bunch of them popped up in my google search), and of course mini golf. As for bowling, in New England facilities include both candlepin bowling and uh, the regular kind.
One game, three options: candlepin, duckpin, tenpin bowling. How to choose?
For now, that’s all I’ve come up with. On the other hand, these activities will suffice to guarantee much enjoyment and hilarity for all of us. There’s nothing like taking on some physical activity in a low-stakes, high-amusement-level environment with people you enjoy being with and laughing with. This is what we are shooting for.
So, readers, any other ideas? What am I missing? Let me know if you have thoughts or if you’ve done any group outings like this. How did it go? I’d like to hear all the details.
