It’s the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. I kicked it off with taking Friday off for my birthday.
In the run up to my birthday my colleagues got me a card and this giant donut from Boxcar Donuts.
A donut the size of your head with orange frosting. There are brown, yellow and orange sprinkles on the sides. “Thankful” is written in chocolate frosting. It has a whip cream filling. Delicious!
What does a fit feminist do for her fifty-first birthday? Shake things up!
Usually we would host our kids & their partners for Thanksgiving dinner. This year my youngest and her girlfriend are in British Columbia. My oldest son’s beloved is on deployment.
I thought it might be a bit, well, sad to be home and just the three of us.
So I reached out to good friends and asked if they wanted to chip in on an AirBnB. I found one with a hot tub on a river with kayaks. They agreed!
Michel and I are continuing our Total Strength 2 workouts on Peloton with Andy Speer.
My “heavy” dumbbells are now 15 lbs, up from 10 lbs. The classes are feeling good.
Today is a rest day and I’m putting on a big spread. I like serving up our big celebratory meal early in the weekend so we can enjoy lots of leftovers.
On Sunday Michel and I hit 29 years of marriage. We will be calculating our “years of bliss”. Spoiler, it’s NOT 29. There were tough years but thankfully the balance tips towards bliss.
Here’s to a weekend filled with food, fun and friends. 51 is off to a grand start.
The Ausable River and dock of our weekend stay. The water is light brown due to the sand.
It’s Sam’s Birthday Week! Some of the FIFI Bloggers, in no particular order, want to celebrate Sam and wish her a very happy 60th birthday!
Mina:
I can not choose one post of Sam’s as a favorite or most iconic. For me it is the consistent curiosity and resilience that threads through every post that is the force and grace of Sam. Happy Birthday!
Amy:
My favorite posts by Sam are her aspirational travel posts and/or lists of where she hopes to travel. These posts inspire me to think more about the adventures I want to undertake. Even knowing where to find some of the information for these experiences is half the battle, and it’s nice to not have to look so hard when Sam is sharing her plans.
Savita:
In 2013, the Western News published an article about two feminist philosophers who set a challenge for themselves to be the fittest they’d ever been by the time they turned 50. Being a colleague of theirs at Western and one year younger, I was intrigued by their feminist perspective on fitness. As a scientist in a mostly male discipline, I didn’t get a lot of feminism in my daily work life (things have changed a bit since then). So I contacted Sam and Tracy and we went out for lunch and chatted about their challenge and their new blog, Fit, Feminist and (almost) Fifty. The feminist perspective really opened my eyes to other women’s experiences with their bodies, nutrition, in the gym, on the bike and other exercise arenas. I invited both of them to give a presentation to our endocrinology/diabetes residents, and wrote an article about swimming for their new blog, and so began a relationship with Sam and Tracy and their blog that’s lasted 11 years. I love what they’ve accomplished with their blog and book, and their journey has also been empowering for me and has also changed my thinking about exercise and nutrition. After several guest blogs, I accepted Sam’s invite to participate in the FIFI community, and it’s inspired me to keep a fitness journal and to join a swimming community on Facebook! Thanks, Sam, for your energy, enthusiasm and inspiration, and happy 60th!!
Natalie:
What I appreciate the most about Sam is that she is an expert nerd herder. She convenes get togethers, rides and general silliness. She understands the value of exercising with friends. She helped me go from not cycling at all to a little 20 km with friends. I was so nervous but she knew exactly who to invite so I had a good time. What a gift.
I hope she continues to have people in her life that do some of the convening.
Bettina:
I came across Fit is a Feminist Issue pretty randomly one day, but stuck around reading for some time. The way Sam (and the others) wrote and thought about fitness gave me a whole new perspective and when I mustered the courage to ask if I could write Sam was so kind! I don’t know her in person but I always appreciate her drive, generosity and will never cease to be in awe of how she handles her big job, running the blog, and doing about a million other things. Wishing you loads more of that energy, Sam!!
Kim:
I joined the blog in 2012 after moving to the uk for work and taking up cycling in a serious way. I didn’t know Sam or Tracy super well, but as soon as I reached out to ask about contributing posts from my 2013 London to Paris charity bike ride they were welcoming and supportive like you wouldn’t believe. I became a regular contributor and they supported me again when I started my teaching blog, The Activist Classroom. Sam retweeted and liked and reblogged my AC stuff all the time, encouraging me forward; and when I got back to Canada she welcomed me into her riding community warmly and introduced me to Cate, Susan, and Sarah, all of whom are now close friends. Sam has had a huge impact on me personally and professionally as I enter the full on midlife years (50 next month!) and I’m super, super grateful. Love you Sam!
Nicole:
From the time I sent Sam my first idea for a post, as a guest blogger in 2019, to now, I have always appreciated Sam’s welcome approach. When I sent that first request to Sam in 2019, I felt I had something to say (about fitness and feminism) but I wasn’t sure I was a “writer”. I still have my doubts, but having Sam welcome me to the blog as a regular writer helped me feel I had something worthwhile to say, regardless of my status as a writer.
Also, as a person with lifelong doubts about my academic prowess, it has buoyed me to know that I am welcome amongst this esteemed group of philosophers and academics. I don’t think I can pick one post. I appreciate Sam’s commitment to her own fitness, through physical challenges (knee surgeries) and busy Dean-ing and looking after her family. Sam’s post are always balanced, open-minded, while sticking to her main theses that fitness should be available to all. I have no doubt that I will continue to enjoy Sam’s posts for however long she chooses to blog.
Of course, I also appreciate Sam’s continuous ability to keep all the bloggers organized. She is always there to respond to a question and I am not sure how she does it with her busy schedule.
Thanks, Sam!
Tracy:
My favourite post from Sam is the one she wrote way way back called “Fat, Fit, and What’s Wrong with BMI.” I feel as if that post helped to define the blog’s direction really early on. I also think now’s a good time to acknowledge the amazing talent Sam has of keeping this blog rolling on a daily basis, despite that she is keeping a zillion other things rolling along at the same time. I’m always in awe, and feel an immeasurable amount of gratitude and good fortune that our birthdays are so close together, that our conversation about “these issues” has been so enduring, and that I stumbled into the blog project with her back in 2012! Happy birthday, Samantha!
Catherine:
Sam and I first met in 2010 at the International Association of Women Philosophers conference at Western. It was clear then that we had a future as friends, philosophical colleagues, activity pals and feminist comrades-in-arms. Fast forward to 2013, she invited me to write my first guest blog post—Facing Fears of the Group Ride. This led to more guest posts, and by 2014, I was a regular weekly blogger.
Writing for this blog is one of the great joys in my life, and Samantha is one of the primary reasons. She is ever so patient with timing of posts, quietly reminding us about schedules and pivoting deftly when that schedule gets jostled. She provides us with #blogfodder on our blogger Facebook page, offering info and new topics for posts. I still marvel at how she manages all that throughput—reading content coming in, posting it on the FIFI FB page, keeping track of post scheduling, writing her own multiple posts every week, and reposting all of our content on social media.
The world, the blog and all of us have changed over the years that Fit is a Feminist Issue has been in our lives. We have changed jobs, changed partners, moved house, lost loved ones, taken on new activities, had medical encounters, and gotten COVID (more than once for some of us). But I’m grateful and happy to report that FIFI is still here, we are still here, and Sam is still here—at the helm, steering, looking ahead, helping us to enjoy the view along with her. Happy 60th Sam, and thank you.
Cate:
I met Sam around 2015, because two people from entirely different parts of my life said “how is it that you don’t know Sam?!” They said that because we have so much in common – obviously, we share a commitment to fitness, and an ongoing curiosity about the meaning and implications of the movement choices we make. And as soon as we met, I slid into the blogger world with a sigh feeling I’d found my people. But another thing we share is persistence. Sam joked a couple of weeks ago in response to one of my posts that I am a super persistent human – but so is Sam. There are many many things I could point to that I admire and appreciate about Sam – as an academic leader, a philosopher, a parent, a community member and most of all, as a friend. I will not ever forget the way I felt when she and Sarah committed their day to come to my mother’s funeral – it meant more than I can say.
But one of the things I admire and appreciate the most is the way she takes a hard, impossible task – whether that’s Deaning, keeping this blog going on a daily basis, or being present for her friends and family – and tackles it with good humour and optimism. I don’t know if anyone else I know could have taken on a double knee replacement and the intense pain and physio that followed with the commitment, determination and strength that Sam did. I am in awe at the way she recognized the limits of her body, assessed the options and dug into doing everything she could to keep herself as mobile and strong as possible. I am grateful to have her spirit and her self in my world. Happy birthday, age-twin! I’ll be there shortly!
Christine:
Sam and I have never met in person but I had the good fortune to interview her via Zoom for an article I was writing back in 2020 and something she said has stuck with me ever since.
We were talking about deadlines and feeling behind on your work and she said that she was technically behind on a lot of things at that point but that she wasn’t dwelling on it. She had just accepted that she was going to be late with that stuff and kept working.
As someone who has spent a lot of her life scrambling and apologizing for getting behind on things (ADHD, whaddaya mean?) her comment was a big deal for me.
It was ok to say ‘Well, that’s going to be late!’ and just forge ahead? Brilliant!
I mean, it wasn’t the first time I had heard that and it probably wasn’t even the first time I had tried to tell myself that but hearing it from someone I admire as much as Sam? That made a HUGE difference for me.
And while that comment was about writing, not about fitness, I think it’s emblematic of how Sam shows up for the blog and for those of us who write for the blog.
There are so many things to celebrate and admire about Sam but her approach to her work and to fitness and to the blog is a key element in the success of Fit is a Feminist Issue.
Sam shows up.
She shows up how she is today, even if she sometimes wishes things were different, and she does what she can with what she has.
She doesn’t pretend to be perfect. She doesn’t offer ‘one quick fix.’ She just keeps figuring things out and adjusting as she goes.
And she asks the same of the rest of us here at Fit is a Feminist Issue. She doesn’t judge, she doesn’t ask more than we can give, she immediately adjusts if plans change, and she supports what we are trying to do with our posts and with our fitness plans.
Sam, you rock and we are lucky to know you. Happy Birthday!
Martha:
I met Samantha back in 1982 when we were both deeply involved with student newspapers and shared similar values and ideas about feminism, social justice and community. We worked together in 1985-86 for a national student press cooperative and shared a house. We kept in touch after graduate school, marriages, children, house moves, job changes and life in general. We both took up running around the same time and kept up-to-date through email. When Facebook came to be, we were able to stay connected so much more easily. It helped us take advantage of face-to-face opportunities and we’ve shared a number of meals, in her home and mine.
It wasn’t long after Sam and Tracy founded the Fit as a Feminist Issue that Sam would send me occasional nudges to write for the blog when I would post about my trail walks, my swimming adventures or relearning to cycle. The nudges became suggestions on posts and finally I took the hint and began writing a few guests posts. I think maybe it was after a year that Sam said, “why don’t you write regularly?” and I thought to myself, “why not?”
So, thank you Sam for your persistence and patience, your gentle reminders as I learned to navigate scheduling, blogging software and the fitness world with my feminist lens. Happy birthday Samantha, my friend of more than 40 years and counting. What fun we’ve had and what more fun awaits!
Elan:
I’m a fan of Sam’s first post, made the day before her birthday 12 years ago: In a blogsphere of stylish artifice, it’s refreshingly straight up. I also kind of like this post, made on her birthday August 31, 2014, where she features a cycling cake. August 31, 2019 she talked about her new knee, and now here she is with one! I’ve learned a lot about Sam over the years from her many thoughtful and honest blog posts….including how much she likes her birthday! 🙂 I’ve known Sam indirectly since I was a grad student at Western, entering into her outer orbit around 2006. Back then, I admired her from afar as a feminist and a scholar and a leader, but I was one of many students who did, I imagine. Years later, maybe around 2019, I had always wanted to write blog, but I always felt highly self-conscious about my own writing voice. Sam has been a consistently supportive of me and other FIFI bloggers, and I’ve always been grateful for her supportiveness and her graciousness. Thank you, Sam, for all your many posts on the blog, and all the efforts you do behind the scenes. You deserve a whole week (and more) of celebration.
That kind of makes me sound like I’m starting a band, doesn’t it?
If that was my band name, what would our first album be called?
Ahem.
Back on topic:
Wednesday was my birthday and I had a great day.
My friend Elaine brought me sparklers and other treats for my birthday. She knows how to make everything more fun. Image description: Christine’s right hand is holding the handle of a burning sparkler – a piece of metal that has been coated at one end so it gives off a sparkly flame as it burns. It is night time.
Usually, on my birthday, I’m trying to cram in so many fun things that I actually end up amplifying my usual feeling that I *should* be doing something else.
I always have fun but I tend to feel a bit tightly scheduled and a bit frustrated.
This year, I noticed that feeling creeping up the day before my birthday and I made a conscious decision to get over myself and be clear about the facts:
I don’t have to limit my fun to one day a year. *
In fact, I can add more fun to every week.
I can even add a bit more fun to every day.
I can take my birthday attitude into the rest of the year.
In a surprise to no one, making that decision took all of the pressure out of my birthday.
And instead of keeping a tally of accumulated fun, I just did what I felt like doing in any given moment.
And that’s how I found myself dropping everything to take Khalee for a walk while the sun was out (instead of at a more ‘logical’ time.)
And, it’s how I found myself sitting peacefully, all by myself in the 5pm darkness, watching the small fire I had set in our fire pit.
Normally, I would have talked myself out of lighting a fire just for me. It’s a little bit of hassle and I didn’t have a lot of time before supper, but I had that bit of birthday ‘permission’ going for me so I crumpled some paper and got the kindling from the shed and settled in next to the fire.
I felt calm and restful and so very grateful for all of the good things in my life.
I even felt a bit more patient about the challenges I tend to encounter
It was a wonderful way to round out a day of giving in to my whims.
And, my birthday gift to myself is the decision to prioritize things like an early evening fire far more often.
I challenge you to do the same. 💚
Enjoying the glow of the fire AND the fun of doing just what I wanted to be doing at that moment. Image description: a selfie in which I am outside at night, lit by firelight. I am wearing a dark hat and a dark coat. Only my face is visible and I am smiling contentedly.
*To be clear, I do take time to relax and do fun things on a regular basis. But, on my birthday, I give myself permission to maximize my fun.
A dark photo of a chocolate cake with rainbow coloured stripey candles. The candles spell out “happy birthday.” Photo by Marty Southwell, from Unsplash.
Happy 7th birthday to the blog! (Tomorrow is happy 55th birthday to me!)
That the blog’s birthday and my birthday line up so nicely is no coincidence. Tracy and I started the blog roughly two years before our 50th birthdays as part of our “fittest by 50” challenge. If you want the full story about that, buy the book. Or read the blog posts from the early days.
On August 30, 2012 we didn’t write blog posts but we did post a bit about ourselves.
We’re now explicitly a team blog and I’m excited to see what that brings. See our new schedule here.
For me, I’m also branching out, starting a new Dean’s blog. And as I enter the second half of my fifties I’m thinking about a big stretch goal for 60. Still mulling…
54 is just fine so far. I turned 54 last Friday and spent the weekend celebrating. See Happy 54! Celebrate Sam’s Birthday Season. There was a lot of cake but also a lot of friends and family and adventures. Thanks to everyone who took part and helped organize!
On Sunday fifteen friends and family members went rafting on the Grand River with me. Here’s a review of the activity, note though that we were on the shorter, faster section, from Edon Mills to Paris. So much fun. I’d definitely do it again. You can hang with people or go off on your own. Definitely though bring lots of snacks, sunscreen, and things to drink. It wasn’t all about floating leisurely down river. We had a headwind and in some sections if you didn’t paddle you went backwards. My sub-group didn’t paddle much. We were committed mostly to not paddling. It took us the full 5 hours.
Often we rafted up and appointed the people at the edges the chore of paddling.
At one point I landed up in super shallow water and could neither paddle nor float. I got up out of the boat and tried to walk it downstream but nearly lost my boat, paddles, and pfd in the water. Luckily Sarah rescued me! Thanks Sarah!
You can rent kayaks, canoes, large rafts for groups of people, or individual rafts like the one below. Despite the paddles they aren’t actually that maneuverable. And they’re definitely not speed machines.
But they are a lot of fun, especially through the fast sections.
On Saturday, a group of us rode our bikes 54 km to celebrate my 54th birthday. We chose the country roads east and south of the university being careful to avoid campus because it was move in day. In the end it turned out to be 52 km due to detours but I pedaled around the block a few times to make it an even 54.
Kim didn’t join us for the ride but came along for cake.
Best of all, my former PhD student Mark stopped by with his daughter who is starting university at Guelph and his son who was along for the ride. The teenagers gave us flossing lessons. No video though!
All in all, a happy birthday weekend full of friends, family, cake, and birthday adventures.
