Hello hello hello!
It’s been a while since I’ve popped in here with an actual post and life update. I miss doing these! (Quick, someone add a few hours to the day and I’ll start blogging daily again!)
I have nothing profound to share today. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing revelatory or revolutionary. (That’s all coming, though!) But I do have some thoughts. And I’d like to share them now.
This was our 60th selfie. She was over it. Clearly.Dan Humphrey never could have been Gossip Girl. There were a lot of implausible storylines on that amazing show (well, amazing for the first 2–3 seasons, at least), but the least believable and most insane of them all was the reveal that Dan was Gossip Girl.
I wish my bruises came with labels. My legs are constantly covered in bruises, and I never know where or when any of them are from. It would be great if the little purplish spots had notes like “walked into nightstand during 2 AM pee run” or “smashed knee getting into Uber” or “Ellie punched me.”
How do I always have chocolate on my face, hands, and to-do lists? This made sense when I was eating “trail mix” (Honey Nut Cheerios, raisins, and M&Ms) by the fistful and regularly dropping scraps down my shirt. But I don’t do that anymore, so why am I still always covered in chocolate?
I just want you to see that the other day, I showered and did my hair and put on a [sports] bra. I still wore sneakers and spandex, but STILL! Look at me!
It’s not “should of” or “suppose to.” It’s should have and supposed to. This might be my biggest grammatical pet peeve.
I’ve been starting my day mindfully! I wake up, I do a 10-minute guided meditation, and then I go for a quiet sunrise walk. It has been life-changing, I promise. Highly recommend.
MORNING ROUTINE!!!I really hate songs that have sirens in them. I’ll be cruising along, going roughly 25 mph over the speed limit, which is fine and safe, don’t worry, and then I’ll hear sirens and panic but then I realize nope, just the chorus of my current fave Ricky Martin jam.
Speaking of driving safety (I’m a good, responsible driver, I swear), nothing gives me more rage than seeing people Insta Storying or FaceTiming while driving. How stupid and irresponsible do you have to be? The worst part is that oftentimes it’s some “influencer” with millions of followers doing this! Sometimes they have kids in the backseat! I almost got hit by a car during my run on Saturday. A woman was FaceTiming behind the wheel (with a very young child in a carseat in the back) and blew right through a stop sign, and thank god I was paying attention because she wasn’t. She didn’t even react or apologize, either. She just drove away. You can imagine how calm I was about this…
“LADY R U SERIOUS?” Ellie, probably, if she had been there.Nothing is so important that it can’t wait for you to pull over or stop your car before being on your phone. NOTHING. Nothing — not even a sing-along to your favorite song! — is worth putting yourself, your kids, or other people on the road in danger because you feel some compulsive need to record yourself or video chat with someone while driving. Distracted driving is as bad as drunk driving! (I don’t have statistics on this, but probably.) Cut the shit, people. /rant (for now).
I’m going to run some races this spring! I’m going to keep doing my thing, which is basically doing a few Orangetheory classes a week plus one or two outdoor runs (two is… ambitious at the moment). So, I’m going to sign up for races and not specifically train for them, knowing that’s how I tend to race best! I’m currently eyeing The Baker’s Dozen Half, because my fast friend Christina says it’s awesome, and might do the New Jersey Half again because it was so fun last year. But no more half marathons, then, and definitely nothing further than that. We’ll see. Just trying to keep the mind and body happy and cohesive! (I mostly just want to do local 5Ks, so if you know of any I should do, hit me up!)
I went running in Central Park and it was awesome! (Follow me on Strava!)I really want to get back into a yoga routine, but I can’t motivate to make it happen. I need a yoga buddy. Help.
This is a great read about being a freelance writer. I practically pinched a nerve from nodding along so aggressively.
The Ali on the Run Show turned one this weekend! I’m so proud of this show and am so excited for what I have in the works for 2018. I know I’ve teased the live show (!!!) and weekly Facebook Live Q&A-style sessions, but today I also put some work into a new weekly series (in addition to the regular Thursday episodes) that I think will be great!
Sparkly backdrops, coming soon to all things Ali on the Run. (No, really. I am INSPIRED.)Have you RSVP’d to #AlisPushUpParty?! Listen to this episode of the Ali on the Run Show with the very inspiring November Project co-leader Emily Saul. Emily challenged me to do 50 push-ups a day for 30 days, and I need you to do this with me. I’m posting updates on Instagram Stories. (Not while driving.) Join the fun — it’s not too late!
I just finished reading For Better or For Work, which is a must-read for entrepreneurs and their spouses, and was one of the best, most helpful books I’ve ever read. I will probably read this book 500 more times. Next up: The Spirituality of Imperfection, which my best bud Chris Heuisler recommended, and then Endure, which my friend Ed sent me this week. (I have the best dude friends. Both books came with accompanying texts along the lines of, “Feller, you’re way too hard on yourself,” but YOLO!)
Thanks, Ed!The best things on the Internet are High School Musical memes. Like this! Nothing makes me laugh harder.
One last thing…
I’m mostly feeling a lot better since recording and releasing this episode of the Ali on the Run Show. Some days and moments I feel so motivated and excited and energetic, and other times I still feel lost and confused and frustrated and like I’m doing everything wrong. I know in one sense “that’s life,” and I’m always working through all these feelings, but that episode did seem to mark a bit of a turning point for me, even if it’s only a temporary one. Thank you again for the support and the feedback. So many comments gave me so much to think about, and I feel really grateful to have such a wonderful support system, especially when I sometimes feel isolated and alone doing the whole freelance / work from home / entrepreneur wife thing. I love ya.
DANCE TOO MUCH BOOTY IN THE PANTS. Remember that song?! Classic.One last last thing, and I want you to respond!
WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO YOU? What does it look like? How does it feel?
Let me know!
24 Responses
Did you read the Gossip Girl books? Dan wasn’t even cute. He was really weird, and his breath smelled like coffee, and Vanessa was fat with a shaved head. I couldn’t even watch the show because it was so different…
Yay for blogging! I hope you do find the time to write some posts again, I always enjoy them. Your personal podcast episode was so amazing. I give you major props for putting yourself out there. It resonated with me so much though and I felt like you were able to say some of the things I was thinking and feeling and with Brian’s feedback it actually was a little bit of a turning point for myself as well. I don’t think you realize how many people you really touch and help 🙂 and lastly-“It’s not “should of” or “suppose to.” It’s should have and supposed to” <—– YES YES YES!! This irritates me so much! I'm no grammar expert, but I feel like these mistakes in particular make people sound very dumb
Glad to see you back-although I love the podcast too! I feel the same way about my bruises. What does success mean? That’s deep. I’m going to have to think about this and get back to you.
Have you tried Yoga with Adrienne? She has an amazing YouTube channel with so many different yoga videos. They range from a quick 5 minute pick up session to a full hour yoga class. Her session are really easy to follow and she talks through the more difficult poses if you need that as well.
I found it was easy to incorporate yoga even when i only had 20 minutes as she has a session to suit all needs. would definitely recommend!
Y with A is really awesome. She’d be a good guest for the show, imho.
Success? I’ve honestly never given it a thought. Defining it is just not important enough to me to waste the mental energy on and I wouldn’t even know how to start. Sorry I can’t be more help.
Success – for me – means contributing in some way to make the world a better place. Some days, this means working with someone until they become proficient at new task (work). Other times it is recognizing that my road is curvy and mountainous and accomplishing the next thing (to be successful) is going to take time. I am working on reducing the stress that comes with not being with the “group” on the path, since 5 of my colleagues and I are all trying for the same thing in our own ways.
I love your podcasts and I am so far behind in listening to them. I tend to Binge listen.
This has made me think! Success to me relates both to my professional career and to my personal life and especially where the two meet. My biggest success is that I am the main bread winner for my family and despite being made redundant twice I have never gone a month without being paid.
I have achieved a few things in my career for which i’m particularly proud. I’ve earned the respect of my colleagues, received good feedback, been promoted and forged good relationships.
I managed to buy my own house and I feel like I’m mostly a good parent. I have a loving, surportive relationship with my husband.
Thank you for getting me to think about this. I’m generally a glass half full kind of person, but I haven’t ever really reflected on or listed my successes before.
The Red Bank classic 5k in New Jersey! One of my favorite to spectate as my dad use to run it!! Also the lobster 5k in Asbury Park!!
Success going to bed each night with a sense of happiness and all that could be accomplished in the day. No regrets.
Love you letting us tag along on your little spiritual quest! I’ve been addicted to the Oprah Super Soul Conversations podcast lately (among others ;)) that have been giving me all the feelings. (So. Many. Feelings.) I also read The Alchemist a few months back, which I highly recommend.
For me, a successful day includes:
– Belly laughter (especially if it’s at myself)
– Gratitude for and acceptance of my life as it is at this very moment
– Loving unconditionally (even slow walkers and packed subway cars)
– Going to bed with the peace of mind that, for that day, I did the best I could at this whole being a human thing; maybe tomorrow I can be a little better
Keep crushing it <3
Success to me is knowing that when I go to bed at night that I was the best version of myself that day!
For your wanting to get back into a yoga routine- maybe add some sun salutations to your mindful morning routine. After you meditate, go through 3-5 sun a’s, then 3-5 sun b’s. If you want to do a little more before your sunrise walk, then yeah, if not, at least you did a good 5-10 minutes. Maybe you’ll get hungry to get back to a class from there and make it happen.
blogs over podcasts! (sorry, I just don’t ever listen to podcasts, tech-dino here)
Love the grammar stuff, but I say should’ve, short for should have, definitely not should of ?
THAT WORKS, TOO!
Success? I don’t think of it as A. Thing. For me, there’s no “I got here…this…finished…done…I’m/it’s a success.” So, I’d say it’s persevering. Setting goals, striving, doing, regrouping, adapting, shining, picking up after falling, being joyful, grieving, sharing, showing kindness, calling out bad behavior, celebrating, managing, learning, reaching out, being present…being active in life and relationships. And working on decluttering, always. Or is that a resolution? I don’t make those.
Have another awesome day!!
Happiness… thats all.
Oh jeez, I think that success is such an individualist thing and we ALL define it differently. It is easy to say success is winning the award or getting the raise, but I think real success is achieved when we are intrinsically driven to reach our best.
The process includes self discovery and reconnection to our authentic self, which I think foster those feelings of success. This was a jumble of thoughts ?
Success for me is feeling like I am making a difference in the world. I’m not doing anything like curing a disease – although, like you, I have a disease that currently has no cure and wish the scientific community would hurry up and find one! It is more in my day-to-day activities, my work that impacts people’s lives, and being there for others.
Also, you are right – using your cell phone while driving is just as bad, if not worse, than drinking and driving.
A study on this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16884056
Government website: https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving
I can’t believe that ParkRun hasn’t taken off like it has here (Australia) or in the UK! A timed 5K race EVERY WEEK. They really are the best thing when you are in between training for races… or to incorporate into long runs …or just really to get out among it on a Saturday morning.
And I guess what I meant by this was ‘Oh there are heaps of 5ks every weekend…oh hang on, there aren’t in the USA…never mind… I’ll tell you anyway!’
ugh yes! i find this so frustrating as it would be the perfect thing to incorporate into my running when I’m back visiting my parents. Parkrun USA needs to get on with setting up more events!!
Success is feeling like I tried my absolute hardest even if what came to be is not pretty or fast. I feel like just putting myself “out there” and trying is success because it’s really easy to just be scared and sit on the couch and watch everyone else do it on instagram 🙂
Quite simply- we are measuring the wrong thing when we try to measure success. It is not about money or titles or degrees. We should be measuring fulfillment. I think once you start focusing on this you will be infinitely happier.
Success to me is health & happiness — not money, titles, or degrees! But agree that’s a common sentiment and way some people define success. (Which I also think is OK if that’s what fulfills them!) I love hearing the different ways people find and define success. Very top of mind right now! Thanks for sharing!