Welcome back to SOLO at SIXTY!
Hello February! January literally flew by y’all. February promises to be filled with much more than just work for me! Lots of fun and special events are happening in my life this month, many including my kids and family. Yes, I have been looking forward to February for quite a while. And as a plus, we get an extra day since it is Leap Year.
“I am sure the person who put the first R in FebRuary also decided how to spell Wednesday.”
Betcha watched the Super Bowl Sunday… Did your team win? Any favorite commercials? Did the Google commercial bring tears to your eyes? Obviously, it did for me. And Sam Elliott and Bill Murray put a smile on my face. I read a statistic that said the team that scores first has a 2:1 chance of winning the Super Bowl (has happened in 8 of the last 10 games). Based on that, I figured the 49er’s would win… until the fourth quarter. Though I had no skin in the game, I work with a great guy who played for the Chiefs for 11 years back in the day (he is my age!), and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. So with that connection, I was pulling for the Chiefs, who never gave up, and was very happy for him that his old team became Super Bowl champs. (I think that 2:1 stat is going down!)
“Winning is fun…Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.” – Pat Summit (University of Tennessee Women’s head coach for 38 years)
This was the first year I veered away from my Super Bowl tradition of making bread bowls and chili to eat while watching the big game. 2020 is going to be a year with some new changes for me. Even one as small as the Super Bowl meal. Baby steps. So what did I do for dinner? Well… I took myself out to dinner, ate at the bar, and watched the first quarter with a lot of other fans. Passed on a glass of wine though…I had already had one when I slipped away from work for an hour or so (hopefully the last weekend at work for a bit) and ventured out to my favorite winery. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, sunny and 62, and King Family Vineyards was debuting their new wine, Verde, described as “light, fresh, and spritzy.” And I can attest that it is! I have to admit, I missed my wine buddy Sunday afternoon, and everyone at KFV told me they missed her too. I got a glass of this new wine, some warm bread and cheese, sat outside and enjoyed a late lunch under a perfect Carolina blue sky. Appropriate, as I was a bit “blue” over my Tar Heels continued scoring woes. But whatcha gonna do? Get a glass of wine, get over it, wait for the next game, and keep cheering. Honestly, with the expectations being pretty low it kinda takes the pressure off, so any win will be HUGE! I left KFV with several bottles of the new wine to take to Charlotte next week for my younger daughter. Part of my February fun plans!
“A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.” – Nelson Mandela
What was NOT part of my February plans? Another visit to the knee surgeon. But I found myself there last week. After having my best run so far, and venturing back into athletic conditioning classes, my knee (from original surgery) was pretty angry. And swollen. Had to get x-rays (again), with 200 of my closest friends also getting x-rays, but all was clear. Could see the hardware holding my meniscus in place and the “human cement” securing the insufficiency fracture. Got a shot of cortisone in my knee (OUCH!) and permission to continue working out, just need to be mindful of what causes my knee to hurt. He did remind me I am not even 10 months post surgery. Felt encouraged. I am not giving up. And now, my knee feels pretty darn good! Had another good run Monday in 68 degree weather. Gonna be hard to accept when real winter weather arrives. A friend of mine lives in Denver, Colorado where it was 72 Sunday, 25 Monday. Go figure!
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison
By the way, how are those New Year resolutions holding up? Need a reset? Nothing wrong with that. Don’t give up, just hit the restart button. Read a great quote recently – “Don’t be afraid to start over. This time you are starting with experience.” Probably was not meant for New Years resolutions, but hey, it’s relevant. Never too late to reset and restart. I’m the first to admit, I got side-tracked with one of mine. I’m not giving up on it though, just got myself back on track this week. Ever heard of the 21/90 Rule? If you commit to a goal for 21 days, it should become a habit. And if you can do it for 3 weeks, you should be able to continue for 3 months, at which time it becomes a way of life.
“I’ve decided my 2020 will start on February 1st, January is a free trial month.”
I hope y’all have a great week. I hope you find something each day that makes you smile. I hope you don’t give up on your hopes and dreams (or New Years resolutions!). I hope someone is kind to you every day, and I hope you pay that kindness forward, because as we all know, none of us is promised tomorrow.
Best,
Leslie
PS … Did you know that today, February 5th, is National Weather Forecaster’s Day? Yep, there’s a day for everything! Show some love to our weather people!
SOLO at SIXTY 