The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Day 49/90 – Simple Pleasures

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    Ruth Carter

    Day 49 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I went for a bike ride and took a nap.

    Rosie is my Role Model for Napping
    Rosie is my Role Model for Napping

    I treated myself to an awesome 14.5-mile bike ride this morning on the canal and through Papago Park. The weather was gorgeous. I need to make it a priority to get out and ride more often.

    One of the things that made the weather so great was the previous day’s rain brought down the temperature. It also made part of the trail pretty muddy. I ride a mountain bike and those tires were covered with mud. The ground was so muddy at times that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to maintain speed and fall, so I walked part of the way home. When I got back on my bike, the centripetal force of my wheels flung bits of mud into the air. Did I mention I don’t have fenders? There’s nothing quite like taking a chunk of mud to the face. I was covered in sweat and mud by the time I got home.

    After doing chores and running a few errands this afternoon, I was sleepy. I stretched out of my couch and grabbed an hour-long cat nap. When I bought my couch, I picked one with naps in mind – deeper cushions and soft velour-esque fabric. I’m sure there’s a rule that says insomniacs shouldn’t take naps, but screw that. I was really tired.

    Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures that make a day awesome. As Captain Kirk said, “The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play.” I think that describes my weekends to a T – time for relaxation and recreation.

    In case you missed it: Day 48 of the 90 Days of Awesome – I took some time for self-reflection.

  • Day 48/90 – Self-Reflection

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    Ruth Carter

    Day 48 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I did some self-reflection about what’s important to me.

    I need to get out and sweat more.
    I need to get out and sweat more.

    Today was somewhat of a pensive day. After a long week at work, I have almost nothing planned this weekend except for a few errands and a nap today. I generally don’t do well with too much unstructured time, so I started to get antsy after I woke up from my nap this afternoon. I know I needed the rest, but I also think I need to put more energy into my personal life. In general, I do a crappy job when it comes to making plans for the weekends and my social life in general. And to be honest, I need the weekend to recharge so I can’t be a weekend warrior, nor do I want to be; however, seeing my friends and doing things that make me happy and feel productive are important to me.

    I watched the film Do More with Less, a documentary about the Pacific Crest Trail this afternoon. The filmmakers traveled the trail and talked to other hikers along the way about their journey. The priorities of these hikers are very simple: water, food, shelter, safety, and miles. I loved watching their adventure. Like them, I prefer to keep my life as simple as possible. Watching their journey also reminded me that it’s important to me to always be physically active.

    I was a gymnast for 17 years and I have yet to find a hobby that fills the void left by that sport. I’ve tried swimming, fencing, going to the gym, hiking, biking, and running. And it may be that there will be no one thing that will be a suitable replacement, but it doesn’t change the fact that I need to stay active. I am happier, calmer, and more focused when I get out and sweat on a regular basis. One of the challenges of living in the desert is there are few hours of the day when it is cool enough to work out outside. There is a half marathon coming up in November. I think I might use that as motivation to be more active this summer.

    Tonight, I took a short walk around my complex as the storm was rolling in. Even though it was warmer outside then my air-conditioned condo, I loved being out in the fresh air. I need to do that more often.

    In case you missed it: Day 47 of the 90 Days of Awesome – Coffee helps me Human.

  • Day 47/90 – Coffee

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    Ruth Carter

    Day 47 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? Coffee!

    All my mugs for coffee are big.
    All my mugs for coffee are big.

    Some of you may not be aware of this, but I generally don’t sleep well. There are times I have terrible insomnia. Even when I get good sleep, it’s usually not great sleep. And even when I get to bed late or am up and down throughout the night, the alarm still goes off at 5:15 AM the next day.

    Needless to say, coffee is my friend. My day does not start without coffee. Coffee helps me human. I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of coffee (at least until I add cream and sugar), but I enjoy the effect and the feeling of having a warm mug in my hands. (When I travel, especially when I travel with friends, and I know there’s going to be time delay between waking up and getting coffee, I have a caffeine pill to tide me over. Yes, I know I’m addicted to caffeine, and I’m perfectly ok with that.)

    Earlier this year, my cardiologist put me on it GERD medication. It’s a pill I have to take first thing in the morning and then I’m not supposed to eat or drink anything for 20 minutes. So it’s a bit painful to go through the first 20 minutes of the morning without my caffeine friend. One of the advantages of having insomnia, is sometimes I wake up at 2 o’clock in the morning, and I will shuffle to the kitchen to take my GERD medication so I can have a cup of coffee first thing when my alarm goes off.

    I had a pretty good week, but also and exhausting week – couple of late nights and lots of client work. I was still exhausted when my alarm woke me up today. It was definitely going to be a 2 cups day, and by 2, I really mean 4 because I have a big mug. I had my first mug of coffee at home and refilled my mug before heading to the office.

    Sometimes I’m so tired in the morning, I take my coffee with me when I walked Rosie in the neighborhood. I think one of my neighbors gets a little jealous when he sees me sipping on my coffee while his is still brewing in his condo.

    In case you missed it: Day 46 of the 90 Days of Awesome – Helping Clients Resolve Problems.