Friday, November 29, 2013

Warding off the grinch

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”

Cue the season when the effects of no training schedule + too much food + social events non-stop + societal expectations all get wrapped up into a giant ball of stress.  It happens every year, despite best intentions...so my goal this year is to ward off that grinch. Simple.

In the spirit of no-humbug, not taking myself too seriously and focusing on the things that really matter (like happiness, family and chocolate), I've created my own advent calendar to ward of the grinch. Let the countdown begin!

1. Make bike riding a social event. #offseason #noneedforspeed

2. Put up a real Christmas tree in my living room. Don't get upset when Bogey mistakes it for an outside tree.

3.  Wear an ugly sweater, to work. 

4.  Reduce consumption of $5 soy lattes for the month, and donate the amount saved to charity.

5.  Avoid overcrowded stores, shop early and give gifts from the heart. 

6.  Go for a Christmas jog with a client instead of Christmas nog.

7. Smile at strangers…on the street, in Whole Foods and at work. Smiling is contagious! 

8. Embrace the season, and the rain! Forget about tempo and pace, hit the trails for a slow run and mucky fun with friends.  #losetheGPS #runnaked 

9. Take Bogey to the beach, even if he does need a bath after.  

10. Spoil my niece and nephew. #thelouderthetoythebetter 

11. Write some Christmas cards instead of e-mails. Or, even better, just call! #refusetosendecards

12. Make popcorn and watch Love Actually for the eightieth time. 

13. Support a local, organic restaurant and spread the word about how good it is! 

14. Eat brunch and watch football with my favorite NFL fan. #lazysunday 

15. Renew my yoga pass. 

16. Tell someone how much I appreciate them. 

17. Skip swimming…and catch up on sleep! A rested heart is a happy heart.

18. Contribute to a family Christmas hamper. 

19. Wear red, and lots of it.  Refuse to wear sequins.

20.  Raise $2,500 for the Ride to Conquer Cancer before December 25th!

21. Tip generously. 

22. Attend the holiday functions that I always find an excuse to skip. 

23. Dream big dreams for 2014! 

24. Drink wine on Christmas eve. 

25. Avoid shopping chaos and spend the holidays with family. No boxing day sale can ever replace quality time with loved ones.

Try it!  You may just find your heart grow three sizes!



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