Spelling Bee Inspiration for the New Year

Hi good people.

A new year is here.

It even feels like winter today in the 505.

So, what should we talk about today?

Something random?

Something inspirational?

Something both random and inspirational?

So….

I was asked to serve as a judge for an elementary school spelling bee recently. It checked off something that had been on my bucket list for years, so I decided to say yes.

The school library was transformed into a spelling bee space. Announcer on a sound system. Nervous students with their nervous parents seated behind them as a studio audience. And a list of official do’s and don’ts to conform to the Scripps National Spelling Bee rules. “If you rub your nose to the right, and only do it once, that won’t disqualify you. However, if you rub it more than once, rub to the left, or pick it…”

The wonderful little ones came up one by one and spelled their words. Some words obscure and obsolete. Others that intimidated me (e.g. ones longer than four letters). Luckily for me, I had a cheat sheet or I might have been in trouble in the later rounds.

When they got a word right, they went back to their seats. If they missed the word, they went to sit in a group of chairs on the side.

Eventually, one speller remained.

Confetti letters showered down from the ceiling.

The ESPN reporter rushed in to get a post-game interview.

Parents googled words like “acquiesce” and “fuchsia” on their phones to see if their child was erroneously exited from the competition.

Here’s the inspiration part, my friends.

The kids in this spelling bee walked into the room knowing that their chances of winning were slim. If they were really advanced in elementary math, they might have figured out it was about 5%.

Many of us walk the other way when presented with a challenge that gives us a 5% chance of winning. We think about the 95% chance that we will lose and say “no thanks”.

Today, this week, this month, and this year, may we be courageous in accepting challenges. May we challenge the math and instead see a 100% chance of growth in the spelling bee opportunities that 2025 presents.

Just don’t make the mistake of rubbing your nose the wrong way.

Two Questions...

Two weeks left in 2024.

Two questions to consider:

1) How do you want to arrive at 2025?

Who do you want to be when you open the door into 2025’s embrace?

Most of us tend to wait for the new year to arrive without as much emphasis on how we want to arrive at the new year.

In this equation, the certain part is that 2025 will be here in a finite number of days (16), hours (384), and minutes (23,040). The variable in the equation, the thing that can be changed, is how we will arrive to greet 2025 when the clock hits midnight on 12.31.

Admittedly, the finite part of the equation (16 days until 2025) can create pressure to change things about ourselves in a tight time window, so let’s first resolve to not play that stressful game.

Instead, let’s have fun with the image of who we want to be when we open that door to 2025. Answers like, “I want to be in a place that is more calm and slow than I am in currently,” are not only concrete and attainable, but they also inform our second question…

2) How and where will you spend your energy in these last days of the year?

So, having considered how we want to arrive at 2025, we can now get to work on our game plan for making that happen.

Imagine for a moment that the next two weeks are focused only on making intentional decisions around what is best for you, what you need for rejuvenation. Write down what how and where you would spend your energy – this is list #1.

Now, make a second list of the family, work, travel, etc. obligations for the next two weeks, noting which things are set and which ones are negotiable – this is list #2.

In a 2023 poll of Americans, 50% of people find the holidays stressful. I think a significant part of this is that we tend to let list #2 control how the last weeks of the year are spent, sometimes to the point that we don’t even get around to making list #1. Or if we make the list of what we need for ourselves during this time, it becomes a far lower priority. As in, remembering on New Year’s Eve, “Oh yeah, those were the things I was hoping to do to feed my soul and heal in these last weeks. Where did the time go?”

What if, in these last weeks of 2024, you have the courage to make list #1 a priority, finding ways to make list #2 support, not defeat, your personal goals for the holidays?

Put the two lists side by side and see what comes to mind. Could you modify list #2 right now so that it was more consistent with supporting list #1?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope these two questions allow you to strategize for a healthy holidays and look forward to seeing you in 2025. 

A very happy winter break and winter holidays to each of you!

 

p.s. I hope the Litmus family, wherever they may be, is excited that I chose their GIF for today's blog. And if you happen to see them, let them know about the two questions above, please.

And with only one shoe...

Imagine…

It is the biggest race of your year, with everything on the line.

On either side of you are hundreds of the best runners in the country.

About halfway into the 6-mile race, suddenly, unexpectedly, one of your shoes has come off.

You suddenly become aware of the cold ground on this overcast 35-degree day in Wisconsin.

Your balance is off, with right foot having a shoe and left foot bare.

How many seconds would it take before quitting the race?

How many steps on that frozen ground before limping to the sideline?

 

This scenario played out for Habtom Samuel, an Eritrean sophomore for the UNM Lobos at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 23^rd.

At the halfway point of the course, running with the lead pack, he lost his left shoe after being “spiked” by another runner and had a decision to make. Drop out or keep running?

Well, for Habtom, there was never any decision.

I asked him if he considered dropping out and here was his response:

“Honestly, quitting never crossed my mind. I was determined to keep going and give my all of my team, no matter what.”

Not only did Habtom run lopsided with a bloodied foot on the frozen ground for the last 3 miles of the race against the best in the country, but he finished 2^nd in the race. He ran 14:07 for the second half of the race, 4:30 per mile. And in doing so, he helped his UNM team to a 9th place finish.

As he crossed the line, he pointed to his bare, bloodied left foot as if to say, “See what I did despite this!”

Habtom, we are inspired by you and your perseverance.

May we find that same resolve to not give up today, this week, this month when adversity hits us halfway through our race. Instead of asking “Why now?” and “Why me?” you remind us to change the questions to a declaration: "Yes, I can! Si se puede!"

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Extra: Interview with Habtom post-race as he talks about running with one shoe - click here

A picture from this fall, where Habtom came out to share with our Running Medicine youth and families. He shared that it felt like being back home in his village, surrounded by love and laughter.

Filling our Gratitude Cup

Gratitude flows with just a little extra ease this week. 

Connect with that energy and add your own.

Through deep breaths, self-care, and slowing down, let us show gratitude for life this week.

And if this week meets you with a heart that is grieving or hurting, may this week bring gratitude as part of your healing journey.

Now, some words from wonderful people who shared on gratitude in the last week…use these as a spark for your own.

 

My gratitude cup is filled with… 

Love and support for those around me, the opportunities I've been blessed with and the strength to grow through challenges. 

Our new baby grand-daughter and her laughter

The small moments in life. Watching my dogs enjoy their walks.  Every day is a new adventure -stopping to smell this and that, each step is different than the day before, every sound is a riddle and of course, what does this taste like. Advice from my pup: “Listen, quite your mind, let everything go and enjoy this moment through my eyes!”

Appreciation for my family, students, friends, and community.

Acknowledgment 

Love from family and friends 

Enoughness

 

I try to fill my gratitude cup each day by… 

Expressing my appreciation towards others and thanking the universe for all impactful moments, no matter how small. 

Meeting life’s stress and difficulties with the courage to say, “But look at ___________ “ (and I name something that makes me smile), a little bit of peace descends upon me.

Praying, taking time each morning & night to be thankful for all that is good in my life!

Remembering that gratitude is an important part of my healing. As I feel grateful for all my body can still do, I focus my attention on my health and, more importantly, on my wholeness, the spiritual truth of me. 

An attitude of gratitude will keep your life in balance. If you can't think of something to be grateful for, be grateful for something you don't have that you don't want.

Observing the beauty of the trees, mountains, and sky. Even on a rainy day, there is much natural beauty all around.

Breath and silent moments

Expressing my appreciation to everyone I encounter

 

Listening more than I speak

Sabbatical

A beautiful Thursday to each of you. 

Make time to connect with yourself and with others today.

I am a few weeks into a sabbatical journey. Six months to find the meaning of life. And the clock is ticking.

In university terms, a sabbatical is a chance to push back from the regular work and focus on scholarship. Not exactly the vacation that people think when they hear the word, but definitely a chance to lighten the load for a bit.

In my case, I am going to work on writing more around the importance of finding a strengths-based approach in our clinical work. Turning “What’s wrong with you?” into “What’s right with you?” Finding ways to pay as much attention to people’s strengths as we do their deficits, problems and health conditions.

When my patients asked what I was going to do on my sabbatical, I also added that I was hoping to slow down. In fact, more than anything I may produce while on sabbatical, I asked them to ask me how I did at slowing down when I see them next.

I live a life of perpetual motion, and while I think that has some positives to it, I also value the idea of slowing down. I think a slow-down would be healthy for me, and for most of us. How to put that into practice? I will get back to you on that. The clock is ticking.

Leading up to November 1^st, the beginning of the sabbatical, I walked into beautiful moments and conversations. Patients who shared wisdom. Friends who texted wise thoughts. I thought I would share three of those here today, expecting that they will be meaningful for you as well.

A text I received on 11/1:

Thrive with moments of nothingness. They are often filled with somethingness. 

                        – Jill Sanders

A conversation in which I shared my fear that things might implode when I am gone:

Trust that it will all work out.

                        – Peter Holter

And in a conversation around why it is so hard to put self-care as a priority:

It is a marathon. You have to stop at a feeding station every now and then. 

                        -Ted Rocafort

(Extra credit for using a running analogy with me - he knew this is a language I understand)

May each of these pieces of wisdom enhance your journey today. 

And thank you for being a part of my journey.

Snow has won!

This just in: APS has called the race.

Waiting for a few more precincts to report, Albuquerque Public Schools had delayed their decision until about 7am, but now they feel confident in announcing that Snow has secured the 270 electoral college votes needed to win.

There will be no school today.

“I was really feeling confident that we would be able to get kids into school. We made a last push with campaign stops that included me using my most gruff voice with our City of Albuquerque Snowplow Department to plead them to work faster,” remarked one school board member as he wept.

In the end, Snow just had more than what APS could handle. Attack ads and their campaign “Don’t let Snow ruin your child’s education” just didn’t seem to resonate enough with voters or Mother Earth this time around.

Snow, for her part, is excited to take over, even if only for a day.

In a press conference just moments ago, flanked by her allies – Wind, Rain, Hail, and Really Bad Wind – she spoke to an empty auditorium in downtown Albuquerque:

“I am so honored to stand before none of you today. You have been given a chance to breathe deep and sigh, as I have made the roads un-passable. Enjoy time being not here, not in school, and at home with one another.

It was a tough campaign. We had a few last-minute hiccups on the campaign trail that made me wonder if this day was going to be possible. The temps threatened to be above freezing and just yesterday my campaign staff huddled, wondering if we should concede the race to Rain and put our support behind her.

But you, the American People (and the Atmosphere and all the little kids who prayed for a snow day), have spoken and have spoken loudly. You wanted Snow and we delivered – in fact, that was our one and only campaign promise and I am not really sure where we go from here. Like, now that we defeated Albuquerque Public Schools, do we just melt away as past Snow victories have done, usually in a matter of hours?

And before I go, I do want to address our friends at the Snowplow Department. Just let us be for a moment, would ya? Let Snow have its moment!"

Lots more to come, and we will make sure to keep you all updated.

Signing out from a snowy wonderland,

Anthony.

Only in New Mexico

As New Mexicans, we have moments where we smile and say to ourselves, “only in New Mexico”. Whether you have lived here for a month or your entire life, there are just some things that you see here that would not happen elsewhere.

I had one of those moments this past week as I read a reputable news source (KKOB) story about a hot air balloon causing maybe the tallest man-made structure in our state, the KKOB radio tower, to come tumbling down.

For those reading out of state, yes, you read the previous sentence correctly. No need to adjust your glasses.

But, that wasn’t even the “only in New Mexico” part. In the KKOB story, here was the sentence that put this over the top:

“A woman who saw the balloon crash, said it was the blue balloon with the moon on it that had the accident.”

Yes, for those New Mexicans and out-of-staters, you read that sentence correctly. 

I am imagining the police officer called to the scene.

Officer: Ma’am, you say it was a blue balloon that caused this to happen, huh?

Lady: Yes, officer. It was so traumatic [sniffle]. I am struggling to remember anything else [sniffle, sips her pinon flavored coffee and takes a bite of her Golden Pride #1 burrito].

Officer: Ma’am, it’s going to be okay. There are other radio towers still left un-harmed. You will still be able to get your news. Now, please please…try to remember anything else about the “suspect”.

Lady: Well [sniffle]……..now that I think about it [sniffle], I think there was a…moon on the blue balloon [sniffle]. Yes, there was a moon on it.”

Officer: That really helps us ma’am. Would you be willing to come down to the station to identify this balloon in a line of potential suspects?

 

The next sentence in the article was an “only in New Mexico” sentence as well:

“It was the Smokey Bear balloon that crashed into that same tower array 20 years ago yesterday.”

I hope this makes you smile this morning, and makes you think of a few of your favorite “only in New Mexico” moments. Share those as comments to this blog!

 

Hot Air Balloon Strikes KKOB Tower

Posted on October 11, 2024

A hot air balloon knocked down one of KKOB’s AM radio towers this morning. No one was hurt when balloon caused the guy wires to fail, sending the structure crumbling to the ground around 8:45 AM. A woman who saw the balloon crash, said it was the blue balloon with the moon on it that had the accident. It was the Smokey Bear balloon that crashed into that same tower array 20 years ago yesterday, forcing a pilot and child to climb down the tower to safety.