Archives For Nebraska

The calm before the storm…or the sunrise

November 30, 2014

As Thanksgiving break wraps up for adults and kids across America, I ask you this simple question: Are you ready to return to your state of normal, however you define it, tomorrow?

For me, tomorrow brings the end of sleeping in, the return of controlled chaos, another page flipped forward on the calendar, and colder temperatures. Really, really frigid friggin temperatures here in Nebraska.

This might just be post-holiday Heidi talking, but I think I’m ready to remain optimistic…and here’s why.

I’ve always considered Sunday night as “the calm” before returning to routine. I’m here to tell you (from experience) that there is little you can do outside of a preparing a list of priorities and getting adequate sleep to control your feelings and reactions to the events that will impact you in the days ahead.

What you can attempt to influence is your cognitive anticipation of what awaits you. You can view tomorrow, next week, the month of December, and 2015 as either an impending storm or an amazing sunrise.

Why view life as scary and unpredictable? Photo c/o MorgueFile

Why view life as scary and unpredictable?
Photo c/o MorgueFile

When you can view life as beautiful and unpredictable? Photo c/o MorgueFile

When you can view life as beautiful and unpredictable?
Photo c/o MorgueFile

I’ve been waiting to tell you all about a fun side project I’ve been hatching up since the end of September. I’ve wanted to flip the switch on this little business of mine no shy of a half dozen times, but logic tells me to wait until I am sure everything is perfect.

Since logic has never been my strong point, however, here’s a sneak peek of the website, Give The Game Back (Disclaimer: I’ve disabled the payment platform at this time while everything’s still in test mode so feel free to try it out as my first official testers and let me know what you think!)

Give The Game Back will be an ecommerce site that offers custom t-shirts that serve as visual reminders for adults to always keep perspective when it comes to youth sports. If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know this is a hot button of mine.

Because I want to have a sample of the finished product in-hand before I offer it up to the masses, expect more information about how you can support this project (if you so choose) in late December.

When I consciously choose to look ahead at the colors unveiling before my very eyes as opposed to hanging my head under the down pour, things tend to work out better.

I challenge you to think of something colorful in your life and embrace it today.

Written by Heidi Woodard

In Inspiration, Youth Sports , , , , , ,
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Older, colder, and in need of fresh perspective

March 11, 2013

This was the view I had last Friday.

melted snow

and my mind tricked me into believing that spring was almost here

This was the view taken from the same camera angle just two days later on Sunday.

snow returns

you are an evil deceiver, Jack Frost

My mindset went from incredibly upbeat to completely ticked off in 48 hours. My mood fell as quickly as the thick snow came down.

I am left to wonder, will THIS be the final snow fall of the season here in Nebraska?

I. Am. Over. Winter.

My kids have a slightly different perspective.

snow day

yet another day off from school

Why can’t I have the same level of appreciation as they do for snow days?

It’s painfully obvious I’m not a kid anymore. Sure, on the surface, it would seem like a nice thing to experience a three-day weekend. And perhaps I would enjoy it more if it didn’t take me 30 minutes to warm up from the time I get out of my bed in the morning. If I wasn’t thinking about letting yet another running workout slip by because I hate the treadmill more than I hate math. If I wasn’t stressed about staying on top of everything in the office without physically being in the office.

This upcoming weekend will mark the end of my boys’ basketball seasons. They played 75 games between the two of them…and neither are ready for their seasons to end.

Guess what? I AM READY.

I am ready to switch to the equally (if not more) insane season of baseball, because those games are played outside and not within the confines of a gymnasium.

I am ready to run outside with a familiar group of colleagues over my lunch hour instead of dragging myself onto a hamster wheel.

I am ready to walk my dog on familiar trails and hear the neighborhood buzz as kids play in inflatable pools and run through sprinklers.

I am ready to blind people with my pasty white legs and wear flip flops as often as possible.

I am ready to take our vacation to Great Wolf Lodge, where my four-year old can experience (for the first time) what all the fuss is about.

I am ready to bid farewell to frigid temps and my perspective. Both are getting a little bitter this time of year.

Created by Heidi Woodard

In Running, Stress release , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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I heart the heartland

October 6, 2012

I want to travel and see parts of the country (dare I say, world?) as I continue to grow. I sometimes beat myself up for having not expanded my horizons when I was young and able to move more freely.

And while I realize reading about faraway places isn’t nearly as fulfilling as living and breathing them in, some of the blogs I follow have given me glimpses into parts of the world I have never visited. I love reading certain blogs not only for their narrative, but also for their ability to expose me to the unknown.

This made me wonder if anyone who happens to stumble upon (or, best case scenario, follow?) my blog enjoys it partially because my world is so different from theirs.

It’s Husker football game night and our fam is camped in front of the TV shouting at the screen with the false belief we can influence the game. As the University of Nebraska-Lincoln fight song boasts, “There is no place like Nebraska.” This makes me laugh as I imagine parts of Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas aren’t that foreign from our state.

I didn’t have an ocean to walk alongside today. No (literal) mountains to climb. Not a single traffic jam to stew in.

Instead, I got to run and clear my mind. At the risk of furthering the stereotype that we have nothing but farmland here, I took some pictures of…you guessed it…

Fall horizon. I beg for the tolerable temps to remain as long as possible.

I live within a city that borders along countryside. My favorite part of the run is looking out to a lifestyle I’ve never lived.

Not sure why these images remind me of a song about Tennessee, but I’ll leave this for you to enjoy as well.

Don’t we all want to stop living with doubt?

Leave a comment about where you’re from. I’d love to learn more about your little part of the world.

Created by Heidi Woodard

In Awareness, Belonging, Family, Inspiration, Reflection, Running , , , , , ,
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