When life gives you lemons…

Not long after I moved to New York, I spotted the coolest tote bag on the subway. I couldn’t see a logo or company name, just a bunch of quotes and affirmations. I wanted this bag, and I stared at it for an inappropriate length of time trying to find some identifying clue as to where I could get one. More than two years later, I’ve finally figured out where it was from.

As I was researching running classes last weekend, I came across lululemon’s website. I have a few friends who are obsessed with their clothes but I don’t really know much about them. While lululemon is mostly associated with yoga apparel, it turns out they have a run club that meets twice a week, which I’m very curious about. So curious that I’m going to visit the store to check out the community running board. And maybe try on some of their legendary clothing.

I poked around the website more, wondering if I’d find anything else surprising. And that’s when it happened. I found what had been on the tote bag:

Eureka!

While this is a prime example of how things present themselves when you least expect it, did I really need to wait two years to learn this? Answer: No.

I read through all the quotes and a few became fast favorites. The more I’ve gotten into running this year, the more I can relate to and understand that “A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress.” Even when work has been insane, the highlight of my week has been my NYRR running class. It saves my soul and my sanity. I can’t even express how anti-sweating I was before I started running. But there is something glorious in a great workout that leaves you soaking wet, high on endorphins and feeling strong. If Corporate America put down the Blackberries and put on running shoes, I think the world would be a much happier, calmer place.

I also liked the quote “That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least.” With the crappy economy and job market, people are sacrificing more of themselves (whether asked to by their employers or of their own will). While working crazy hours in an understaffed office with overstressed coworkers in a position you aren’t happy with may bring in the bank for now, I worry longterm about people being able to draw boundaries and maintain a positive attitude without burning out first. I don’t have a solution, but the quote sums up what I think a lot of people are struggling with…how do you know where to draw the line or how much you should sacrifice? Hopefully I won’t have to wait two years for this answer to present itself to me.

Empowerment

Note to self:

“Griefs, at the moment when they change into ideas, lose some of their power to injure our heart.” —Marcel Proust as quoted in How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain De Botton

Love the idea of taking charge, overcoming the pain and not being a victim.

Little specks of salvation

“What is the feeling when you’re driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? It’s the too huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” — Jack Kerouac

If I had the choice of knowing when to say goodbye and being forced to say goodbye, I’d easily pick the first. Because then my plans would be solidified and stable. But talking with friends lately (some of whom have been laid off, others who are bracing for it), I’ve started to realize that an unexpected goodbye could be just what you need to open the way for something you’d never thought or prepared for. And while that sounds incredibly scary for a planner like me, it’s also reassuring that even when you’re not working on your own terms, things will eventually fall into place, and perhaps in a completely different way than you expected. And life may be all the better for it.

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