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Wild Chin Hair

~ Finding growth in unexpected places.

Wild Chin Hair

Monthly Archives: August 2017

Stay Charming – A Tribute

27 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by Cindi Pete in Loss

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Tags

cancer, change, Cleveland Indians, friendship, grief, honor, Loss, tribute

Once I arrived in a certain stage of life, I became more aware of good-byes, loss, and endings.

Friends and family.

Favorite TV shows and pets.

Expectations and jobs.

Seasons and health.

Friendships and empty nesting.

Circumstances and dreams.

Is there such a thing? Maybe.

Although most of us don’t like change, it keeps coming our way, and intentionally doing change well is important. Loss is one of the most disruptive changes we experience and has its own set of rules. This will be a topic that we will return to again in the future. We can create space to continue to process loss and grow through it, when possible.

These seasons and events need different things at different times, including respect, honor, letting go, grief, forgiveness, and loving well, all continuous opportunities for growth in hard times. I will write about other situations, the challenges, and responses. We will connect over shared experiences. We will find hope and encouragement along the way, for this is a real dynamic of growing older. It gets complicated to move through the pain and get centered once again.

When I was in high school, I met Susan. We attended the same high school in a town of about seven high schools. I was a year older. She was a kindred spirit in faith and fun. We studied the Bible together with a handful of other young women, a meaningful time of connection and encouragement.

After we both graduated and I moved out-of-town, we drifted apart, but communicated now and then through notes, visits, calls, and then Facebook in more recent years. Did I mention she was an avid Cleveland Indians baseball fan?

Beloved, beautiful Susan

In 2015, she passed away. She headed to Heaven after a second bout with cancer. Her smile, wit, and intelligent caring conversation style stay with me. During her last days here and shortly afterwards, I experienced feeling that I wish I could have done more, along with sadness and grief. Yet I continue to be profoundly grateful for our friendship.

I read that she’d always sign cards and notes to her nieces and nephews with the phrase, “Your charming Aunt Susan.” In honor of our dear friendship, I close most blog posts with a nod to her, signing out with “stay charming, my friends.” That always makes me smile as I carry her loving friendship in my heart.

You have also probably lost dear friends or family too soon through disease, tragic accident, or perhaps a severe disagreement or need for emotional and/or physical safety. Those are dark times riddled with so many thoughts and emotions. With the missing, comes the remembering of good in our lives gifted to us in time spent with them or hope for what might have been. If you’d like to share something you do to cherish the relationship in your own way, please do so in the comments.

"Life is made up of meetings and partings; that is the way of it. I am sure we shall never forget Tiny Tim, or this first parting that there was among us." – Bob Crachit, The Muppets' Christmas Carol

Stay charming, my friends! Just like Aunt Susan.

Fashion Boot Camp

20 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by Cindi Pete in Health

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

boot camp, exercise, fashion, fitness

I had a random idea the other day. What if we combine two trendy, popular things? Local gyms offer “boot camps” for getting in shape. These opportunities are so popular with some of my friends in our area, so why not ramp it up for fun and fashion with fashion boot camp?

Shake your bootie?? Does that count as exercise? (Pardon the pun.)

With fall coming, those strappy, little sandals go back in the closet. Out come the fashion boots! Just pull on your favorite fashion boots, and head to Fashion Boot Camp to get a rigorous, fat-burning, body challenging work out in style! Who wouldn’t think that was a great idea? Probably me, actually. And perhaps orthopedic surgeons, if things take a turn with a tall-heeled boot.

Nordstrom, Steve Madden, $119

We all know the many benefits of staying active and fit. We all know the variety of ways to do that. We’d all like to be active and fit, and understand it is essential for staying as healthy as possible. Why is it so hard to fit in our day and stay consistent?

Pam taps. Jane rides her bike. Charmaine works out in water aerobics. Amy hikes. Brynne does Barre. Annette walks. Physical activity comes in all varieties. Have you found what works for you? What’s your preference? Maybe boot camp is your thing.

I struggle to make time for a good fitness routine. Building consistency, creating the habit is a challenge. I love to go on walks. It calms me, gets me outdoors, and works a variety of muscles. I can throw on a pair of good walking shoes and head out my front door for a variety of walks. I even own a small Fit Bit or can use my smart phone to count steps. I want to work up to walking thirty-minutes a day, five days a week. It is just hard for me to get going and stay consistent.

Have you solved the motivation mystery? Please share your secret in the comments. How do you shake off the lazy and get moving? And please pass the chips and guacamole before we get off the couch.

I do use the Stand Up app on my phone at work (more info below). It has an alarm that reminds me to get up from my desk and move a bit throughout the day. That is a helpful reminder, or I’d sit at my computer for hours, and that’s not good.

Maybe there’s an app for rewards for exercising. Perhaps something like after you walk a mile in less time than you did last time, it sends a coupon for a massage, foot massage, or pedicure to your email inbox by the time you cool down. Or maybe if you go to the gym twice a week for a month, the app would send a nice guy in a full tuxedo to your front door to deliver a fresh tray of homemade, still warm from the oven (not the car) chocolate chip cookies. I need to design my own system of reward to help me focus. What’s yours?

Some of you are in the zone already when it comes to a solid fitness routine, commitment, and results. You inspire. May we each find activity that is sustainable, blendable with our lives (is blendable a word?), and enjoyable. May we then make it routine and find it rewarding.

I encourage each of us to keep our good routine or do more than we did last week, if there is room for growth. Check out the many online resources for starting to exercise and doing it in a healthy way. I’ve included a few below. And wear the right shoes.

Stay charming, my friends!

P.S. My boot looks a little different these days. My longer walks are on hold until a broken toe heals.

More Information…
To read more about my first Zumba experience: My First Zumba (2009)

For more information on the Stand Up phone app:Stand Up

A helpful article from The Heart Association: Get Up/Get Active

Image

Pause to Lament – Charlottesville Violence

14 Monday Aug 2017

Tags

Charlottesville, hate, justice, lament, peace, pray, solution

My heart was saddened by the complicated events in Charlottesville, Virginia that took place on Saturday, August 12, 2017. My thoughts and prayers are with the residents, governing officials, law enforcement, and all the families affected. I pray for the families of the three who perished, as well as the many injured. I also must pray for the family of the young man who used his car as a weapon. I pray for the participants on both sides of the event, though that is packed with challenges. I am reminded in the biblical text I read to guide my life that I am to pray for enemies. Never easy.

This is a tragic reminder of an evil reality rooted deep in some of the broken, systemic problems of our dear nation. Hate is a poison that kills good, justice, and peace. It cannot be tolerated. I lament and ask God for wisdom, mercy, and guidance, both for recovery, restoration and reconciliation. And I ask myself how can I be part of the solution?

Lament: To mourn.

Posted by Cindi Pete | Filed under Loss

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The Weekend – A Youth Opera Camp and Dinner Out

06 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by Cindi Pete in The Weekend

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Tags

LA Opera, summer camp, The Morrison

 

My husband and I were invited to an event this weekend that was new for us – a youth opera. The LA Opera sponsors a summer youth opera camp. The kids performed on Saturday, August 5, at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. This summer’s opera was the work of a Jewish Czech composer, Hans Krása, called Brundibár. Children in a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia first performed the opera during the Holocaust. The LA Opera summer camp group also performed Friedl, an opera about a real woman who secretly taught the children art in a concentration camp.

LA Opera Summer Camp

During the Holocaust, Brundibár and Friedl helped children keep hope alive. If they could keep their spirits from being crushed by their circumstances, they would frustrate the enemy. This was a powerful reminder of ways to keep the spirit strong, and how art, at times a nonviolent subversive activity, can keep one strong.

More About Friedl

I appreciate how the L.A. Opera not only gives children an introduction to opera, a chance to grow and perform, but helps them understand the history behind the opera as well. Knowing the responsibility an artist has to change the world for the better is essential to using gifts and skills well.

I am friends with the family of one of the lead performers, a 10-year old with as much talent as passion for music and theater. He is also a former student, from my days as a visiting teacher with homeschooled children. It was truly a privilege to see him in action, and this was our first chance to do so. Besides being so proud of him, we had a culturally engaging afternoon, witnessing and learning about the two operas performed.

After the 4:00pm performance, we were ready for dinner. Being in a neighborhood less familiar to us, we decided to try a new place to eat. But where do we start? These days, we go to the phone app Yelp. I entered “gastropub” and our location. Morrison’s, about ten minutes away, came up with good reviews, so we gave it a try.

 

The Morrison

We had a delightful dinner, seated outside near the sidewalk. Having read the Yelp reviews, we selected some food that was recommended by others, sharing the slider burgers, the BLVD salad, and the macaroni and cheese. Did I mention the homemade pickles?

The Morrison Happy Hour Menu

We finished with the famous bread pudding. The evening weather was comfortable, the conversation enjoyable, and the food was delicious and different from eating at home. A great experience!

And we found growth in unexpected places – an interesting opera that originated for children during the Holocaust, contributing to their strength of spirit, and a new restaurant experience in another community. A great summer afternoon and evening! And anytime you can invest in the life of a child, we all are better for it. Stay open to new experiences. We grow through adventure. What did you do this weekend?

Stay charming, my friends!

First Steps

01 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by Cindi Pete in Blog Background

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

aging, life stages, new blog, welcome

Purple Shoes in Leaves

It’s always so fun to witness a baby’s first wobbly steps. Today I take my first steps with this new blog, Wild Chin Hair, and embrace a bit of a wobble myself, stepping out to see where we go. Starting a blog, as if the world needs yet one more, comes with pressure to be beautiful, engaging, and beneficial. My readers will decide that for themselves along the way. Here we go! Welcome and hello!

My hope is that you find yourself comfortable here and stop by often, that Wild Chin Hair will be a blog where we connect on moments in the later seasons of life. If you are getting older and finding some challenges in that, you are in the right spot. We will explore living well in our later years in a culture that values youth and wrinkle-free faces. Thank you for visiting today.

I plan to post weekly and enhance the site along the way. You are invited to join me here again soon. Now I must be off to an appointment, and then my day job — a busy day. Does that sound like your schedule? What’s your day look like today? Whatever is in store for you today, have a good one!

And stay charming!

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