jo burgess hannon

fit for today, fit for life

What can you cross off your to-do list?

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Mr. Flexible, my mantra reminder
Mr. Flexible, my mantra reminder

 

I recently took a trip to beautiful, sunny Florida.  When I made plans in September it sounded like such a good idea; warm, bright weather and leaving the dark rainy days of December behind for a week.  Reality is it can be pretty stressful to come home to a long list and 10 days of houseguests soon coming and going through the door.

I like to plan ahead and am most happy when I feel I know what I need to do, what the schedule is going to be and have a clear plan.  Life doesn’t work that way though, does it?  By the time the sunglasses were packed and on the way to the airport I had crossed many Christmas to-do’s off my list.  But not because I had completed them. I crossed them off because they just weren’t as important as enjoying relaxing days at the beach.  I crossed them off because time with people are more important than fancy food, lights strung to the rooftop and giving handmade gifts.

As the emails came in and Honey let me know we were having more family arrive than planned and a day earlier than planned, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “ok, we can make that work.” I used to have to re-center my attitude by whispering to myself, ‘I am flexible, I am flexible, I am flexible.’ It has become a personal mantra over the years.  People are more important than fancy food, lights strung to the rooftop and giving handmade gifts.  I can let the plans change and enjoy life or I can stress that things are not going my way.

So there might be a gift or two given in February when I get the project done and if you are expecting a Christmas card from our family this year, it isn’t coming. By being flexible & open to plans changing, my dining room table was filled last night with family and laughs and conversation as we passed the salad and soup. And isn’t that more important than anything else on the list?

What I’m loving right now December 2015

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At Thanksgiving this year, a conversation began while I was sharpening the carving knife before dinner. Every year Honey and our daughter like to pick out some sort of kitchen gadget for me. Sometimes its a stocker stuffer, sometimes it’s a gift under the tree. We had a few good laughs as we remembered some of the more unusual ones, like the rubber steamer bag/basket thingy. Yeah, I never used it. It just didn’t seem right to cook fresh vegetables in silicone.  Over the years, many of the gadgets have found their way to the Goodwill bag.

custom cutting board & favorite knife
custom cutting board & favorite knife

 

I really enjoy cooking and for me, part of the enjoyment is the chopping and dicing. Last year brought a custom made cutting board that has shown up in several of my online photos. Honey ordered it from a craftsman that rents a temporary space most weekends in the Wenatchee Pybus Public Market . With the board is usually my most used knife, a  Wusthof Classic Santoku . This wasn’t a gift, but its worth mentioning because a new cook in your life might love this knife, too.

Devoted Husky fan warming up homemade tomato soup and grilling sandwiches--love you Mamma Bo
Devoted Husky fan warming up the fresh tomato soup and grilling sandwiches–love you Mamma Bo

 

Even though there have been duds, many items have had staying power. The first addition to my Le Crueset collection, a cherry 5 1/2 quart dutch oven has been used over and over. The size has been perfect for my small family and I still use it 1-2 times a week. This pot might be why I never use my crockpot any more…or maybe I don’t use the crockpot because I need a screw driver to turn the broken nob and I never know if I am setting it on high or low.

Anyway, back to Thanksgiving; the electric knife sharpener has also been used over and over and again. Sharp knifes are the BEST kitchen tool. After advice from The Great White Hunter (Honey’s youngest brother who keeps his hunting, fishing and pocket knifes razor sharp) I received a  Chef’s Choice sharpener . Once you go electric, you will never go back to a wet stone or manual sharpener again.

What are you loving right now?

 

The road paved with good intentions

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florida mementos & local recommendations

 

Honey had some work stuff and I tagged along last week to Florida to soak up some much-needed vitamin D. I love leaving the Seattle area when it is raining knowing I am headed for clear skies and warm days. Over the years Honey and I have developed a pattern when we rent a car; I am the map-reader, he is the driver. My unofficial title is Co-Piloto. Honey has a keen sense of direction. Usually getting around a new area is pretty easy once I have the map figured out and Honey has his bearings. We think we should apply to be on the Amazing Race.

On one trip we decided to attend a concert. It seemed like a good idea when we were at the kitchen table searching a laptop map. The venue looked about 30 minutes from our hotel. We intended to shuttle to our hotel and cab to the concert a few days later. Good intentions.  After arriving we checked with the concierge and found a cab ride would cost over $200. One way.

So we rented a car for the day. Along the way we hit a couple of detours that were no big deal. The IPhone re-calibrated. It was after midnight on the return trip. We hit the same detours and handled them with ease. Then a new issue; the freeway was closed ahead and we had no choice but to exit. That was not on my map.   It was stressful but again we got back on course. All became calm, we were familiar with the rest of the drive, I set my phone aside.

Relationships can be a lot like navigating a new territory. A few bumps along the road figuring each other out, a wrong turn or two causing some frustration, anger or tears and then relaxed, as everyone seems to be traveling down the same road. Most of us have many people in our lives: friends, family, spouses, co-workers. Each is a unique opportunity to value and appreciate each other.  Sometimes an action, a word, a text or e-mail can get us off course. Our intentions might come from a spirit of teamwork, collaboration and shared resources. A teammate might take a complete U-turn and head in the opposite direction feeling devalued, unappreciated and angry.

The concert journey was not over. We were headed in the right direction, cruising along. Then one last large, orange lettered sign flashed “BRIDGE CLOSED AHEAD.” If you live in Seattle, it would be like having the 520 Bridge over Lake Washington closed. Only you have no idea how to get to the I90 Bridge and there is no option of driving around the water. Honey kept driving and told me to find the other bridge. What other bridge? My map was only showing one way across the bay. I frantically searched my phone as we entered a sketchy part of town. I asked Honey to pull over. Honey kept driving. My map kept trying to re-calculate. I asked Honey to pull over. Honey kept driving. Finally out of sheer frustration, I yelled, “Pull over!” Honey kept driving.

Did I mention his sense of direction is awesome? His internal GPS had already re-calibrated, much faster than my phone. And he trusted I would figure it out. It can work out with our teammates, too. Collaboration might work best when we each have our own map and are willing to see the road from a different view.

And, I secretly think Honey might have some sort of super power. Because seriously, how did he know about that other bridge?

Advice and the magic of thinking big

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Once our daughter started school I had extra time to volunteer.  At her birth I had quit my job and later did not have to go back to working full time. I spent hours, then years volunteering on the booster club, the annual auction fundraiser, PTA and helping on the playground, in the classrooms and lunchroom.  One day, during the junior high years, I was helping host a teacher luncheon.  There was chit chat amongst us moms as we set the tables, prepped salad, heated the bread.  I was newer to this group and met several  that day who had seniors graduating in a few short months.  One mom in particular still flashes through my mind.  Her youngest child was graduating.  The question was floated, “What are you going to do?”    She was the outgoing president of the PTA. She had spent the last 10 years as a devoted volunteer at her kids’ school. She looked a little lost as she shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t have an answer.

I don’t remember the woman’s name. I just remember the feeling of wanting to have an answer.   The realization that my day to day life had become small with our daughter and her school at the center was scary. And it didn’t sound healthy for her (my daughter) or me.  I think I probably became depressed.

I spent the next few years journaling, cutting out articles, exploring options of how I was going to answer that question. Several times I tried to make a list of my strengths.  Have you ever done that?  It is hard. I could easily list 10 things I needed to change, to improve. Listing my strengths was challenging. I started to see a pattern, the same goal listed in a variety of ways: to be of use, to be a servant,  to be useful, to serve others. I think I was still depressed not knowing the answer to that luncheon question.

One day I was at a follow up appointment with a sleep specialist.  I had done an overnight study to try and determine why I was sleep deprived. He made a recommendation that turned out to be life changing. ‘Instead of thinking of your upcoming fitness training as something small’, he said as we talked about my life, ‘why don’t you think of this as the start of something big?’

And it was. Turns out I needed a wake up call more than I needed sleep.