There Is No Finish Line
“Beating the competition is relatively easy. But beating yourself is a never ending commitment.”—Nike, There Is No Finish Line ad copy Since the moment I saw this image, from Nike’s “There Is No Finish Line” ad campaign, I was inspired. Everything about it was—is–me. When I first laid eyes on it, in college, I was weightlifting with equipment that looked a lot like that, in a room that looked a lot like that, and wearing outfits that looked a lot like what the model is wearing. I fully admit to wearing those tall socks too (which I only figured out many years later were highly unflattering on me!) Most importantly,…
A New Year’s Note
There’s a collective energy in the air at this time of year. Wafting all around us are feelings of freshness, motivation, potential for change, new opportunities, and chances to make ourselves and our lives better, promoted and perpetuated by newspapers, magazines, books, social media, our friends and family, and of course, ourselves. I’m a sucker for it, as I think most of us are. I love starting fresh in the New Year! Usually, we fall back on New Year’s resolutions which don’t tend to lead to lasting change (to which I can definitely attest.) In fact, nine years ago in my very first column for My Edmonds News, I suggested…
Audit and Edit Your Fitness Regimen For Winter
Lately, it hasn’t felt in the Seattle area as though winter is near (and hardly even fall) although this may have changed by the time this column is published. In fact, this is the perfect time to take a good look at your current exercise program and think about how you may want to prepare for a smooth transition into colder darker weather. Whether or not you take note of seasonal-related adjustments in your exercise routine, there is always a certain degree of adapting and altering as the weather changes. But it makes for an easier transition to consciously prepare and plan. Consider the following ways to audit and edit…
Appreciation Through Absence
When I was growing up, all I ever wanted was a pool. I was obsessed with pools. The most exciting thing in the world for me was when my grandmother would come to visit from England and stay at a hotel with a pool. My sister and I would be in that pool all day every day, no exaggeration. Despite growing up in San Diego, none of our neighborhood friends had a pool. Right now you’re thinking, San Diego? What about the beach? Nope, no comparison to a pool, my ten-year old self is saying! There was one exception, however, and it was a big one. Bill Walton (the basketball…
Remembering my father: Antion Vikram Singh Meredith (Vic Briggs) 1945-2021
It is obvious that your father leaves a lasting legacy and he touched so many people through his life’s work and performances. I feel blessed to have spent an evening several years ago celebrating your shared birthdays and listening to his stories. His spirit shines on in you and Siri, and I am grateful to him for creating one of my dearest and most trusted friends. On June 30, 2021, in New Zealand, colon cancer took my father’s life. I’ve been through some difficult times in my lifetime, but I can honestly say that the shock and stress of this situation was unlike any I had ever known. You never…
The Measure Of My Mother
As a daughter, there were always three sure things in my life. Death, taxes and the deep, passionate love my parents have always had for each other. So it seems fitting that every year my parents’ May 11th wedding anniversary occurs near Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Because from my perspective, they are who they are as individuals and parents, then and now, because of their love, their commitment, their devotion to, and their bond with each other, first and foremost. Although their marriage has not always been easy, their love transcended all circumstances and has always been the solid foundation of our family dynamic. But this year, my mother…
An (extra)ordinary Father’s Day
Last summer, as I sat there one day at my dining table (AKA my office) I could hear my parents in my kitchen making themselves lunch. It was just another day out of the five weeks they stayed with us, visiting from New Zealand. I could hear the low hum of their casual conversation and the sounds of their food preparation and cooking, nothing special. But something on that random day caused me to pause, get fully present, and take it in. I felt a deep poignant blend of love, nostalgia and memory. I knew, even then, I would forever remember that moment of comfort and familiarity and stability that…
Make Every Holiday Moment Count
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities If this sounds like Pandemic Holiday Season 2020 (or all of 2020,) I could not agree more! But it also reminds me so much of Husband Dying of Cancer Holiday Season 2013. As I wrote shortly after this crisis started, there are…
How do you want to show up for your future self?
This has been an unprecedented and overwhelming year. Even as we move into winter, Covid is not letting up. Our lives have been compromised by the significant consequences of this pandemic and we all feel the cumulative and collective stress and worry. We’ve figured out various ways to cope this year, and with good reason to do so; if a pandemic doesn’t give us license to do whatever we have to do to keep our chin above water to get through this, then nothing does! Consider what habits you have leaned into this year as a survival mechanism. Are you overeating? Drinking too much or too often? Not exercising enough…
A Tale of Two Widows
The other day I was scrolling Facebook when I came across a post that knocked the breath out of me. My neighbor Amy had unexpectedly lost her husband a few days previously. I was in shock and disbelief. It’s one of those things that you hear about and can’t believe it; that your brain struggles to make sense of before eventually giving up because it simply cannot process how this could ever happen. I met Amy at a neighborhood get together shortly after we moved into the neighborhood. She and I hit it off. She immediately and warmly reached out to me repeatedly, making me feel so included, something I…
