An open letter to You

Dear You,

For almost half my life, I have cared about You – my best friend.

You are the person I turn to for absolutely everything, big or small, and that means the world to me. I'm not sure how long I could live without being able to tell You my exact, step-by-step thought process about overthinking something that won't be important in 2 months. You save me from my own insanity, and I couldn't be more grateful.

Sitting back and thinking about an awesome memory from a spur-of-the-moment adventure is great, but being able to think back to the nights that all we did was drink wine, tell stories, and laugh is just as great. You have taught me how to take risks, laugh at myself, and forgive.

Every best friend relationship is different—they grow from being new friends, to good friends, to best friends, to basically being sisters. Every step of the way to You becoming my family has been emotional, exciting, and absolutely beautiful. You have helped me see what I can be and how to be a better me. Now it's my turn to tell You how great You are.

Words for when I think of You:

* strong
* beautiful soul
* patient
* quick thinker
* funny
* vibrant
* magnetic
* dreamer
* brave
* fighter

People are drawn to You - to your ideas, to your energy. You create dreamers out of people. I often find myself inspired just being in the same room as You. How do you even do that? I laugh thinking about all the things You have inspired me to do, that I would have never even touched on if it weren't for You.

I have absolutely zero idea what I would do without you, and I have no intention of ever finding out. Sorry love, you're sorta stuck with me, and I know we wouldn't have it any other way.

Love,
Me

*Be the shit, Everyone else already knows you are*

What is your PhD in?

Have you even listened to a TED Talk? Do you know what they are?????

TED Talks are videos that present a great idea in 18 minutes or less. They’re filmed at flagship TED conferences, independent TEDx events, and other special TED programs. Their goal is to share Ideas Worth Spreading — in fields like science, technology, business, culture, art and design — around the world.

I have a friend that is a TED Talk junkie. She loves them. She often calls it her morning coffee - she listens in the while she brushes her teeth and gets ready. I totally believe her when she says that they are amazing and get her brain going - but I had never listened. Many reasons why - the main one? I thought I wouldn't get it, that they would be too deep for me. This friend is on another level with her self-help book reading, analyzing herself, bettering herself.....what if TED Talks go right over my head? What if I just don't "get it"? 

My husband digs them. My bestie listens every morning. I need to check this out. So I did. The first TED Talk I listened to (all on my own) was today. Joanna Lohman. Washington Spirit Midfielder. 

Ok. I get it. This hit me. It did not go over my head at all. It's all I can think about. She talks about the Uncomfortable Ride to the Top. Her Plan A turned into her Plan B and she spent years proving to herself that she could get better in uncomfortable situations. Periods of struggle are where you grow. The cuts, the bruises - they are all lessons. From it Joanna got her PhD in soccer.

My friend might be a Ted Talk junkie, but I am a sports junkie. Big time. I played them, I watch them, I read about them. I mean - 30 for 30 - am I right? So good. Joanna's talk hit me on many levels. She is an athlete, she has worked her ass off to get where she is, she has learned from her experiences, and she loves what she does. So many feels.

Now my wheels are churning. What is my PhD in? What do I love to do? Lots of things of course.....but what do I learn from and where am I growing? I don't have it all figured out just yet, but I do know a few things:

1. I love to make people feel good
2. I like to listen to people
3. I love to cheer-lead
4. I love to be active

Not always sure of my direction, but I'm moving forward and trying ti high five everyone along the way!