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The Pulsating YES meets the Dabbler

Posted by rebeccainspiresnow

5 Life-Saving Tips for Your Body and the Promise of 4-Pepper Posole

It’s a new month! Wahoo! We have a chance to renew. My friend Amheric’s mom takes every new month as a chance for a fresh start. Who needs January when you have March? That’s why I gave him the video poem New Month for his birthday. It’s a chance to shed your soulskin and start fresh.

Do you ever feel like you’re walking on air? Everything is flowing? Yes? I call that the “pulsating yes.” Like when I went to file some paperwork with city hall and there was no line, people were helpful and I received the answers that I wanted and needed. I think though, that they felt me bouncing in, they felt my pulsating yes and were happy to receive it. When I walked in, the energy emanating in the office seemed tired from being stuck inside a government building during the second Polar Vortex in Chicago.

Sometimes, we can feel both ways in one day. One moment we are floating with grace and another moment we are crawling on the office carpet sucking in the recycled air and slurping down caffeine.

Today’s tips focus on the body. I have a slew of other resources for mind and spirit for another day. Here’s my advice: pick one thing to explore, then stick your toe in and dabble.

As you scroll on your phone, computer or iPad, find what grabs you.

The whole point of the art of dabbling is to try something new. (If you want to try more than one, go for it!) The idea though, is not to overwhelm you with hyperlinks and pressures to change your diet or world view, but instead, to know that these resources can serve as an anchor or reference when you want or need them.

1. Find thirty minutes a day, three to five times per week to move your body. My friend invited me to join her for February and March to be active this way for six days per week. I committed to five days per week and it’s revolutionized my body and my mental state. Think about it: three ten minute spurts of squats, or abdominal exercises, dancing, yoga, walking. That’s 150 minutes for your health over the course of an entire week. Start with three or four days. It’s just not that big of a deal. Some days, I’ve created an obstacle course in my hallway and jumped around with my son. Other days, I got off the train early and walked a longer route home. Here’s a 7-minute workout from the New York Times that is being used by a very busy public school teacher friend of mine.

2. The Evolution of Juice: You may be hearing lots about green juice. Folks are posting pictures on Facebook and juice bars are popping up all over. When I first tried juicing a few years ago, the only juice I liked was carrot apple. All of the other recipes that I invented tasted like garbage. I’m not being sarcastic. Fast forward to three weeks ago. I’ve been juicing when I can, usually in the morning (wash a bowl of veggies the night before) or in the evening (frequent alternative to wine—which I still enjoy). I have never felt so good in my entire life. I already thought I felt fine. Now I have more energy than ever. I am sleeping better and get this, I am somehow more patient and kind. Is it the juice? Or that I’m consuming slightly less caffeine because I no longer have giant drops in energy. I’ve been tracking Kris Carr’s work. She just posted this 3 minute video about how to make a green juice. She was diagnosed 11 years ago with an inoperable stage IV cancer and revolutionized her approach to eating. Ten years in, her tumors are shrinking and she has a vibrant life and business. This video which is 4 minutes and 49 seconds long shares the story of her healing. It’s heartening if you have cancer or know someone that does. It made me want to think about juicing. I’ve used Kris Carr’s work as an inspiration and started sampling by Googling juicing recipes with whatever ingredients were in my fridge. Consider subscribing to Kris’ emails or follow her on Facebook. And to get started, this is my favorite easy one page website that I found through Google thanks to Seattle Squeeze. I also like that there are pictures of vegetables and fruit which you can scroll over and learn about each one’s health benefits. Three tips within this tip: A) Try to only use one fruit ingredient with the veggies so you don’t overdo the sugar and experience that high, then energy drop; B) Keep Eating. Toss a few nuts or other source of protein in your mouth at some point. Healthy carbs are fine too; C) The Breville Juice Fountain has worked well for me.

If you are what you eat, why not eat awesome? –Paul Jarvis

3. Keep the Yoga Mat out of Your Food. Subway was using a dough conditioner in their bread that is illegal in Singapore and should be illegal here. According to the Forbes article titled: “What is the Yoga Mat Chemical and Why is it in Your Food?” it’s also used in products at Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, Marie Calendar’s and more. The point of this tip is to educate yourself about what goes into your mouth. It’s not to get preachy, it’s just an invitation to pay attention. I am passionate about food: cooking it, writing about it and eating it. I like to eat foods that are actually food, not something created in a laboratory. There’s a chemical in Pepperidge Farm Goldfish which has been designed to trigger your brain to eat more. (Reminds me a wee bit of Dollhouse, for all you Joss Whedon fans.) Where to begin? Two people (with very different styles) are blazing a trail of truth and holding corporations and the government accountable. One is Vani Hari a.k.a. Food Babe. I recommend subscribing to her mailing list or following her on Facebook. She just shared a helpful guide to the healthiest breads on the market. The other is Robyn O’Brien. Again, think about checking out her website and Facebook page. The point of learning about this and taking action, whether it’s buying something without harmful chemicals or tweeting a politician, is that we are actually changing the marketplace by creating a demand for healthy foods. The same foods by the same companies in Western Europe do not contain chemicals. Are we special in the U.S. that we’ve been gifted this option? The week that Food Babe released an investigation of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (yes, I grew up on the blue box too), profits went up by 14% for the company that makes Annie’s Macaroni & Cheese, a healthy alternative to Kraft. You have power over your body, and influence on the health of your family and, even the future of our the planet starting with your grocery list. If you don’t know where to start, you can try this healthy pantry makeover or think about purchasing Paul Jarvis’ gorgeous e-book Eat Awesome for whatever amount of money you’d like. You set the price. I paid $8.88 because it’s my lucky number. You can pay less or more. It’s your choice!

4. Drink bottled water in moderation. We all drink it. It’s worth considering using a Brita filter when you think that a recent study reported by Fox News found nearly 25,000 chemicals in bottled water. Here’s a highlight: “Good hydration is important, and sometimes, there aren’t other options. As a healthy adult, the occasional sip from the “toxic fountain” of bottled water won’t kill you. However, small children, women of child-bearing age, and pregnant women are at greater risk of poor outcomes when exposed to these chemicals. Effects can include stunted growth, early puberty, premature birth, infertility and early menopause – just to name a few. The remaining population should still exercise caution, as more and more research is discovering that these chemical can also trigger diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer.” If you choose bottled water because it’s healthy, check out these 7 Myths busted.

5. Try one week of freedom. I love cheese. I love milk. I love bread. I love meat. I’ve been toying with a week without dairy, then another week I try to reduce my gluten intake. Another week I’ve focused on other forms of protein than meat. I watch how my body reacts. And then I adjust. I’ve been shocked to see how much better I feel by reducing dairy. I’m not anti-dairy. I love Greek yogurt, I worship at the feet of Manchego and milk in my coffee is a no-brainer. This Debunking Dairy article was the first one that I read that made want to test the idea of reducing the amount of dairy I consume. I took a break and made my own almond milk and was fine. (Take one cup of almonds, two cups of water and soak for 1-2 days, dump in a blender with 1 optional teaspoon of vanilla extract and strain. Drink within a couple of days.) In my exploration of a gluten-free life, I made a gluten-free 4-Pepper Posole yesterday. By coincidence, Jennifer Fugo, a classmate of mine from Marie Forleo’s B-School just published The Savvy Gluten-Free Shopper: How to Eat Healthy Without Breaking the Bank. I promised my Facebook friends to blog the posole recipe so here goes:

Rebecca’s 4-Pepper Posole

Quantities are estimated. I used mostly organic and have created hyperlinks to the brands that I used. Sauté these chopped ingredients in 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on medium to low heat: ¼ cup white onion, two long celery stalks, 3 inches of the tail of a poblano pepper, one jalapeño pepper, ¼ red pepper (seeds removed from all), one chipotle pepper (chopped) in adobo sauce. Add one tablespoon of the adobo sauce and two big cloves of minced garlic. Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, grind pepper generously and add three light shakes of ground cumin. Stir and let sizzle. Chop a chicken breast into small squares or strips, keep the strips short if you choose that. Add to the sauté mixture and let the chicken cook a little in the spices and oil. Add another tablespoon or two of olive oil if you need it.

Dump one 14-oz can of chopped tomatoes into the pot. And a 32-oz carton of chicken broth. Add a 29-oz can of strained Mexican-style hominy. (Note: the chipotle and hominy links are for the visual. Try to find them at your grocer as amazon’s stated prices are too high.) Cover, raise the heat and bring to a gentle boil. Then reduce the heat and let simmer until chicken in fully cooked. Probably only 15-20 minutes more. It’s nice if the celery, for example, still has some “bite-back” and isn’t mushy. Serve with thinly sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, shredded white cabbage. Add these items to your taste in the bowl, then squeeze fresh lime on top. Corn tortillas or fresh tortilla chips on the side will determine whether you want to add more salt to the posole.

Make it vegan: substitute vegetable broth and sauté cubed extra firm tofu in 3 tablespoons of adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers.

Enjoy!

Remember: it’s your body. Love it wisely.

Un abrazo,

The Dabbler

Beauty inverted, leveled and carved from the same stone.

Posted by rebeccainspiresnow

A photograph is not an opinion. Or is it?” –Susan Sontag

Tim Arroyo’s Metamorphosis: The Inner Beauty Project exhibit examines beauty from a linear perspective. It’s on display at ArtStreet at the University of Dayton, Ohio. According to the exhibit description, the show is based on “an observation of the unwillingness to be photographed and shedding one’s outer layer to reveal a beauty from within.” I’d venture to say it’s also an obsessive look at beauty from a man who loves women and wants them to see the equanimity, evenness and equality in their physical features through one photographic process. The equality is not to say they are all the same, because the women, obviously are different—ages, races and ethnicities. However, there’s a reverence in the simplicity. The fact is that this particular approach does not detect make up with the exception of a small amount of black eyeliner (which a few women opted to use). I’ve seen him experiment with this approach for the last two years or so. The pupils look dilated and there’s a graying of the features no matter the skin tone of the subject. This blurring of identity creates a dramatic tension. The viewer is immediately drawn to the eyes and story behind the portrait of each woman staring directly out, in essence, proclaiming the universality of her beauty. He elevates the idea of beauty with this focus on sight. There are stories I can invent just by looking at each woman.

I was asked to be a part of the project and agreed at first, but changed my mind when my grandmother passed away. I felt sad and vulnerable and didn’t want to be photographed as part of the exhibit. Why? Because the exposure, photographic and through the promise of an exhibit, created an emotional risk for me. And I didn’t want to be documented in such a raw way when I felt raw.

Vulnerability and Imperfection

That rawness and vulnerability is what’s explored in both of Brené Brown’s TED Talks on vulnerability and shame. As I recently told a colleague who had not heard of her research, you need to watch the videos, just from a human being perspective. You’re life will be expanded, better. Her class, The Gifts of Imperfection has generated a social media movement causing women to post “regular” photos of themselves with “I am imperfect and I am enough.” (As a side note, there’s also a powerful lesson in her talks about how women prevent men from being vulnerable. Recall if you’ve ever referred to a grown man as “being a baby” when he is ill. It’s that nurturing and wholehearted love that we all need.)

Seeing Tim’s work made me think of two expansive photography projects. The earlier, dates back to 1979 and is a follow-up project from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, titled: The Family of Woman, A Worldwide Photographic Perception of Female Life and Being. The other is, “Women” by Annie Leibovitz. I was blessed to see the latter in person at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC in 1999. Susan Sontag wrote the essay to accompany the Leibovitz exhibit:

Any large scale picturing of women belongs to the ongoing story of how women are perceived, and how they are invited to think of themselves.”

Reverence Reinvented

I’ve observed Tim Arroyo’s work for close to eight years. As a fellow photographer and a progressive woman, I’ve thought, “Man, this guy likes women. He likes women’s bodies. In all their shapes and forms. Everybody’s sexy.” He also has some rather bizarre shots of beautiful women, altered into what I would call Cyclops and other creatures from his imagination. I’ve been at exhibits and watched the reaction to some of his more unusual contortions of beauty. There’s a fascination by some viewers with the idea of how traditional beauty can be converted into something shocking that makes your head tilt sideways. Often, especially with his own eerie self-portraits, I have a tickling in my brain that reminds me of the work of Rene Magritte mixed with Picasso’s Cubist era and a big pot of Dali Surrealism.

And this has made me wonder, from a feminist perspective, is he objectifying women? Or am I being a prudish, despite all my proclamations of progressiveness? If you’ve read any earlier blog posts, you’ll notice that I’ve been a bit obsessive with Danielle LaPorte’s The Desire Map. Through that inverted approach to goal-setting, I’ve looked at core desired feelings to help guide how I want to feel every day. And I’ve asked, what’s wrong with a mother in her forties also wanting to look sexy? I was raised in a diverse neighborhood dominated by liberals and intellectuals. Many folks looked down upon physical beauty and fashion as superficial. I’ve learned since climbing out of poor health after childbirth, that self-care from the inside out generates love and beauty. Sontag writes, “But in real life it’s still common to begrudge a woman who has both beauty and intellectual brilliance…” I’ve embraced the fact that external beauty and creative fashion can further my own artistic expression.

What’s wrong then, with a photographer who obsesses over images of all sorts of women in different shapes and sizes, with and without tattoos, with big bellies and thighs, with natural hair and hair full of product? What’s wrong with his bowing down to the power of their beauty, sensuality and rawness in this Metamorphosis exhibit? I’ll tell what’s wrong with it: nothing. That’s what I found through years of watching Tim’s work. It’s his work. Folks seek him out to document their moments in time. Even as some of his images are not to my taste and make me uncomfortable, they have prompted me to think about beauty, women and art. I’ve also reflected upon the physical body and how it can be manipulated to form beautiful and ugly images depending upon one’s perspective. One of my favorite people in the world doing great things for the image of women’s bodies is Taryn Brumfitt from Australia. She has started the Body Image Movement and has rocked the world in terms of being happy with her current state of normalness. This comes from a former fashion model. She has made me rethink beauty and the physical and so has Tim.

Wild Wisdom and the Artful Arc of Aging

One other element that pleased me mightily about Metamorphosis, is that it shifts perceptions on aging. Sontag wrote, “…women are punished more than men are by the changes brought about by aging. Ideals of appearance such as youthfulness and slimness are in large part now created and enforced by photographic images.” Some of my favorite images in the show are of the women advanced in age. For more than a decade, I’ve had the privilege of working with women ten to forty years my senior, and they are some of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met. Like the great Dr. Maya Angelou wrote in her poem, Phenomenal Woman excerpted here:

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me

They try so much

But they can’t touch

My inner mystery,

When I try to show them

They say they still can’t see.

I say

It’s in the arch of my back

The sun of my smile

The ride of my breasts

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally

Phenomenal woman

That’s me.

You can listen to Dr. Angelou recite the full poem here.

Story of Origin

As with many visual artists, Tim thrives on images, not words. I know this because he doesn’t talk that much. He has worked for years with maternity photography hashing out life before life comes. This stems from a man with a thriving family, who has also seen his share of loss. He is the father of two beautiful girls and married to a wildly feminist woman who doesn’t stop.

Tim has done some very interesting studies on smoke, nature and botany, which can also be very sensual, beautiful and ugly in an aesthetically pleasing way. (I’m a huge fan of object photography and fascinated by work like Irving Penn’s studies of trash on the sidewalk.) Some of my favorite works are Tim’s objects, particularly his portals series.

It’s clear that Tim has a number of talents as a professor and as a photographer. As any artist or entrepreneur knows, art and ideas can create conversation and controversy. That’s when we’ve done our job to make you think, feel and react. Seth Godin wrote a wonderfully short post this year about the humility of the artist. It may seem arrogant to say, “Perhaps this isn’t for you.” In actuality, he argues, it’s arrogant to think that your work could appeal to all. “Finding the humility to happily walk away from those that don’t get it unlocks our ability to do great work.” To connect with Tim Arroyo, check out his website or like him on Facebook.

A Girl Undone by Firelight

Posted by rebeccainspiresnow

A girl undone by firelight

walks to the edge of the floor

Reading verse of a faith so pious

prayers sweat blood from her pores

cerebellum searching

answers

explanations

a man called Ignatius

Why does this red dress feel so good?

This hat measure 22 3/4?

When did I learn flamenco?

Flying was a dream along the shoreline

racing seagulls in miniature

Baby Jaxon hears me sing this little light of mine

Sister sees healing in the alphabet

sent through Dixie cups

a string

rhythm flows

from the edge of sleep

your mind knows not

let your soul tell it so

You’re Done

Posted by rebeccainspiresnow

for EG

What you gonna do with that?
Magnets coming off
Drippin’ sugar from your cheeks
You can’t help but show your row of whites
every time you get a whiff
say you’re sick
in a twist
that’s love, baby
you’re
in
love
Na-uh
Ya-huh
You’re done

I have been thinking a lot about romantic love lately. Remembering adolescent angst, excitement flip-over-backwards love. Answering my six-year-old’s question: “What’s a crush?” And thinking about my own marriage. My husband and I were both raised by single moms so when it comes to bumps in marital bliss, we look at each other and say, “We’re still learning.”

What if the same goes for romantic love? Are you in that kind of love now? Have you ever been in love? Were you heartbroken after? Or did it fade and now you’re bored? The poem above was inspired by my friend who fell in love and didn’t know it. She had gone on a few dates with this guy. She was complaining about her stomach hurting all the time. We were standing in line outside the White House:

Me: Girl, you’re in love.

Friend: No, I’m not.

Me: Yeah, you are. You’re done. That’s what it feels like.

Friend: Really?

Me: Yup.

They’ve been married for eleven years.

Love doesn’t always come in the form of a stomach ache. Sometimes you find it again with long-time partners. You can find it in their crooked teeth. In the way they make you laugh. In the way they fold your laundry. One thing I’m learning is that you can ask for that kind of love in your life whether you are with someone or not. It starts with your heart’s center. According to The Institute of Heart Math, your heart creates a magnetic field five thousand times greater than your brain.

For years I was a serial monogamist, in one long-term relationship after another. I even had a brief stint on match.com. Then I said, I’m done for a while. And I consciously chose not to date. It gave me a chance to just be. And what a marvelous time I had. I was so happy just taking a break. I didn’t think, “I’ll never meet someone if I don’t keep trying.” You know what happened when my heart center was generating that glow? I met a cute guy at a cafe’s art opening. He was shy and I had this kind of soul recognition and shameless attraction. I was talking to a group of people, all Mexican-American, and they were asking me about my background. I told them that I was Mexican, Polish, Irish and German. The cute guy said, “You came out good.” In that moment, I was another kind of done. I took a big fat risk with my heart and it worked out. Keep in mind, lots of risks were taken with that organ in the previous years. I was highly skilled at scooping that puppy off the pavement.

Sometimes during mundane moments of solitude on the bus, I think, “I love my life. I’m in love with my life. Someone is driving me around and I don’t have to pay attention.” This kind of happiness is cultivated consciously. Two great things happened yesterday. I read a beautiful story about a man eating his first meal alone after losing wife of 43 years. He watched a couple during dinner and was inspired to pay for their bill. Here’s a man who’s heart might be aching from grief, yet he’s morphed that into a pay-it-forward kind of love. Second, a friend and colleague sent me Pharrell Williams Happy video saying he thinks of me when he hears the song. I was so touched that I danced right there in my office. Watch it here and see your heart pulse with ten thousand magnets!

Whatever your circumstances right now, I hope that you’ll fall in love with your life. Even if it’s starting with a bus ride. You might get to know yourself better. You might get to know your partner better. Or the person next to you might give you a stomachache.

Wanamaker’s 1974, for Mom

Posted by rebeccainspiresnow

’74 yellow Bug, front seat

draft up my navy blue corduroy pants

AM radio

dial and four pushdown buttons

turn it off and sing the twelve days of Christmas

mom’s got a lion’s mane

crocheted vest, burgundy

knee-high boots

beige rubber heels

***
my true love gave to me

the lights show at Wanamaker’s

sit on the marble floor

not too close

or the light brights won’t look like dancing snowmen

mom unzips my coat

sweaty nose and bangs already

I’m waiting for the voice of Oz

to make me into a sugarplum fairy

***
take the escalator to Santa’s Secret Workshop

envelope pinned to my chest

ten dollars or maybe even fifteen

it doesn’t seem possible

all by myself

I wind through aisles

yellow rings with shiny stones

green bottled colognes

and soaps with ropes

***
after my bounty’s collected and paid

the change jingles against my chest

wrapping begins

white tissue paper and scotch-taped gift tags

the elves don’t understand our family names

Aunt Kiki

Mama Chelo

Ina

Puni

Bobby Oddy

mom’s there waiting

to help me carry treasures

***
take the elevator this time

to Wannie’s dining room

blue walls and blue-haired ladies

I look up and see the best part

a chandelier as big as the moon

I’ll order ginger ale

grilled cheese

chocolate pudding in a tall fancy glass

’til we go back to the roof of the lot

where I made mom park

wind around and around

to East River Drive

roll down the window

and sing

five golden rings

Originally published in Paterson Literary Review, Issue 34, 2005

Miss Maggie

Posted by rebeccainspiresnow

For Rawle

Red punch mustache

hot water cornbread

Miss Maggie B.

You put the pins in my pinstripes

for you I walked down

down

down the law school road

for you I traveled 150 miles from Freestone to Houston

because the mailman just wouldn’t do

must pay your bills on time live and in person

Miss Maggie B.

if only you were here

you’d make me fetch my own switch for adding a “B”

wrapped in red sitting amidst your sisters

you know my secrets from the days I balanced on your knees

feeling the force of your magic

Miss Maggie

Lead me

You knew the numbers, the ledgers, the ins and outs of Teague High School cafeteria

humbly 30 years long

eyes wet say goodbye

rested gently in the church you founded

brick by brick

PT, your love built the home for my soul and yours

Miss Maggie B,

Please keep teaching me

Courage to be Catherine

Posted by rebeccainspiresnow

Emmy dresses
royalty marathons
picking coach for mommy
dancing around people protocol
knowing when to tip
talk
touch her throat
princesses
tangled with mermaids
surrounded by sentinels
she knows what to eat, drink
sample
she knows the safety
of one hundred orange shirts
cruisin’
for the courage to be Catherine

There’s this little girl, four years old who sings this song: “Milk, eggs, wheat and beef! Milk, eggs, wheat and beef!” Her name is Catherine and those are her food allergies. She stood on the stage at the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) walk and sang the song, bobbing her head from side to side. “Come on everybody, sing it with me!” The song has helped her remember her allergies.

Catherine is typically a shy and polite little girl. To see her on stage and to see her take it all in with grace: that she was a race ambassador (thus the green sash) and that she had her own “Cruisin’ for Catherine” team, well, it makes you know that some are born with old souls. And I think it’s an old soul that can handle the precautions she and her family have to take for her life-threatening food allergies. That’s right. It’s a matter of keeping her safe and alive. I have watched her mother, one of my dearest friends, become a major advocate for FARE, and in the process educate everyone around her. This year, she emailed us an article titled, “What it’s like to be an Allergy-Mom.” For all that I thought I knew, being an emotional support during various ER visits or tests to see if she might age out of one of the food allergies, this article gave me new insight into my friend’s daily life.

As an added twist of kismet, during the last year, Catherine’s dad was diagnosed with serious food allergies as well. And do you know what his reaction was? I’m paraphrasing, but it was basically: “I have nothing to complain about. Catherine deals with this every day. Now she’s not the only one, she’s not alone.” The amount of planning and pressure that her mother goes through is just part of how she breathes everyday. I saw her zip through the grocery store with cases of the foods that her family can safely eat. I’ve known her to laminate instructions for family members and caregivers.

Food is the center of my family’s life. It’s how we celebrate. And today, on Thanksgiving in the U.S., the entire day centers on food, football and oh yes, gratitude. At a recent Weight Watchers meeting, we reviewed all the holiday activities typically scheduled and how many of them revolve around food. One woman talked about her family’s stuffing recipe and how it’s been passed down through the generations and now there’s a granddaughter with Celiac disease so the matriarch doesn’t know how to adjust the recipe and have it taste the same. Here’s my suggestion to anyone facing this dilemma: Start some new traditions! Some can be food-related, visit www.foodallergymama.com for Kelly Rudniki’s most recent post featuring allergy-friendly Thanksgiving recipes or check out innovative yummy products from folks like Dr. Lucy. And think about some non-food related celebrations. This year, we are having the Recycled Box Car Races at my house. It helps me deal with my artistic obsession with cardboard. (I always want to make things out of all of boxes coming from Costco!) And my son can’t wait to beat me in the race. He’s already trash-talking my “Bodacious 8” racecar.

So today, I sing your song, Catherine, “Milk, eggs, wheat and beef!” and I say, thank you for teaching me courage by just being yourself, every single day.