Thursday Murmurings
Simone Biles, taking chances and aging parents
Happy Thursday, ya beauties!
Kicking it off this week with the one and only Simone Biles.
As Shakespeare once said; ‘And though she be but little, she is fierce.’
What an absolute powerhouse. Three Gold Medals and one Silver in these Olympics alone. And all this after taking a two year hiatus to focus on her mental health. Just, wow. An incredible example of the power of self-care.
My heart may well be in my mouth whenever she does her sequences of flips, I hope she continues to thrill us with her skills just a little while longer.
Things that caught my eye this week
I really like this piece about challenging the stereotypes of ‘The Spinster’. Given my decision to no longer date, I feel as though I’m a living, breathing contradiction of everything the ‘spinster’ represents, and yet, I imagine people most certainly will assume many things of me - a 43 year old, single, never-married woman with no children - most of which won’t be true. It’s hard to stick your head above it all and try to convince people that your identity is made up of a dozen different things. But also, I’ve never much cared for fishing for anyone’s approval of my life. So, call me a Spinster if you want, I guess!
Food for thought
You cannot play it safe forever. Living, really living, requires you to throw caution to the wind, take some chances, explore what lies over in left field. When you’re in your rocking chair, age 90, regaling those around you with your stories, guaranteed those stories were born out of the moments you took chances and dared to veer off track. Ordinary ain’t going anywhere, you can always find your way back there if you need.
You should upgrade to the paid version of The Murmuration because…
On Monday’s paid edition, I’ll be talking about the understated sadness of watching your parents age, while simultaneously revelling in this stage of their lives where you get to know a whole different version of them, outside of being your parent. Coming off a weekend I just spent with my parents where we had some of the best conversations we’ve ever had, I’m going all in on the importance of staying as curious as you can about your elders, ‘cause lemme tell ya, it’s a wild ride!
Your Weekly Biggie Smalls (P)Update
This week Biggie wants to encourage you to take a road trip. Jump in your car, put the windows down, the music up and hit the highway. Fresh air, a new perspective, losing track of time, taking in some new sights. Biggie is fresh back from a road trip of his own and well, you can see how much he enjoyed it. Good for the soul, he says.
Until next week; smile at strangers, spread good vibes, be nice to people.