For the last several years, but only during the holidays, I would find Lindor Snickerdoodle Truffles. This year? Scant a snickerdoodle anywhere. But I found this alternative. I was hesitant to try them lest they don’t live up to what my mind considered was the best. To my surprise, these are a very close match and delicious! You’re welcome.
During the government shutdown, we purchased a time waster from my younger years. Introducing – the puzzle! Mini helped with the border for approximately 17 seconds, then made her way to the television for Dancing with the Stars. She’s invested. Truly, I have enjoyed this project. With sunset so early and a tired soul, this puzzle has kept me excited to come back for more.
Bonus! Find yourself a coffee shop jazz channel on whatever music service you use. Trust me. It’s peaceful and exactly what you need on a fall day.
Update. I found the Lindor truffles. First, I ordered them from Amazon. Then, I found two packages at the grocery store. In a double not blind taste test, the truffles are smoother. However, the kisses taste exactly the same as the truffles. Price? Kisses are cheaper and offer more variety if you want to bake with them.
For some, rest probably isn’t puzzles and chocolate. For some, rest is simply a break from a stressor. Same, same. Whatever it is, take time for yourself. During the holidays, it is incredibly easy to get lost in the going/going/gone, but I believe the holidays are meant for a slower time. Enjoy them. And try the snickerdoodle kisses!
_____________________
I ask you –
What is your favorite holiday candy?
(The post Finding Restfirst appeared here at Running on Fumes.)
If you weren’t aware, tumbleweeds are dead, dry plants which have detached from the ground and proliferate by spreading their seeds across the land as they blow here and there. They’re considered invasive because they can grow to large sizes, changing agricultural land and being a general nuisance. (courtesy of KelGpt) Occasionally, we experience tumbleweeds in North Texas, but never to the extent of the wild wild west, where movies, and real life, would indicate they blow as far as the eye can see.
Besides the dead, dry part, I consider my mind full of tumbleweeds. Maybe a pinball is more accurate. Bouncing around to and fro, never really making it to the final location. Which is probably why this blog has flourished. Because my thoughts bounce around, reproducing randomly.
To my point –
Texas Coffee School – if I needed an idea where to spend the final portion of my GI Bill – tada!
Google.com – the place where normal people like you or I, thelayman, if you will, can learn about how the government works. Indeed, we’ll call it Government 101, because too many people must have missed the lesson in high school. Apparently.
Football! Loving watching the Bears stage a comeback. Sure, the scores have yet to reflect said comeback but it’s been a great year nonetheless. Oh, the Cowboys. Season started strong, then we hit that tie, and it feels like it has fallen apart. And the Texans? Well, sigh. It’s the Texans and I love them, what’s not to like? One day, one day.
_____________________
I ask you –
Did you know about tumbleweeds?
(The post Tumbleweedsfirst appeared here at Running on Fumes.)
Admittedly, there’s been a few previous episodes I have not reported on but, rest assured, no news is good news.
Which leads me to this post.
It was a mess. My largest group yet (12 victims… I mean children). The video lineup got jumbled; therefore, we missed two videos. Ever the ‘wing it’ type of leader, I asked the questions sans video context and then we played games for 20 minutes. Boy were they excited.
Then, there were drum lessons. Day before. Details. I don’t think we’ve been following any type of script because suddenly the instructor was asking if we were ready to play a song. Pause. A song?!? I have yet to master a 16-note!
Side note. I wish 16-note was a euphemism for money. Side side note. Still no paycheck. Sigh.
I played a song. Have you ever played Rock Band? If so, remember when you miss the note, then it “dinks” you? Let’s just say there were more dinks than harmonized notes.
Working with kids is easier.
_____________________
I ask you –
Would you rather – work with children or learn a new hobby?
This one hit home. Because how many times have we said “Well, I hope it works out!” or, my favorite, “I hope you get better.” There’s nothing wrong with hope; in fact, it’s a tenant of faith. However, relegating hope to a place where it has no action is ludicrous. Please continue to use it to express sorrow or a place-filler for condolences (although much more can be said on this topic). But stop relying on hope to make a decision or, equally important, to lead others.
Early on, in this furlough period, I began a list of “wins”, the little things my team was able to accomplish. Some may say the little wins were nothing short of doing their job, but I wanted stories to tell later when the significance of them being there was overshadowed by other things, “more crucial things”. 43+ days later, when I re-read the older accomplishments, I feel more than pride. This time is the epitome of resilient. They keep showing up. They keep smiling. They keep trying to improve and help others. And they’re doing it without a paycheck in sight.
My pride, if there ever was any, is nonexistent. I have asked others for money, gift cards, and groceries for my team. I have driven through food pantries and visited the Salvation Army. I have donated my time to ensure they have what is needed to help them and their families survive. Many still refuse to ask for help. Others pour their time and energy into locating resources for my team. They offer tissues and a shoulder to cry on when it becomes overwhelming. These people are heroes.
hope in life’s changes
Each morning, I hope for a change in the furlough status. For 43 days, that hope has not come to fruition. So, I do what I have to do to keep them afloat, from a quick game of badminton to flexing schedules for carpools. If you’d told me this was what leadership looked like, it is not that I would not have believed you, but I would think I may do things differently. Wrong again. We never know how we will truly act or react until the moment comes to pass. And here we are.
Hope did not lead me to action, but it softened the blow of no change. I still have hope. However, all I now hope for is help – for them, for me, for all who are struggling.
_____________________
I ask you –
What does hope mean to you?
(The post (Hope)ful first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)
I don’t owe a dime and I don’t have to do anything. I owe it to myself to establish clear, direct boundaries. No further explanation. No long-winded and easily misconstrued version of trauma which led to…blah blah blah.
For some, pizza is the Michelin star in perfect triangular form. It can be customized, dressed up, transformed into an award winning dish. The pizza I sell? Cheese. I sell cheese pizza. Not because I’m boring or don’t want to put in the effort, but because cheese pizza is tried and true. It’s the basics. The foundation of pizza. Cheese.
You’ve probably figured out I’m going somewhere with this schpill. You are, right? When tested, I easily revert back to foundational principles – kindness often mistaken as weakness, or I shut down completely. Rarely do I come out fighting. All noble reactions yet kindness has not served me too well. Good thing kindness isn’t for you, Kel. Kindness is a reflection of the heart. It’s a desire to do better, be better, give others grace. It’s not easy. People test, they try, they dig in their heels, they make messes where no mess should ever be. At some point, kindness is overshadowed, and those without boundaries are the first to succumb.
Not this time. Not to the lady who sells pizza. Kindness is no longer a convenience, it’s a requirement. To be part of my world, kindness is a non-negotiable. Just because I sell pizza does not mean I will sell it to you.
Cheers to holding the line. And selling a damn good pizza pie.
I found this stupid funny meme that said something along the lines of an airline PA system asking for a doctor to help someone write a 500-word abstract in less than 5 minutes, ending with…finally, I’m the doctor they need! Paraphrasing obviously. The meme disappeared before I could screen grab it so now you’re stuck with my pathetic recall. But you get the idea!
In all seriousness, this is a tough time. I’ve been officially furloughed but with excepted service for 31 days at the time of this writing (more by the time you read this). This means I go to work everyday for no immediate pay. Sure, I’ll get back pay when it’s all said and done but my immediate needs are burdensome – things like buying groceries and putting gas in my car. More than me, I lead a team of 7 excepted employees and 9 furloughed employees who are feeling the immediate pain of this situation. They work for hourly pay and may not have a savings account to rely on. They have families to feed. They need gas to fill their vehicles to drive to the job that isn’t paying them.
I think the most common misconception is overlooking the government shutdown as something where people may think ‘I don’t know anyone affected by it.’ You know me. And I know hundreds of others who are affected. These people are my team, my friends, my coworkers.
I work in fitness which, if anyone stays updated, has taken a front row seat to nearly all other updates, changes, and restructuring in the military. This means we are more important than ever in creating, building, and sustaining a “fit to fight” military workforce. I’m not personally opposed to the changes in the standards as I have nearly always understood why a fit military is imperative to success. It’s also imperative to a healthy, long life with your family and friends. This may sound callous but please hear my heart when I ask how many overweight people have you met who lived past 70? Do your own research. Maybe you don’t care to live past 70, but I guarantee there’s someone in your life who does.
The fitness background I’ve mentioned gives you context to why excepted service is important even during a government shutdown. The military continue to serve, paycheck or not. Therefore, my team must be available to serve them. It’s more than opening the doors to a building each day. It is ensuring they have the testing supplies available, can continue to self-improve, and, some would say equally important, building morale.
You see, fitness isn’t just working out. For some, it is therapy. For some, it is the only thing between depression and suicide. Maybe that sounds dramatic, but I can assure you it is not. The benefits of exercise surpass nearly every known disease and have the power to reverse it. True story. So for anyone doubting the importance of fitness in today, tomorrow, and next year’s world, there is statistical evidence of its importance.
The U.S. needs people who do the work I do. It needs people who do the work my team does. I am no one without them. And they deserve paychecks to support the military and their own families. The next time you vote, the next time you consider who the shutdown affects, please think of me. Please think of the single mom who shows up everyday at 0445 to help others improve their fitness levels so they can be fit to fight. Today, the only fight I want to have is the one where every employee is paid to do the job they took an oath to obtain. These federal employees did. I did. But somehow it feels forgotten.
________________
I ask you –
Did you know over 300,000 federal employees are working without a paycheck during this government shutdown?
Do you know who is still receiving a check? Be informed.
I had an entire thought for this post, something along the lines of a refrigerator or a shelf, but now it’s disappeared like my desire to work a non-paying job. Yet I’m still doing it. So I guess this point is moot.
Mini participated in all the themed days of drug free week. I’ve probably said this before but I thought for sure I would have been offered a lot more drugs in life. Where was my chance to “just say no”? Can I try it now? Eluding to my a) current position, b) addictive genetics, and c) will to live despite present circumstances, I’ll probably continue to say no. If asked.
Photo credit: #musemom
And, of course, there was Halloween. I make far too many jokes about full-sized candy bars for someone who doesn’t eat candy. I wish I liked candy. It sounds delicious. Although I am partial to Reese’s Pieces.
Tiny spiders
My costume was minimal…stamped black spiders on the sides of my face and hand. I believe it represented how many souls I’ve stolen. Or eaten. Or whatever fun analogy exists. Muse? Oh where art thou?
Final thought: for over 90 minutes, which is probably considered less than average, we walked mini around neighborhoods to trick or treat. Halfway through the jaunt, I realized how much I missed the past 3 years while working through my PhD. It was nearly impossible to enjoy anything outside of writing because I was incredibly stressed by the need to write. I’m sad because I know I missed a lot and I cannot get it back. The fact I recognize how much I missed because I can see it now is even tougher. It was worth it, but how do you quantify worth when you missed entire Halloween shenanigans worrying about what you could be doing instead? It feels as if entire years disappeared from my memory. On the bright side, drugs didn’t do this to me.
If I’ve learned anything during this furlough, it is to take it slower. Much slower. But not too slow because I just can’t.
A run collection
For weeks, I have been doing two-a-day workouts and I’m feeling the best I ever have. That’s not taking it slow, Kel. In other ways, I have been giving endless grace. The first week of the furlough, admittedly, I was angry. Angry we had gotten to this point. Anger directed at everyone around me. But soon I realized anger wasn’t getting me anywhere. Now, and since, I’ve been in a numb sense of acceptance. I do not like this situation. I still battle anger and disappointment. But I’m humbled every single day by a team of few who continue to show up. And it’s what they deserve from me.
the team
You don’t know what ya got til it’s gone. Oh, but I did know. I would have rather never experienced it. Despite the furlough, the show must go on. Despite taking a massive manpower hit, the expectation to deliver is still there. Thankfully, with the help of dozens of volunteers and a killer core team, we executed the 2025 Zombie Run 5k of over 300 participants. To say I was stressed was an understatement. But they did it.
I think I could outrun the politicians, or zombies, in charge of bureaucratic decision-making. But a nice right hook to the jaw might be more fun. Well deserved.
How long before the NFL bans any helmet to helmet contact, specifically the jovial nod/tap between players? Guess TBI has only one cause.
39 years: how long it took me to commit to placing stickers in a notebook.
How long before I’m famous for my humor and clever remarks? Answer: not long at all! I was privileged to introduce Mike Super for an Air Force Live event. Mini and I really enjoyed the show, received a t-shirt, and got to take photos with the greatest magician/illusionist I’ve ever seen.
How long can I keep up with these two-a-day workouts? Answer. As of this writing, almost the entirety of October! Nothing like a furlough to remind you that you’re capable of hard things.
_________________
I ask you –
Question and answer: how long (fill in the blank).
(The post How long…? first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)
It’s a fun word with a few fun iterations. Serendipitous. It reminds me of the word Eureka! Not the vacuum cleaner. There was a movie with a scientist who yelled Eureka when he made a concoction. What was the movie?
Funny story about serendipity. It’s something I based my PhD thesis on. I was seeking serendipity, uncertain if I would actually have a moment to uncover it, much less recognize it. Spoiler: I did. And it was just as glorious as I had hoped. And, since thousands of people are furloughed, what better way to kill time than to read it? Have fun! Immigration Federalism in the United States: Texas Case Studies
Hold on, the show is tuning in. The rich kid. Big house. Bad guys. Not the Christmas one where the kid was alone. Home Alone. Right, not that one.
Interestingly, the word serendipity originated in 1754 from a fairytale. Now, it references a scientific or technological breakthrough. I just like it because it sounds fun.
Richy Rich! That’s it.
_________________
I ask you –
Have you experienced serendipity?
(The post Serendipity! first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)
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