Sensory Strides podcast

Quote “The sky takes on shades of orange during sunrise and sunset, the colour that gives you hope that the sun will set only to rise again.”  Ram Charan

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

Episode 75!  Wow!  What a great trip it has been.

I’ve been reflecting on a closeout episode for this season of Sensory Strides and I have been struggling with what that should be.  I have come to realize that Sensory Strides where it is now is not where it started. Growth in different ways than expected. I had been considering sunsetting this podcast. 

I listened to episode 260 of the Bib Rave podcast and they announced that they are going to be ending their podcast after five years.

BibRave

This seemed to be a sign to confirm that my thoughts on sunsetting Sensory Strides and allowing myself to focus on some of my other projects. Especially those that are Girl Scout related like my Hearts of Gold podcast and the work I’m doing with Badgerland council to improve and encourage more girls to earn their Highest Awards is likely the better place for me.

I’m recognizing that my mental health is just as important as my physical health, and I have been spreading myself thin. I need to focus on that which improves my mental health and that which gives me the strength and energy to be encouraged to pursue new interests.  Working with these amazing young women in Girl Scouts feeds my soul in that way.

The new house is amazing and watching both the sunrises and sunsets each day have helped to allow me to relax in a different way than I have these last few years.  I look forward to the summer and sitting outside watching those amazing sunsets.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Quote “If the plan doesn't work, change the plan, but never the goal.” 

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

I can’t believe it has been six weeks since I recorded an episode!  I have had a lot going on, but all just normal busyness, nothing special.

I was well into my training plan and things were going really good.  Then last week I had a very sore back.  I went to the chiropractor and I am feeling much better I think it was the worst my back has ever felt.  I had to interrupt my training because I could barely move for a couple of days.  What I realized is that my whole body was aching.  I had noticed it before, but I just attributed it to the training plan and my focus on doing well.  I think it is more than that.  I haven’t run for almost two weeks now and my caves are still tight and sore.  My glutes have finally loosened up a bit.  I think I’m going to skip my race I had planned for the end of October.  I’m sad because I love trail runs, but I need to listen to my body.

I am going to be super busy the next couple of weeks anyway.  We finally got possession of our new home this past weekend after waiting seven months without a firm date in sight.  I have been packing and moving what I can and we will move the big stuff after I come back from my vacation in a couple of weeks.

It is time for Craft Camp, something my mom and sister have been going to for years and I started going to about ten years ago.  We are going to be making baskets this weekend.  I am so excited!

Then I am home for one day and I get on a plane to head to Arizona for She Podcasts Live!  I am even more excited about that!  Jessica has planned it so that it is a combination retreat and conference.  It is at a resort with multiple pools.  I am so looking forward to it!

Illinois Homemakers Camp

LIVE • She Podcasts

When I come back I think I am going to go back to my video workouts – I’ll have a great new space to workout in and perhaps I can focus more on the strength training and build my frame back up.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Twitter @sherylmrobinson

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Quote “Sometimes I try to be normal but it gets boring so I go back to being me.” Mediaweapps.com

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

I started training for the end of October 10k this week!  It feels great to be following a training plan again, although I really miss sitting on the couch doing nothing.  I’ve pushed myself to actually run doing the workouts.  While I can’t run for a full mile yet, I look forward to continuing to push myself.  I was inspired by a recent Another Mother Runner discussing racing mindset to push a bit harder than I have historically.  For me, it has always been about finishing.  I think I may use this fall’s race to push myself and challenge myself to not be the last one in.

AMR Trains #38 How to Get Into a Racing Mindset (anothermotherrunner.com)

It was a busy Girl Scout week.  Tuesday, I had a meeting with council, then I got in my car and had a troop meeting while I drove to a Gold Award project ribbon cutting.  After the ribbon cutting on the way home I had a highest awards sub committee meeting.  Then Thursday it was our council’s annual meeting.  Council just moved into a new building, and we were able to tour the building before the annual meeting.  It is going to be a great programming space.  End of August is also a busy time for Girl Scouts as girls are submitting their final reports prior to school starting.  We’ve had an influx of proposals too.  Looking forward to growing our Gold Award class for next spring!

We also went to the La Crosse Area Parade of Homes.  Very excited to find a house that was painted a grey we liked.  We also found a cabinet color we like and decide white trim will be the way to go. I am getting so excited to move into the new space.

La Crosse Area Builders Association - Parade Of Homes (labaonline.com)

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Quote “You are not messy, everyone just organizes differently.” Cassandra Aarssen

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

Excited to be back to feeling mentally well.  So much so that I have decided to sign up for a trail 10k at the end of October.  I’ve found a training plan I can work with on the internet and will begin training next week.  Now, to get my eating habits back under control.  I need to reduce some inches so my clothes start fitting better.

My mastermind group tried something new and spent a session sharing different media we’ve been enjoying.  We had been doing book club each month, with each of us reading a different book and sharing our takeaways.  We often talk about podcasts we listen to and thought a media sharing day would be good.  It was so much fun – although my podcast list has now grown again.  Moving forward we will do book club one month and media on the opposite month.  I love keeping things fresh!

Media I shared included Hot Mess House on HGTV.  I have begun packing my current house for moving this fall and the timing on finding this show couldn’t be better.  I have gotten rid of almost as much as I’ve packed so far.  I’m going to be reading one of Cas’s books for book club in August.  She has a podcast, youtube videos, and an amazing Pinterest page.  The biggest thing I learned so far is my issue with thinking everything has value is my biggest hurdle towards managing clutter.  I have been using her $30 rule (if it isn’t worth $30, it isn’t worth your time and effort to try to sell it) and it has really changed my outlook.

https://www.hgtv.com/shows/hot-mess-house

https://clutterbug.me/books

https://www.youtube.com/user/OrganizedClutterbug

https://www.pinterest.com/Clutterbug_me

Podcast | Clutterbug

My biggest challenge with the value rule comes with anything related to Girl Scouts though.  Girl Scouts leaders save everything!  I have a bin of Girl Scout stuff that I am going to get rid of, but I AM going to use the $30 rule – I will just create bundles to sell.  If it doesn’t sell, then it will go away.  Luckily there are a couple of really good Facebook groups for this activity.

Another media I shared was Anne Bogel’s podcast ‘What Should I Read Next’.  I love this podcast!  I almost always hear about one book to add to my reading list every episode.  I like that we learn about the guests as that actually helps me know if I will enjoy a book as well as they did, depending on our similar or differing outlooks.

What Should I Read Next? Podcast – Modern Mrs Darcy

What media do you get inspiration from?

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Quote “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” Denis Waitley

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

I have felt most like myself in the past week or so than I have in a long time.  I had two great conversations with Gold Award Girl Scouts for my other show.  (Ep 64) One had such high energy and everything related to her project involved bright colors.  It was just so fun!  (Ep 65) The other was with a young women I have been following for a couple of years.  Her focus is STEM diversity and she is always involved in some activity related to STEM.  Her Instagram makes me tired just looking at it.

https://pod.link/1406353288

https://www.youtube.com/c/sherylmrobinson

I even had a last minute project that I successfully completed.  Girl Scouts has implemented a scholarship program for Gold Award Girl Scouts and a couple of days before it kicked off I received the details on which girls were eligible and we had four (out of our fourteen) that needed work in order to make sure they were eligible.  Two were easy because the system dates just needed to be corrected, but the other two required the girls to submit both their proposal and final report via the Go Gold electronic system.  Getting this report through the electronic system involved four different people and 8 steps.  Luckily we were all able to work together and get the Girl Scouts successfully set up.  The timing also worked well because the application process opened last week with the applications due this week and we have a already scheduled Highest Awards Q&A session scheduled.  We are pivoting and making that session a scholarship FAQ session for the girls.

Then, I also received an email that a conference I have been very excited about attending has selected me to be a speaker on a panel.  I was already expecting this conference to be a highlight of my year and now that I will be involved even more my excitement has skyrocketed.  I can’t share much about this yet, but I will be soon because it is a group I am already passionate about.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Twitter @sherylmrobinson

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Quote “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”  Albert Schweitzer

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

The past two weeks included lots of celebration.

I am honored to have received the Girl Scout Thanks Badge II.  The Thanks Badge is the highest recognition an adult volunteer can earn.  The Thanks II is given to a volunteer already awarded the Thanks Badge.  In addition to work within my council, they awarded me the Thanks II for the work on my other show – Hearts of Gold and the speaking work I have done to promote the Girl Scout Gold Award.

https://pod.link/1406353288

https://www.youtube.com/c/sherylmrobinson

            Hear more about all of the Girl Scout Adult Awards on episode 63 of Heart of Gold.

I also celebrated my 20th anniversary at the community health center I work for.  I started there as a part time Staff Accountant and am now CFO.  I love working there as we really focus on our communities and creating healthier environments, in addition to the health care we provide.  The integrated services we provide to care for the entire person - medical, dental, behavioral health, chiropractic, acupuncture, massage therapy, and pharmacy – allow our patients to see multiple providers the same day. The sliding fee scale we offer allows patients to receive the services at reduced rates. I’ve loved watching our health center grow over the years.

Find a Health Center (hrsa.gov)

I feel I have pulled passed the depressive state I was in this spring.  However, I find I am still having trouble setting personal goals and continuing to manage those things needed in order to keep things, like my podcasts, going.  My fitness has suffered this year because of it.  As discussed on prior episodes, I am a big fan of training plans, following the plan, and checking off each day as the workout is successfully completed.  I have lost my motivation.  This past quarter I tried stepping back into it by choosing some 30 day plans, one was a squat challenge and the other a pushup / crunch/ squat / lunge challenge.  Nothing difficult or time consuming, but I found not completing those plans increased my anxiety.  My waist has grown and I recognize I need to do something to stop the negative affects my body is facing.  In discussing this with my mastermind group, they suggested that I just take one day at a time and set a daily goal the night before or that morning as to what fitness and food goals I want to have for that day.  That felt more reasonable to me as I could take into account my schedule, the weather, and other factors as I plan the goal for the next day.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Twitter @sherylmrobinson

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Quote “Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.” John F. Kennedy

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

My husband and I had planned our weeklong summer vacation to Colorado for the past week. However, multiple things occurred that caused us to delay the vacation a month or so.  However, I definitely needed a break, and it was the weekend of our fifth wedding anniversary, so we ended up taking a four-day weekend.

We were going to head to Duluth / Superior since neither of us had been there before, but there were very few motel rooms to be had and the ones available were way out of the price range I was willing to spend.

Instead, we headed to Iowa to bike ride all weekend.  Without even having a plan when we left on Friday morning, we couldn’t have ended up with a better weekend.  I had heard about the High Trestle Trail for many years, mostly because I still listen to Ragbrai and Iowa Bike Coalition’s podcast “Just Go Bike”.  I had seen pictures and was intrigued.  We got to the area early enough on Friday to ride a portion of the trail and still check into our motel room, eat dinner, and head back to see the bridge lit up at night.  The trail is amazing.  Super smooth and very wide, so even though there was plenty of bike traffic, there weren’t any passing issues with a narrow path.

JustGoBike (pod.link)

High Trestle Trail | What We Do | INHF

Saturday, we headed south of Des Moines and rode part of the Great Western Trail, which took us past the Des Moines airport.  We got to see a couple of jets landing and a few taking off.  We then hopped in the car and headed towards downtown and rode along the river and up to the capital building.  We also rode by Principal Park where I snapped a few pictures for my daughter who is a Cubs fan.  The Cub’s minor league team plays in Des Moines.

Great Western Trail - Polk County Iowa

Principal Park | Cubs (milb.com)

While in Des Moines, we realized the 70.3 Ironman was happening Sunday.  Since I am usually a participant and not a spectator and an Ironman race is known to be so well run, we decided to spectate.  However, thunderstorms rolled through overnight and early morning, and no one was sure if the race would even happen.  So, we didn’t bother setting an alarm and decided to play by ear.  While it did take us longer to get to parking than we planned, we still were able to sleep in a bit and get to the race while the swim was in high gear.  They didn’t end up starting until 9:45 and they had to cut the bike distance in half to reduce the time impact.

(10) IRONMAN 70.3 Des Moines | Facebook

WOW!  That was a lot of people and a lot of logistics!  I’m not sure I would have done my 70.3 if I had spectated a race of that distance beforehand.  It was exhausting just watching the participants.

Overall, it was a great, relaxing weekend with lots of fresh air.  Just what I needed.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Quote “A best friend is the only one that walks into your life when the world has walked out.” Shannon  Alder

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

The last two weeks have not been my best.  I thought I was coming out of my depression along with the weather getting warmer.  Then, I had an interaction with someone that shut me down.  I felt belittled and dismissed.  I shut down so much that I couldn’t even talk with my husband.  I needed to shut myself in my room alone for a few hours.  It took me a couple of days before I was able to bring down the walls I had built up and interact with others on a more normal basis.

Then, a series of smaller interactions kept me from climbing all the way out of the hole I was in.  I relied on my different support systems and managed to feel strong enough to have a face-to-face conversation with the person that was most central in the different tensions.  We had a great conversation and I feel much more positive going into this next week.

It is important to have those crucial conversations when something isn’t going the way you would expect, and you aren’t sure why.  You don’t know what is going on in the other person’s life that could be affecting them.  Just like I am experiencing depression and know I am being more sensitive due to that condition, other people may have similar conditions that you aren’t aware of.  By talking to them on a personal, non-confrontational way in order to learn how to improve you open the opportunity for those more personal conversations and may learn more of the why from their perspective.

It is also important to have support systems with different perspectives. Of course, I have my husband.   I also have a very good friend that I rely on who is very analytical and process driven. Additionally I am part of an accountability mastermind group that I meet with every week.  While the group mainly helps me with my fitness and activities external to my work environment – like my podcasts and speaking engagements – there is a large trust factor we have built with each other that allows us to share us successes and troubles candidly and know we will receive honest feedback.

I am not sure where I would be right now if it weren’t for these different people.  I hope each of you have similar people that support you.

On a positive, the weather has been very warm, my husband has been out working in the fields, and I’ve made it to the county park to hit the trails twice in the last week.  Trails are so much more interesting than walking the same route through town.  However, I would rather walk with my husband in town than alone on the trails.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Quote “One of the main benefits of spending time in nature is stress reduction.” – Richard Louv

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

The last few months I have not been as active as I normally am.  I had slipped into a depression and was struggling to come out of it. While I recognized my poor mental health status, one of the tactics I used was to eliminate the non-essential items on my list. 

I am a list maker and there is always something to do on that list.  What I was realizing was my brain and body needed a break from some of those items.  So I took a step back from many of the external activities I am involved in and reduced my contributions.  While doing this, I also reduced my activity.  Even my activity was a list – either a training schedule or a weekly goal of so many minutes of movement.

While stepping back helped me return to a stronger state of mind, the lack of physical activities may have slowed the progress.  My husband and I went for a walk last week and I realized how much those walks improve my mental state.  That time outdoors, even if my husband and I are talking or I am listening to a podcast or a book, allows my brain to take a break.  The fresh air invigorates me and refreshes my soul.

I’m still struggling with keeping a good mental balance, recognizing those things I can control and those things I can’t control.  Of course, the things I can’t control are some of the pieces that are weighing heavily on me right now.  I need to recognize there is only so much I can do and I need to let go of those things that I can’t do.  This is a difficult balance.  I have a great support system, but I am my hardest critic and I need to give myself grace.

I hope you give yourself grace for those items you can’t manage and remember to keep the activities that keep you fulfilled in the forefront, even as you may need to let go of other things.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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Quote "In a word, let me say: if we might keep in necessary things Unity, in unnecessary things Freedom, and in both Charity, our affairs would certainly be in the best condition."  Peter Meiderlin 

Welcome to the Sensory Strides podcast.  Observations of the world through activity, reading, listening, and everything else.

We used to start conversations talking about the weather or an activity that was happening in our community.  Now a days the question is “have you gotten your vaccine?”.  I encourage everyone to be more sensitive with this question.  Receiving the vaccine can be a very personal decision and could cause others to share personal medical information they may not want to share.  Unlike talking about the weather or a public event, the vaccine is a personal health decision.

I am pro vaccine and believe that receiving vaccinations protects not only ourselves, but others as well.  Most vaccines have been around for a long time and have a history that makes people more comfortable with them.  As people may know, there are questions regarding some vaccines by some people that disagree with vaccines.  I encourage everyone to research any vaccine questions you may have by using well defied medical websites and scientific articles.  One key is often making sure that the website ends in org (reflecting a nonprofit) or a solid .com website.

I encourage vaccinating but recognize there are some people that are unable to be vaccinated for health reasons.  For those able to be vaccinated, we are protecting ourselves, our families, and our communities.

The only person that can make the decision on your health choices is you.

While I was eligible in the very first round of vaccines due to my job, I did not choose to get vaccinated immediately.  My concern was not related to the shortened testing timeframes, I was confident no testing pieces were skipped, just the in between testing step waiting periods. I was concerned about long term side effects.  I have since reviewed vaccinations and when long term side effects generally appear and my concerns have been alleviated based on what I have learned thorough research.

However, there were many people, my parents included, where any concerns were offset by the potential negative impact from contracting covid based on their age or other health issues.  I never undermined any efforts for those that choose to vaccinate.  Everyone’s situation is different, and all health choices need to be made based on an individual’s situation.

I urge everyone to be conscious of what other people’s situation may be and not everyone can get the vaccine or choose to get the vaccine.  For those that choose not to vaccinate, they should be responsible for their own health and may choose to continue masking and social distancing to maintain their health.

Remember, you cannot know what someone’s personal history and experience is that supports their decisions.  While Covid is a public health emergency, everyone has their own story and has to make the decision best for them. Please support each other and don’t judge each other based on physical observations and respect each other’s decisions.

Thanks for joining me.  Be sure to check our show notes for links to inspiration items and …  don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

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