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Featured
Things we Tell Ourselves
Things we Tell Ourselves
Anger and Grief
Anger and Grief
Elementary School
Elementary School
Crazy
Crazy
Leadership and women's sports
Leadership and women's sports
The Hammock Hotel
The Hammock Hotel
Raglan
Raglan
Skate love
Skate love
Miss Havisham's Garden
Miss Havisham's Garden
Play and New Zealand Schools
Play and New Zealand Schools
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Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Be strong, be steadfast, be willing. - Maori Proverb. . . #noteddetails #strong #steadfast #willing #newzealand #proverb
I want to to take a minute to explain what it is that I like about Laura Tremaine and the @10thingstotellyou podcast. Earlier this year, I noticed a group of people sharing things on social media in a way that seemed more authentic and honest than usual. It was in response to Laura’s #10thingstotellyou challenge. I didn’t participate… but I was intrigued. When I heard about her podcast, I knew that I would like it. . . Laura is clever and confident - but she is also vulnerable and honest. Having the courage to speak your own truth is one thing - encouraging it out of others, is whole other beast. I am inspired with what she notices and highlights. She uses her voice to elevate the best and most important parts of stories. It is easy to believe that the “best” parts of our stories are shiny, strong and concise. That is not always true. . . I love the simple, beautiful parts of my story. Nice, happy things are easy to talk about. But I know that those “noted details” are not isolated from my larger more complicated story. . . This week on the podcast Laura asks “What are you assuming about others?” I love this question. I think it gets to the heart of what many of us are struggle with on social media (and in real life). It is easy for me to be cynical about all of it. It is harder to engage in ways that are helpful. When I see people being creative, telling different stories and asking better questions - I feel hopeful. . . Yesterday there was a horrific attack in New Zealand. It was live-streamed on facebook and linked to an 87 page anti-immigrant, anti-muslim manifesto. There is no doubt that people use social media for terrible things. Let’s think about creative ways to shine light into dark places. . . We have lots of company over the next few months. I am going to take some time to think and pray about what I can do that is helpful and productive. In the meantime, I am going to take the #10thingstotellyou questions and answer them with a small group of friends. . . Lori Chaffer is one of my favorite songwriters. Here are two songs that feel appropriate right now. Things we Tell Ourselves & Come Let us Reason.
Yesterday was Sunday in New Zealand. We went to church and then went exploring in Murupara. Fishing, floating and apple picking.
Sometimes I find myself in bed with bad things. #oopsididitagain #monday #noteddetails #justgobacktosleep
A non-traditional shout out to this guy for “International Womens Day”. You are my best friend, biggest supporter and you bought me a surfboard and wetsuit. I will love you forever. Keep being brave all you strong women and amazing mamas. I love you like crazy @fitz_2108 and @susangoodgame. Thanks for all the time, energy, patience and love you invested in us.
Today was the Haka and Waiata competition at Max and Maggie’s school. Haere Mai is a Māori greeting that means “Come here! Welcome!”
We have guests staying with us this weekend. @timcleary and @amylouisecleary are friends we met at @churchofthecity in Nashville. They live in Auckland and are just getting settled after a really difficult transition. I expected that this weekend would be a time for us to encourage them - as we know a bit about difficult transitions. It ended up being quite the opposite. . . Tim and I have very similar personalities and perspectives on matters of faith - I immediately wanted his opinion on my recent political tirade. He suggested (in only the way a true friend can) that I stay in my lane. We proceeded to have a conversation that lasted the entire day. It was broken up and dispersed between outrageous burst of laughter… a trip to the luge, the neighborhood playground, a walk through the tree trust, lunch, dinner, dessert, wine and an evening soak at the hot pools. . . I was genuinely seeking to understand his perspective on why I shouldn’t be so critical about our president. It’s a conversation I’ve wanted to have with someone I respect, for a long time… but it didn’t end the way I thought it would. The irony of it is, Tim is an Australian New Zealander who wants nothing more than to be an American. . I asked what he thought about a hundred different issues… and then at 9:30 pm the four of us sat in the living room and I finally got to the root of my bitter rage. I had a breakthrough that can only be described as spiritual. I wept with them and then drove around the lake and cried for an additional two hours. . . I am profoundly sad about the loss of my dad and brother-in-law. They were exceptional men that lived humble, kind lives. It makes me angry that the leader of the country I love isn’t a bit more like them. I don’t know Donald Trump. But my dad is the kind of guy that would have tried to understand his story and extended a bit more grace to him. I have some anger and grief to deal with. You can sign up to get updates on my blog - but I won’t be on social media for a while.
Elementary school : Last week I talked about New Zealand’s education philosophy and the Global School Play Day. This weeks episode of @10thingstotellyou is about teachers. I love this topic, so I am going to circle back to roller derby in a bit. . . I grew up in a Chicago suburb and attended Abraham Lincoln Elementary. It was a small school, built in 1928. My kindergarten class had a fireplace, a gigantic brick fish tank/pond, original hardwood coat closets, beautiful built in bookshelves and inspirational quotes etched into the schools foundation. I had a quintessential American school experience. . . In the past ten years I have had two opportunities to visit St. Charles - once for a friends wedding and again last summer when I took our kids on a month long road trip. I like to make a habit of revisiting places and ideas that were significant to me in the past. . Despite having an outwardly “ideal” education experience - school (especially elementary school) was really painful for me. I had a very hard time learning to read and consistently mixed up letters and numbers. I did not excel in anything academic. At a very young age, I was already developing a deep seeded insecurity about my ability to learn. In the 80’s and early 90’s no one was talking about “learning disabilities”. I thought I was stupid. . Fortunately, our home was a warm, safe place where my parents cultivated a different kind of confidence in me and my sister. . . In the fourth and fifth grade There was a group of teachers that changed the way I thought about school (and myself). Mrs. Anderson, McGee, Norland, and McCormick worked extra long hours to put on a school musical each year. They opened the door for a different kind of learning and changed the way I thought about myself. . . In the fourth grade we did “A Tribute to Irving Berlin” (someone I will probably talk about later). In the fifth grade, I earned a lead role as Miss. Hannigan in Annie. It was the first time I can remember standing out (in a good way) at school. . . #noteddetails #art #music #school #teachers #10thingstotellyou #bringbackthearts #dyslexia #irvingberlin #annie
The first time I watched roller derby, I felt like I was waking up from a long sleep. It was a trigger that reminded me of a person I used to be. Growing up I was aggressive, tenacious and wild. As an adult I became hesitant, timid and refined. . . The people I met through roller derby surprised me in all the best ways. It was a leap outside of my comfort zone. I had spent years unintentionally surrounding myself with people that were just like me. The diversity of my new friendships felt like an invitation to be more myself. . . Roller derby is a sport that prides itself on being a little bit eccentric and unconventional. It has some some rough edges - but I wouldn’t trade them for a more sophisticated version. It’s the rough edges that make it authentic and believable. Women tend to be a lot more complex than we give them credit for. . . I didn’t grow up watching a lot of sports - but I’ve seen enough super bowl commercials to have pretty strong opinions about the subtle (and not so subtle) messages that get promoted in and around most professional sports arenas (links on the blog). If you bring your Girl Scout Troop to a roller derby bout, they might hear some raunchy language and see people with tattoos, but they won’t walk away wondering if there is a safe place for them at the table. . On the @hellosunshine How It Is podcast (which is great by the way) Sarah McKemie (aka @sexyslaydie from @gothemderby) talks about her introduction to the sport and how derby taught her to be a confident member of a community in a sport that was lifting up women. . Roller derby is a great place to find strong women doing crazy things. It’s a sport worth cheering about. Gather up a few friends and go see some live roller derby. Maybe someday we will start seeing it on tv again. Here are a few photos of amazing derby women including Tobie Dunn (Maggie’s derby big sis who just skated her first adult tourament) and a few photos of our @nashvillejrd . @ladytrampel / @phantomphotographics @scaldeagle / @punkmarko @ahsinity / John M Blood @sexyslaydie / Tyler Shaw @speedyyj / @quicknderby @tobie_maya /@tinaletterphotography #noteddetails #rollerderby #women #strong #crazy
We had special guests this past weekend. Samara Pepperell (@ladytrample) and Hillary Buscovick (@scaldeagle) were leading a boot camp hosted by @rotoruaderby. Lady Trample and Scald Eagle are two of the most celebrated athletes in a sport that many people don’t know about. For a cross cultural sports comparison - one might call them the @mia.hamm and @juliefoudy of roller derby. . . If those names aren’t ringing a bell for you, maybe you are too young... or maybe it has something to do with the fact that (generally speaking) women’s sports don’t get the coverage they deserve. Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy played for team USA in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup - the championship game (which they won) was the highest attended women’s sporting event in history. . . As I was thinking about this particular sports comparison, I stumbled upon an interview with Julie Foudy that is blowing my mind. I am going to get back to roller derby, but I want to take a minute to talk about this interview, because it is so good. (link on the blog) . . I love a good transition story. I’ve talked about The Pivot podcast several times - @andrewosenga interviews interesting people who have made a change in their lives. The @bigjumpshow is similar in it’s mission to “inspire your next big jump.” Host David Garner talks with professional athletes who have “leveraged their athletic minds to find success beyond sports.” I was immediately impressed with David’s ability to ask thoughtful questions and hone in on all the best parts of Foudy’s story. . . This interview touches on so many ideas that I am interested in as a woman, mother and someone that would like to see better leadership in lots of sectors of our society. It is wide-ranging - talking about humor, play, hard work, femininity, athleticism, title nine, grassroots marketing, work life balance, the evolution of female Disney characters, and the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy. Take some time to listen - it is a great story not only about athletic success, but more importantly the power of strong, deliberate leadership. Back to roller derby tomorrow.
Today we are playing “hammock hotel” it’s the best game ever. . . #noteddetails #rest #sunday #play #bestgameever #someonebringmemorecookies #hospitality