Why I Run with a Big Dog

My best friend and running buddy is Sam. Sam is a 100lb St. Bernard/Belgian Malinois mix and lives his life as my big, furry shadow. He follows me everywhere I go and is never more than a foot or two away from me. Right now he’s snoring behind me as I type at my computer.

The Idea of “Return” and the Body

This Monday is Yom Kippur and the Hebrew word “teshuva” is very much on my mind. It’s often translated as “repentence,” but it’s much better translated as “return.” The idea that we are innately good and we just need to return to that resonates with me much more than the idea that we are inherently

Joy and Movement

It’s starting to get good, ya’all. This morning I went for a run with some of my favorite people and creatures in the world…both of my kids and both of our dogs. The air was cool and clear and the sun was slowly rising and it was one of those runs where it feels like

Hope, Weirdness, and a Good Pathology Report

We got the pathology report today from my husband’s cancer surgery and it was probably about the best a report like that could read. The tumor they removed was much smaller than it was before treatment. The margins (edges of the tissue removed) were clear of cancer, meaning they got it all. Of the 27

What is a “Mobility Hygiene Routine” and Why Do I Need One?

I’m 43 years old this year and one thing that I’ve discovered about aging is that my body requires more and more maintenance. It’s become more and more like an older car that needs a lot more tinkering and regular maintenance in order to run close to what it used to. I’ve actually started flossing

Your Body Isn’t a Mistake…or a Curse

I have spent a large portion of my life wishing my body was something different than what it is, comparing it to the bodies of other women. It started as a child. I wanted to be taller, thinner, more delicate. Instead, I remained on the shorter side, with a stocky build. I wasn’t gifted at

Do You Serve a Purpose or Purposely Serve?

One thing I believe strongly is that life isn’t random, that there is a plan and that each of us have an important part to play in that plan. Recently, we marked the anniversary of 9/11, a day in this country that saw acts of horrible violence, but also acts of extraordinary bravery. Countless everyday

When I’m Shaking…Lessons Learned From the Barre

There are moments in life where I feel I can’t hold on any longer, when I feel like I don’t have the strength. Moments when bad news hits me in the gut suddenly or stress and pressure mount up to the point I feel like I will fail under the strain. Moments when I am

Elul, Wake Up Calls, and Why I’m Doing This…

Even if it’s not your New Year coming up, this time of year, with Fall coming in, lends itself well to new beginnings, whether it’s the energy of kids going back to school or the return to our more usual life after summer, Autumn seems to call for a similar introspection as January. For Jews,

Cultivating Joy in Rocky Soil

I don’t know a single person who has had an easy year this year. Most families I know have had health challenges of some kind. Others have had employment challenges or financial woes. Everywhere, there are additional stresses of remote work and learning and the pain of isolation from our usual social outlets. More personally,