Living on Caffeine and Kindness

Not really sure how my legs are holding me up in this photo because I definitely grabbed a chocolate milk and banana and collapsed in a sunny spot on the grass about 3.5 seconds later. But y'all, I have never been prouder of myself. November 3, 2018 is a day that I had so many things to be grateful for in my gratitude journal. That is a day for the history books of my life. Last weekend I ran a half marathon. And let's talk about goals for a hot second. Two months ago, half marathon wasn't even on the bucket list or dream board or anything else. Then about a month and a half ago, I got the crazy idea that I might like to run Disney and texted a friend. He told me to sign up for the Charlotte Half Marathon and I did. So with six weeks to train, I took to the internet to find a plan. I found a month long one I liked, tweaked it to span over 6 week, and got to work. I ran 4 days a week. I ran by myself in the cold, in the dark, in the rain. I ran without telling anyo...

Alright y'all, let's start out with this: this is not going to be a fluid story . For those who don't know, I don't edit my writing. I let it flow off of my fingers and onto the screen, I call I dear friend for moral support with sharing my words, and then I click publish while holding my breath. That's my method and since no one is paying me to do this (not that I want anyone to), I get to work how I please. Growth is a hard word for me. Not so much in the sense that the word is hard to say or to understand, but in the sense that growth encompasses a lot for someone like me. I guess we should back track a little and fill in those of you who may not have known me previously. Hi, I'm Chandler. Oh wait, y'all should already know that. What you may not know: I struggle with anxiety (of multiple forms) and depression during different seasons of my life. I struggle with my words and with opening up in person, so I write. I write in the notebooks beside my bed...

Yesterday was a good day in the grand scheme of things. I got up early for a run to start my day. I didn't spill my coffee. I watched Rachel and Dave Hollis' live on Instagram (albeit a little later than actually watching live). I worked on two products for TPT. I ordered a birthday present for a dear friend. I ran some errands. I got my glasses fixed. I was productive. Then I went to boxing. Now y'all, boxing is my saving grace most days. It has been such an incredible space that allows me to tackle mental health struggles through my physical health. Boxing is almost euphoric for me. But I'm currently at this weird place of change in my life. And for those who don't know me personally, I handle change about as well as a cat handles being placed in a bathtub full of water... which basically means I'm not graceful and I try to avoid change whenever possible. But sometimes we find ourselves in a place of change by chance and we gotta get through it. I'...

Let's get right to it. I'm an introvert by nature... and by comfort... and by all the things that can make you an introvert versus an extrovert. 90% of my friends are extroverts. So it's an interesting thing I've got going on. So when I tell you this next part, you should be shocked! Ready? On Saturday, I went to brunch with a bunch of strangers! Who even am I? I don't talk to strangers. What was I thinking? Well... if you must know, I was working on making new friends.