There are no shortcuts. And that’s a good thing.

I think everyone knows this. But I felt compelled to say it again, here, this week.

Although I will share new potions, new pants, new apps, new whatever I found that has brought some joy to me and thus, I hope you, these are just accents. Like that little bit of cilantro you put on top of an already fabulous stew. If you don’t take the time to find the stew that’s going to nourish you, gather it’s ingredients, chop ’em all up and wait patiently while they simmer, well then you are just going to drop some cilantro in your bowl for dinner and that’s not going to do anything for you!

I have an amazing family. I get to work at places I love. I’m happy, relatively sane most days, and have a strong body that mostly does what I ask of it. But there have been no shortcuts to having any of these. It’s been a journey.

Our family spends a lot of time talking about, forging for and making our meals. It’s what we have chosen to prioritize. I’m not sure we could do it if my husband and I worked conventional hours. Scratch that, I’m not sure we WOULD do it if my husband and I worked conventional hours. So we had to find a way around that and that was/is not easy.

My husband and I also spend a lot of time talking about, researching and executing exercise. At times this can feel selfish depending on what lens you look at the situation through. But, physical activity has always been a big part of each of our lives, has benefited us immensely and it makes us happier people. So, yep, often I will get up and within not too short a time exit the house for a while while the others are left at home in what they proclaim is “extreme boredom moooom!”. And, yep, we don’t go away a lot of weekends because we have races, or group rides, or because we are just too damn tired to fathom it. I’m not entirely certain that this is the right way to do it, but I’m also pretty sure no one is certain about that. I can only hope that we are setting great examples for our kids, that maybe one day it inspires them to go out there and do something big, and that it keeps their parents happy, sane and strong for a long, long, time to come.

So here’s what I did today. No short cuts. And that’s the way we like it.

Now, go get out there and tell all those short cuts to SUCK IT!!