10 Great Things about the Olympics

There are so many great things about watching the Olympics. Here are ten.

#10 The Olympic theme music

We Olympic fiends are total suckers for the motivational feel-good Olympics music.

We love it. So does Phoebe Buffay.

#9 Learning stuff

You sit down to watch a few minutes of Snowboarding Slopestyle, having never really heard of it. Hours later you emerge an expert, able to discuss in detail the merits of each run.

#8 Being a fan

You suddenly remember people you haven't thought of in four years (Evan Lysacek! I forgot about him; he's awesome!)

Your old favourites are back &, thanks to emotionally told backstories, you quickly develop new favourites as well. Which leads to...

#7 Routing for the underdog

We love to route for the underdog, & the Olympics are chock full of "regular" kids, attempting great things.

We may have only heard of them five minutes ago, but oh man we really want them to win.

#6  Seeing bits of the world

Two weeks spent looking at epic views of mountains & beaches in Sochi, which I for one had never even heard of pre-Olympics.

#5 Bob Costas in his fortress of solitude

We just love Bob Costas, our epic American sportscaster. I've heard a rumour that he'll be back on tonight; apparently the whole dramatic eye infection situation is under control. We've missed you, Bob Costas.

#4 The inspirational ads

Like for example that P&G ad about moms. Sob! I've developed a pavlovian response at this point; I don't even need to be watching the ad, just hearing the music in the background makes me tear up.

#3 Marveling at the possibilities of humans

Just like watching a great sports movie, there are lots of life lessons to be discovered by watching Olympians, even when you're sat on your couch with your popcorn.

#2 Odd things can matter

Do you know what is awesome about the Olympics? Odd things can matter.

I love that someone can decide to do something seemingly inconsequential (like snowboard)... & can actually use it to make a difference.

#1 The whole world comes together.

Like, very nearly the whole world. How often does that happen really?

It's amazing that with all the craziness that goes down between countries & nationalities & groups & even just the fighting within families... at the Olympics so many people come together & agree to abide by the same set of arbitrary rules for a few weeks.

We compete together & hang out with a relative lack of animosity & I love that.

Go world.

10 Great Things About the Olympics picture: Snowboarding Sochi 2014

O Come Let Us Adore Him

O Come Let Us Adore Him is a crazy song.

I was listening to it the other day & it just struck me as so odd.

Not "come let us do good things," or "come let us overcome our fears," or "come let us work hard," or "come let us tell God thank you."

Just: Come... let us adore Him.

It's a love song, or at least an invitation to one.

It's freeing & a little bit terrifying. It takes away my grip on control.

Just letting go & adoring Him. No agenda, no project, no gift.

O come let us adore Him.

For He alone is worthy.

We give Him all the glory.

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3 Tips for Living with Wanderlust

I grew up on the move.

While I spent most of my childhood living in one house in one town, my whole family spent every summer traveling around Europe in tents with a team of teenagers.

So while I generally crave stability & a home base that stays in one spot, I also can't quite keep still. I always want a bit of movement.

I think that's what they call wanderlust.

In my experience, wanderlust can not be cured. But it can be lived with. It's taken me years to learn how to both stay put & to wander well. And hopefully to remain a sane & semi-balanced person through it all. Here are a few tips that can help you live with wanderlust:

1. Remember the places you've been.

There have been stages when I tried to shut out the wander-y part of me, in favour of a stable life, or maybe in an attempt to look "normal." But ignoring this side of me has never worked.

Even if you are staying put for a while (or forever!) try to integrate your crazy travel experiences into your regular life. For me, this means having pictures around, using the souvenirs I've collected, & actually talking about the places I've been & the things I've done & seen.

It won't replace actually going on trips & being new places. But it helps.

2. Explore the place you live now.

Travel isn't just about exotic places & foreign languages. It's also about curiosity.

Find the things a tourist might find in your city or hometown. Find a way to be curious about the life that's right in front of you.

3. Cross a border, even if you have to invent it.

This is the magic trick I've discovered, that helps me to live with wanderlust & remain a semi-stable person. Cross a border, even if you have to invent it.

Every week, I go someplace that is not where I live. If I'm living in a small town, I travel to a slightly bigger town. If I'm living in the city, I spend a few hours in the suburbs. Go somewhere as different as possible from the place you spend the majority of your time.

It's a weird trick. But I'm not kidding -- for me it's been revolutionary. I GO for a few hours, & I come back to my regular life refreshed. When I skip a week, I can tell.

Part of the habit of travel is not so much that the places we visit are particularly exotic or so much more fabulous then anywhere else. It's the change, the habit of variety.

The routine of leaving the place you live & crossing a border - even if it's just to wander a mall in the suburbs - meets that need for variety & stimulates the part of you that usually lays dormant without travel.

It's not the same as jetting off to Paris for the weekend. And it certainly won't "cure" you of wanderlust. But for me it does the trick.

I'm always looking for ways to live better with my intrinsic wanderlust.

Any tips that work for you?

Wanderlust picture

How to Cope with Change: Learn to Laugh

Change requires a great sense of humour. If you can't laugh at yourself & at all the crazy stuff that happens along the way, you are going to have a hard time.

When you're in the middle of change, it's easy to make mistakes. Suddenly everything is new & different. When I moved to England, I couldn't even go grocery shopping or to the bank without screwing something up. Being able to laugh off all those little mistakes was a good skill to have.

Laughter helps you cope & keep perspective. Plus it's fun. I love being around people who have faced the difficulties of life & have decided to laugh anyway.

So let go a bit & laugh at yourself. Lighten up. And find a few things that make you laugh.

Things that make me laugh...

Thank You Notes by Jimmy Fallon. I laugh uncontrollably when I read it.

For some reason, Friends is the one show that always makes me laugh, no matter what is happening or how I'm feeling.

Books that are light & funny, like Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Ellen's book, or anything by P.G. Wodehouse.

Everyone's sense of humour is different, so find the things that make you laugh. And have fun.

Because you can't control everything that's changing, but you can learn to laugh.

Picture of the Rat Pack laughing & messing about via: The Telegraph

How to Cope with Change: Feel What You Feel

Of the 5 things that help me cope with change, this one is the least pleasant. But it is also necessary & effective: feel what you feel.

I have lots of little (mostly healthy & productive) coping mechanisms that help me to not be consumed by my emotions during big transitions. But there are days when it doesn't help to distract yourself. Some days, you have to just sit down & feel what you feel.

Change is emotional. And change usually involves loss.

Even when you are gaining something good (like a new baby) you are losing something too (like your ability to sleep through the night.) Moving can be fun, exciting, an adventure. But that same move can also be disorienting, lonely & confusing.

For me, it usually takes a few days of scrambling around trying to fix everything. Finally I realize, I don't need to fix everything, I just need to be in it.

So keep developing some routines to help ground you in the chaos of change. And don't be afraid, once in a while, to just feel what you feel.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills -

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven & earth."

Psalm 121: 1 & 2

How to Cope with Change: Develop Simple Routines

"Major life changes - even positive ones - always involve stress."

The Expert Expat

Change is tricky. And sometimes it seems like everything is constantly changing.

Change can be negative (loss, illness, grief) or positive (new marriage, new relationship, new home.) Change can be big (new baby! new country!) or small (new responsibility, back-to-school.) But all change comes with a lot of disruption.

I'm not a big fan of change. It's so easy to lose your bearings when everything around you is shifting.

I've found 5 simple things that help me cope with change, big or small. The first thing is routine.

Develop Simple Routines

My tendency is to go overboard with this & try to overhaul my life. I suddenly decide I'm going to become a morning person & start getting up at 5am to go for a run.

But that never works. Don't get carried away & try to turn yourself into someone you've never been. Keep it simple. Figure out what's already working & add to it.

I think the keys to developing simple routines that actually work in your life are to only add one or 2 routines at a time (don't try to overhaul your whole schedule at once) & to add routines organically. Pay attention to your days & adopt routines accordingly. Don't try to stuff yourself into someone else's schedule.

My most consistent routine is my tea. The first thing I do every morning without fail is go to the kitchen & make a cup of tea. It's the exact same every day. I don't have to think about it or exert any effort. I even rotate between the same two mugs every day.

There are lots of simple routines that can help when you're in transition. Reading the Bible every morning. Working out. Grocery shopping on a certain day. For me, even TV is part of my routine. I like having certain shows that I watch on certain days. For some reason that works for me, helps give my week a rhythm.

So that's my first tip: develop simple routines. Come back on Mondays in September & October for a few more ideas on how to cope with change.