Current physical location: Aspen, CO. Current mental location: Left Field.
I’ve been staring at the MacBook for a solid 10 minutes trying to figure out how to intro this week’s 5FD, but I’m coming up shorter than Simone Biles next to Shaq.
I’ve got nothing but… hey look one of my favorite shades from 2015 is baaaack!
This Week’s Favorites
From top, L-R:
- Lululemon Never Still Tank ($58) – high necks are a win in my book, mesh in back is fun, not weird.
- Lululemon Cool Racerback II ($48) in electric coral – this color is amazing and all sorts of neon fun in real life.
- Athleta Shanti Long Line Tank ($54) – One day I will have the confidence to rock this thing while training for my next half marathon. Speaking of which, I should probably choose my next half marathon.
- Athleta Excursion Hybrid Tight ($89) in black – Is it possible to wear Athleta hiking tights to 100% of the things one needs to leave the house for? Asking for a friend.
- The North Face Osito Sport Hybrid 1/4 Zip ($98.95) – it’s damn cold outside in most of the US and you probably wish you had this custom tailored snuggie thing.
The Dud
SELF DOUBT.
Something awesome happened today, though. Over the last couple of weeks on business in Aspen, the advanced rookie / weenie of an intermediate snowboarder in me was fortunate enough to get 45 minutes almost daily for a quick up/down the mountain during lunch. Even though I picked up snowboarding 9 years ago, I am far from a natural.
I’ve always been a bit of a loner on the slopes, mainly because I like to snowboard more for the scenery than the speed. To me it feels like so many people who make skiing and boarding a regular habit are double black thrill-seeking crazies. Meanwhile, my main MO is that if I fall, I don’t wreck so fast and hard that I need ski patrol to pick me up and get me down the mountain. I’m cautious, mmmkay.
Repetition of the same easy route down the mountain for the third year in a row started to get stale after just a few days, so I put my big girl snow pants and pep-talked myself into to facing a few previously-feared steeper routes. In the process of maneuvering said new routes, I accidentally chose the wrong side of a trail when getting a little spicy with some blue squares about a week ago.
KATY UNINTENTIONALLY DROPPED INTO FREESTYLE TERRAIN. FFFfffffffuuuuuuuudge.
Long story short, I accidentally found myself on sassier terrain than I ever believed I could handle. Yes, I fell. Yes, I screwed it up the first 3x I tried. But it was the good kind of failing. The kind of fail that I knew wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. So I gave that sassy terrain a few more shots, and on the fourth try I managed to do something that two weeks ago I’d have told you you’re out of your damn mind for thinking I’d even give a shot.
Look up HEAD CASE in the dictionary and you’ll se my name in front of it. Aside from taking on the Midway Avenue Bank Track, this week at work I flexed my new certifications and operated some effing heavy machinery and got over my fear of working with the giant batteries that can kill you if you look at them cross-eyed. This week was a good week for shutting up and giving intimidating yet possible things a try.
So yeah. If I can squash the anxious voices in my head, I’m willing to bet you can too. Get out and do something a little bit scary, because deep down you and I both know that it’s probably going to be okay.
All stock images courtesy of lululemon athletica, Athleta & Zappos
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