Ruth and Fred

A few days ago I decided to head over to the gym, work out and then go see a movie, mostly for the extended period of air conditioning I could enjoy in both locations. I went to see RBG. It's about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The movie gave me such a shot of feel-good and inspiration. That woman is incredible.

While I may not be capable of her level of achievements, just watching the movie really inspired me to up my game. I thought - well if 87 year old RBG can go to the gym and work out, by damn so can I. There she is, at 87 freaking years old, working out like a cyborg. Not my word, either, that was her trainer's word...cyborg. Her determination is extraordinary.

I think I got a little bit of that determination from watching RBG, like the spray of an ocean wave which crashes before it ever gets to you, but the refreshing mist reaches your face and changes everything just a little bit for the better.

I went to the gym 3 days in a row after that. Then Monday was spent in podcast/website/social media land until late in the evening. Getting the cast posted always feels good. Afterwards I relaxed watching a couple more episodes of Supernatural before bed. I just started watching it; still on season one. I am choosing to believe my daughter when she tells me that it gets less horror-ish as the seasons go on. This is a good thing. When I watch stuff, it's usually before bed, and horror+ before sleep = no bueno for Ruby.

Though the weather has cooled off a bit, this morning I decided to go see another movie and work out after. There I sat at 11am, watching "Would You Be My Neighbor", about Fred Rogers. That man was pure, unwavering love and kindness with a core strength that amazed everyone around him. He revered children, and did so much good for them. What a beautiful being.

The inspirational effects from that film feel synergistic on the heels of RBG. Talk about a double shot of motivation and feel good. So off to the gym I go again, and work out hard. Elliptical and weights, pushing it the whole time. Partly because that's my personality, but partly because of Ruth and Fred. By damn, so can I.

The endorphins kick in and I feel great. Walking down the stairs to the car I notice my knees feel pretty good. They don't always. I credit a combination of a new supplement, exercise, plus the far-reaching positive effects of simply having a good day. I transfer my work-out music to the car radio just as AC/DC Back in Black comes on. That song fucking rocks. It ratchets up my inspiration just a tad more.

The temperature is in between needing AC or not. But the fresh air feels good on my sweat so I put both the windows down and turn the music up. I decide to drive the entire 20 minutes home with those windows down. Even on the freeway. Lot of things go through my mind while I drive.

I used to drive cars that were old and didn't have AC, so the feeling of it somehow takes me back to my days of single parent self-sufficiency. My sensory connection with the world around me while driving was pretty good back then. It took a nosedive when I got a new car with AC. Sometimes I miss the subtle changes in temperature, the smells of food cooking or orange trees in bloom.

Though I had open windows back then, I used to have waist-length hair. Unless it was all securely tied back, I never wanted the windows all the way down, just enough to stay cool. Well I cut all that hair off and now a lot of wind in my hair feels wild and fun. So yes, now I turn up that song loud, and put the windows all the way down, not really caring what people think about the 61 year old woman who is seriously rockin' out. Being 61 and feeling/acting 40 is often amusing. All of this puts a wide smile on my face.

Despite the stuff going on in this world that could bring me down, and has as of late, today is not a down day.  Today is an absolutely great day. A fabulous day. In the last week fantastic things have happened. I've found two heroes, two people I intensely admire and plan to emulate. I've made it to the gym often and I feel good. The podcast is posted and all is running smoothly in my Ruby Empire.

When I feel good, I feel more sexual. So I find myself thinking about what would make this day even more perfect; a willing, wanton man to fuck and play with tonight when the coolness of the evening air comes into my room. Icing on the cake and all that. Mmm hmm.

You know, I think I'm going to do this every Tuesday. For Ruth, Fred, and me.