You hear that moving is one of the most stressful life experiences, but then when you think it through in your head, how bad can it be?

You pack up stuff, you move it to a truck or a pod (or have someone do it for you), you make a few tweaks on websites to change your address, you get to another location and unpack it all.

Okay, yeah, even simplifying it like that, that's still a lot.

But woof, every time we do this (and we have been on a five-year rotation for a while now, hopefully this is a much longer stop!!), it's like I have amnesia about how stressful it is.

Last time we purchased a home (my first time), it was April 2020, so things were a little weird and different. We signed some papers inside our car, masks on, with our Realtor handing us papers through an open slit in our car window.

As you know, it was a strange time.

This time though, it was not Covid times, and there were a million things to do on both the selling and buying ends, even though we had it easy. A friend purchased our house in St. Louis, and the seller here in Chattanooga was ready to move.

Then came the unpacking.

You really notice just how much stuff you've accumulated when you move, and I see myself as a minimalist.

In the eight days between us arriving in Chattanooga with our U-haul and our pod arriving, we mostly lived out of suitcases, slept on our mattresses on the floor, and just used a few plates and bowls. Having to borrow the occasional can opener from a neighbor, not being able to find a hat that was buried away, and having to do washing once a week were minor inconveniences, but we did just fine.

It made me wonder just how many of our items we have "in case." We find ways to justify them; I am as guilty of that as anyone else.

I haven't worn this dress in seven years, but if I get invited to a black and white themed event, well then, I have my dress.

I am a vegetarian, but if we are home one year for the holidays, maybe we will need this turkey roasting pan.

I haven't made a single recipe from this cookbook, but I would like to...someday!

And then there are our memory boxes. Those items we hold as snapshots of our lives. I am a sentimental person. I have my grandma's cardigan tightly wrapped up in a plastic bag that on occasion I pull out and take a big sniff of to be reminded of her smell. I love to go back through some of my memory moments, and I am a big photo-reflecting person.

And yet, I constantly feel trapped and claustrophobic surrounded by stuff everywhere. The amount of disposable junk we are given and that we give out is absolutely insane, especially with kids. Sometimes I wonder how we got ourselves in this situation of being so used to getting things that will be thrown in the trash a few weeks, days, hours later.

I am more conscious of items nowadays. When I receive things, I think about whether I will really use them, and if I won’t, I pass them along to someone who would love and use something brand new (or gently used). I try to purchase a few high quality items that last a long time, instead of many lower quality ones.

But doing this unpacking process, there are so many items I have come across that leave me feeling anxious. I don't know whether to try to pass them on through Facebook Marketplace (will anyone even want them?), hold on to them for the "in case" situation, or throw them in the trash. None of the options feel good, and that's a symptom of this world we live in because most of these items are not made from natural materials that easily and safely break down to become part of the ecosystem again.

I don't know if I have a point to this email, other than to say that this is what I am feeling. I feel relieved as our house begins to settle, as items find their places, but I also have a great urge to purge it all and live with as little as possible.

Sometimes I’m afraid, though, that when I get into that purging state of being, the little items I don’t have a choice about, the things that enter my life through my kids, through the mail, and through life in a consumeristic world whether I want them or not, bother me in a way that is not healthy.

Once again, the lesson is we do our best. We make a conscious choice to put things in the places that give them the absolute best chance of being upcycled, recycled, or reused when we can, and we forgive ourselves when we can't.

Phew.

Lots of people have sent me this Runners World article about elite runners inhaling emissions. Honestly, I am amazed people didn't think about this before; I have been well aware of it...since I was the one inhaling the emissions behind the cars and motorcycles. I love that the major races I work with (TCS NYC Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, California International Marathon, TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, to name a few) use EV's to prevent this.

This is so awesome and exciting!

HydraPak conducted a first-of-its-kind aid station logistics and racer flow analysis with crowd scientist (what a fascinating job) Marcel Altenburg (I actually mentioned Marcel in a previous newsletter a few years ago).

The study compared the efficiency of HydraPak’s Sustainable Racing program versus traditional disposable cup-based races. The findings revealed that Sustainable Racing maintains aid station flow with fewer volunteers.

​The press release came out today, and is well worth a read. According to the La Jolla race director (remember I shared that video of La Jolla Half Marathon doing sustainable racing), the biggest obstacle to change?

You guessed it, it's us. It's runners' behavior.

We've got this friends; you know I believe in you.

Go get yourself a refillable handheld, a bottle for a vest, or a belt. This change is coming to races near you; you can be a part of the movement!

Need help? My faves are the 350ml SkyFlask for handheld (or Tempo Pro), and I use the PocketFlask (or reservoir) in my vest. Also check out the 150ml SoftFlask nutrition flask.

When asked, “What thing about humanity surprises you the most?”, the Dalai Lama answered:

“Man…. because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

Thanks to our partner, HydraPak

I said enough above, the big marathons are doing a lot this fall to make refill stations quick and easy, with more planned for the future; get yourself a bottle now, so you can be used to it by race day.

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Be kind to one another, yourself, and this beautiful planet of ours.

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