Friday Fun Flier XXIIII
A continuation of last week's big news.
Hello, friends and family!
Last week I mentioned that I’m going to start writing exclusive content that you can only find here on The Well-Lived Life. If you missed it, here is a survey I made where you can weigh in on the future of this little community :)
A lot of things have come together in the last few weeks, and I’m more excited about the future than I’ve been any time in the last year and a half.
I’m going to travel and study unfamiliar movements for the next five months. This is born out of a desire to heal from the difficulties of the last year and move forward, based on reading Bessel Van Der Kolk’s The Body Keeps The Score.
I’ll be starting in Costa Rica, where I’ll be studying surfing, salsa, aerial silks, and taking a yoga teacher training to build base-level strength. From there I’ll be going back to Thailand (if restrictions have lifted), where I’ll take an entry-level Thai massage course and study Muy Thai, and then head to Bali in December to become a certified Acroyoga teacher.
Each week, I’ll be sending out an exclusive post to tell the story of my progress in what I’m calling The Unfamiliar Movement Project. These will include research on the mind-body connection, personal experience/stories, and a more podcast-ish recording that’s more than a narration of the post.
I’m so excited! Early access will begin in the last week of July at a discounted price.
I’ve decided not to recommend a book or podcast this week, because in the chaos of packing, moving, seeing friends, and spending time with my family before I leave, I haven’t been reading or listening.
It feels good to take a “knowledge break” and just live.
And now, the feel-good news story of the week!
In Alabama, Grace Lee McClure Smith graduated high school at age 94, proving that it's never too late to chase or accomplish your goals!
Her graduation was celebrated in a special ceremony at Hazel Green High School put on by one of her grandchildren, Erin Wilson. Wilson works with the local school system to get Grace Lee her honorary degree.
At the ceremony, Grace Lee was surrounded by her great-grandchildren, her brothers and sisters, and people from the community where she has been a valuable member her whole life.
“I’m so grateful, thank you so much” she said. “It’s better late than never, isn’t it?”
Smith's husband went to serve in World War II in 1942, and she dropped out to support their household.
“She never, ever mentioned regretting anything in life. She’d never take it back cause she absolutely loved my grandfather and that’s just what she wanted to do” said her granddaughter, Erin Wilson.
Grace Lee Stayed close to education, working for the Madison County bus system for more than 30 years, and hammering home the importance of education to everyone in her family.
"She drove me actually on the school bus, so I rode with her to and from school. And she always encouraged me to go to school, make sure I finish school, and now she encourages my girls," Wilson commented.
Even though she drove a school bus for 30 years, if people tell her their addresses, she will remember them and launch into stories about them and their families, how she knows so-and-so from driving and how she drove their parents (and sometimes grandparents) to school.
Her family has grown and grown in the last 76 years, and she now has 26 great-grandchildren, all of them she shares her passion for education with.
“It is a special day.” Smith said of her graduation ceremony.
The school gave Smith a shout-out on their Facebook account, saying “Congratulations, Mrs. Smith!” With a picture of Smith and several school officials posing around her in her cap and gown on the day of her ceremony.
“I feel like I don't deserve it,” Smith told her local news station. “there's a lot more people that are much more deserving than me. I'm just doing my job, love it. I love most of it most of the time.”
What a shining example. I think we could all take a page from Smith’s book of community.