Love Is Blind – Brittany, Kenneth, and His Phone

I’ve spent some of the episodes of “Love Is Blind” this season just skipping ahead. A lot of the dates are just talk, talk, talk and it’s booooooooorrrrrrrring. I’m up to episode 9 and a handful of couples are out of the pods, in the real world trying to make it on their own. These budding relationships trying to live up to the engagement agreed upon by the two parties. It’s working for some, but a few of the couples are on the highway to the danger zone. I’m looking at you Chelsea and Jimmy. But there’s another couple (spoiler alert) who recently broke up… Kenneth and Brittany. After they left the pods and got into the resort area/ apartment living, I think Brittany knew that she knew that she knew but wasn’t ready to admit it yet. Until this.

There might be, but is there anything more disrespectful than someone on their phone when you’re having a conversation with them? When they were in the middle of their breakup Brittany was crying, wiping away tears, sniffling, she was clearly hurting. Ken… on his phone. He even walked out of the room holding his phone up to his face. Nothing ticks me off more than someone who treats whatever’s on their phone with more importance than the person they’re physically with at the moment. Of course, that’s not always the scenario. Phones are a great tool. But read the room, Kenneth! I’m warning myself, too. I pray to God that I don’t let my addiction to my phone supersede what’s real and right in front of me.

-Out of the Wilderness

Running On Empty, Living For More

Some of my best ideas and thoughts come when I put on my running shoes and hit the pavement. Sometimes I even run in the rain. I’m not insightful enough to discern what it is that makes running such a purifying experience, but I love that it’s not just a physical workout. I recently watched Jon Bellion’s version of the old Switchfoot song “We Were Meant To Live” and there’s a part when the main character is running, sprinting, late at night. He’s fueled by past hurts, energized to push himself physically but the reality is that he’s being compelled not just to run, but to work out his feelings. Sometimes all I can do to work out my deepest thoughts is run.

I remember one time when I lived in Nashville I finished whatever distance I was doing that day, but when I got home there was more left in the tank. And it wasn’t just about running. I had more in my head and my heart I needed to release. Sometimes that comes from listening to music during the run. Sometimes it’s drawn out by things I see or experience. So I passed my driveway and did another loop, however long it was.

Does anyone out there have the spiritual insight into why this happens with running? I guess it can happen in the gym, too. Pushing up weights, strength that comes from an inner longing for more. There’s got to be more to life than whatever we’re going through at any given time.

I guess it’s true: we were meant to live for so much more.

-Out of the Wilderness

Dying On That Hill – A Cycling Training Update

Knock on wood, I haven’t gone over the handlebars… yet! There’s a neighborhood in Tallahassee where I love to ride my Trek road bike. Light traffic and any drivers that pass by usually give a lot of space between themselves and me (thank you Killearn Estates folks!). It has long roads featuring a good mix of hills. There’s this one hill that is so steep and when I get halfway up, there’s a little spot that gets more steep, just in case I was starting to feel good about myself. See if you can find it on this Garmin map from the other day.

Yep, it’s that dark blue line which means I was really slow. Like… *Googles things that are slow* …going to work at 9, working for 5 hours, then checking the clock and it’s 9:17. That’s how slow. Or sloths, turtles, paint drying, grass growing, me making a decision, wet clothes drying on a hanger in the rain, dial-up internet, stirring natural peanut butter, manatees, Burger King, carving a chuppah by hand from one piece of wood.

I have another workout coming up in that neighborhood and I’m trying to think of ways to get out of seeing that hill again. Humble Hill, that’s what I’ll call it. Maybe I’ll skip it and go on a run with my niece’s turtle.

-Out of the Wilderness

When will Matt Rife come out as gay?

Most women would agree Matt Rife is good-looking and dresses well. Completing the trifecta of “signs you might be gay” is that a lot of the jokes I’ve heard from him are borderline misogynistic. Or to say it a different way, he’s like the guy who drives around a big Ford F-250, lift kit, rims, light bar on top. He steps out of the truck with a cowboy hat on, a big belt buckle, and Converse All Stars. Yep, he’s overcompensating for something…. else. We’ve all seen that guy. It’s very possible that Matt is comedy’s version of the same guy.

He’s sort of in the middle of controversies surrounding his off-color jokes… the kind that aren’t sensitive to things that people care a lot about– special needs, domestic abuse, etc. So his future might look something like this: he steps away for a bit for self-reflection, he does some sort of apology, attempts a comeback, reveals his comedy was coming from a place of hurt, announces he’s gay, America embraces him like never before.

Just like all of us, he knows that once he comes out as homosexual, he has instant immunity and he’ll be beloved by everyone. Gays can’t be cancelled, corrected, or criticized. Matt then goes on a nationwide tour, gets a lucrative HBO special, and starts dating Travis Kelce.

-Out of the Wilderness

Goals For The Next Duathlon in 2 Weeks…

I’ll be frank, my #1 goal in every race is to just not embarrass the heck out of myself. That could happen in a lot of ways. I try to avoid all of those ways.

No one wants to be Phoebe. Well, except when she was sick and had the smokey singing voice we all want. Remember that? But for my next duathlon coming up in a couple of weeks, I have goals similar to my last duathlon (recap here). I’d like my total time to be between 1:08 and 1:10, so officially I’m calling it 1:09:00. This will be difficult because it’s about a half mile longer running than the last race. Here’s the breakdown of each event:

5K Run – goal 22:00

12-mile Bike – goal 38:00

1.6-mile Run – goal 11:15

Transitions – goal 1:00

The math adds up to 1:12:15 so I have just a slight idea of where I can gain the 3 minutes to reach my goal. It’s on the bike. No matter if I reach this goal or not though, I’ll still basically call it a win if I don’t totally embarrass myself.

-Out of the Wilderness