Author: Andy Smallman

I work to promote ordinary activities that awaken kindness, cheerfulness, thoughtfulness & awe, helping people connect to their true nature and increase peace in the world.

8 November 2015 : Laurent Ran Another Marathon!

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LaurentLaurent Boudeau, seen here in a picture he posted on his Facebook page earlier today, is my inspiration for running. It’s while we were living in France that I started to jog and it’s Laurent who helped me along. Early on, I ran short distances. 15 minutes was a long run. Then I started to stretch it out. 0n 17 April, 2011 Laurent ran the Nantes Marathon. The next day, I went out and ran an hour without stopping for the first time in my life. Seven months later, back in Seattle, I ran my first half marathon, and 12 months after that I ran my first (and only) full marathon.

Meanwhile, Laurent keeps running more full marathons. Last fall, Melinda and I traveled to New York to see him complete the New York Marathon. And today he completed the Marathon des Alpes Maritimes. From what I can tell, this must be one of the most beautiful marathons in the world as you run along the Mediterranean Sea. I had the pleasure of running on what I assume is part of the marathon course when the girls, Melinda and I were in Nice. Here’s a little glimpse of that trip.

Back to running and Laurent being my inspiration… Yesterday, I registered to run the Seattle Half Marathon in three weeks. For well over a year I’ve been dealing with Achilles tendonitis, an injury that’s been preventing me from running more than 5 or 6 miles. But I’ve put together a training plan so if all goes well, I’ll be reporting on my successful 13.1 mile run in 3 weeks.

Thanks, Laurent!

6 November 2015 : My Hat

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Have you got a favorite clothing item? Of course you do. We all do. Mine is this hat. I wore it today, in fact. And, given I'm wearing it in this picture, you can tell I've had it a long time. Truth be told, it pre-dates both Ella and Chloe. It even pre-dates Melinda's and my marriage. My brother Scott gave it to me some time in the mid to late 1980's. As far as I'm concerned, it's always been in fashion and always will be.
Have you got a favorite clothing item? Of course you do. We all do. Mine is this hat. I wore it today, in fact. And, given I’m wearing it in this picture, you can tell I’ve had it a long time. Truth be told, it pre-dates both Ella and Chloe. It even pre-dates Melinda’s and my marriage. My brother Scott gave it to me some time in the mid to late 1980’s. As far as I’m concerned, it’s always been in fashion and always will be.

1 November 2015 : Gimme a Potato!

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That's my brother, Scott, in this photo. Years ago, he told his eldest daughter that November 1st was National Potato Day. Coming on the day after Halloween, neighbors are warmed up to the idea of people knocking on their doors and expecting something to eat. So you knock and when your neighbor answers, you say in a demanding voice, "Gimme a potato!" With Scott refereeing Celeste's game this afternoon, I made sure to have a potato with me.
That’s my brother, Scott, in this photo. Years ago, he told his eldest daughter that November 1st was National Potato Day. Coming on the day after Halloween, neighbors are warmed up to the idea of people knocking on their doors and expecting something to eat. So you knock and when your neighbor answers, you say in a demanding voice, “Gimme a potato!” With Scott refereeing Celeste’s game this afternoon, I made sure to have a potato with me.

31 October 2015 : American Halloween

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Celeste got a full dose of American Halloween. After going to U Village to see the littlest ones in their adorable costumes trick or treat at the stores in the late afternoon, we put her on door duty at the house. She needed to learn to not hold the candy bowl at the level of little hands or all the candy would be gone in seconds...
Celeste got a full dose of American Halloween. After going to U Village to see the littlest ones in their adorable costumes trick or treat at the stores in the late afternoon, we put her on door duty at the house. She needed to learn to not hold the candy bowl at the level of little hands or all the candy would be gone in seconds…

30 October 2015 : Five Years Ago Today

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Screen Shot 2015-10-30 at 6.03.54 PMFive years ago today, Melinda, Chloe, Ella, and I were in Paris, about to complete a week in that lovely little town in France. The girls were on a break from school so we took the train from Nantes to Paris, arriving without a trace of jet lag. We spent the week doing a lot of touristy things and got familiar with the Paris Métro. If you aren’t familiar with it, the Paris Métro is an incredibly complex system for getting around that quaint town.

Five years ago today, I blogged about the truth of the Paris, Métro, that it is actually an elaborately complex system put in place by officials in that cozy hamlet to keep people fit. I think it’s the funniest post I wrote during our year in France, and I want you to know I wrote some very funny posts.

Today’s picture is a screenshot of that blog post from five years ago today. But if you really want to read it in order to get a good laugh or to see how clever I am to have uncovered the secret of French fitness, click here.