Sunshine for the soul

Coming to you from partly-cloudy Florida

Hello from sunny-ish Fort Lauderdale!

Getting here was an adventure in itself.

Two weeks ago, I decided to book a trip to Florida for Annie, my dad, and me. My dad’s mom — Grandmom! — turns 99 this week, and that felt like a darn good reason to head south for 2.5 days.

(Keep in mind, I am the least spontaneous person I know, so booking a trip two weeks out felt like a massive personality shift for me. And yes, a trip with plenty of notice is, for me, considered “spontaneous.” I’m trying!)

And then: Covid.

After avoiding it for nearly three years, Covid hit our household. I actually felt totally fine, but testing positive threw a major potential wrench in our travel plans. (Brian and I both got it. Annie never did.)

Real talk: I spiraled.

As soon as I tested positive (I felt fine, but wanted to of course test before traveling), I had a total meltdown.

Fortunately, I tested negative before the trip, and we were able to make this happen.

Soon after arriving, I got a text from my friend saying, simply, “twitch???”

I quickly learned that Stephen “tWitch” Boss, beloved in the dance community and far beyond, had died by suicide.

The news broke me, and I know I’m not alone in that.

This one hurts. It comes with so many questions.

I wrote more here about getting to work with tWitch during my days at Dance Spirit, but the short version is that this man brought so much love, light, and joy to the world, and he will be tremendously missed. The news was completely, completely shocking and devastating.

With tWitch and Allison Holker, at their Dance Spirit cover shoot in L.A. in 2012

I couldn’t shake it yesterday. My mind was on this news all day. I couldn’t stop reading about it. Reading the comments. Texting with friends who also didn’t really know tWitch, but felt like they did, and were similarly affected by the news.

Now, on our second and final day in Florida, I’m trying to refocus.

My cousin and I ran to the beach this morning, and spent an hour or so playing with our daughters (instant best friends!) in the sand. We collected seashells, chased seagulls, and drank daiquiris at 10 AM. It was exactly what I needed.

Later today, we’ll toast to my grandmother (99!!!), eat some Jewish Apple Cake, and give her the handmade ornaments Annie painted for her. (Shout-out to all the mixed families decorating their Christmas trees with menorah and dreidel ornaments!)

I’m so happy we are here.

They say sunshine is good for the soul. They are right. (Who are they? Doesn’t matter. They’re right!)

This week’s highlight reel

• Brian decorated the house, driveway, and yard with enough lights to brighten our entire tiny town. The holiday season can be stressful, and I’ll be honest, this one has felt heavy so far. But when those twinkles turn on at dusk, I always feel a bit calmer, lighter (ha!), and happier.

And the lowlight reel

• Covid.

• tWitch.

• Getting an email one day last week alerting us that Annie’s preschool (PRESCHOOL) was on lockdown because of reports of an active shooter at another school in the same town as hers. It was terrifying. Everything was OK, and it turned out to be a hoax (I just…), but getting that email was awful. These scares, these threats, these incidents…they hit “close to home” until one day, I fear, they will be home. (In other words: How long until it’s our school, our town? I hate thinking that way, but it’s hard not to.) This week marked 10 years since Sandy Hook, and I feel furious that we have made no progress when it comes to gun control in our country.

• OK, maybe we skip the lowlight reel next time? Too much of a bummer, or yay for “keeping it real?” TBD.

This week on the Ali on the Run Show

• Today, Lorna Campbell, head of communications for the Abbott World Marathon Majors, talks about what it’s like having a really cool job traveling the world and talking to runners.

• Tomorrow, Atlanta Track Club Elite’s Maegan Krifchin talks about racing three marathons in four weeks this fall, each faster than the one before. (Her third and final marathon of the season was the California International Marathon, where she ran a personal best: 2:29:21.)

What I’m watching

• The White Lotus finale! Chris Chavez and I broke down all of our thoughts on the final episode over on Patreon. I loved it. I’m so sad it’s over!

On the run

Even though I felt fine during my short bout with Covid, I decided to take it as some kind of sign to slow down a bit. I took a few days totally off, I did some low-impact Peloton-ing another day, and now, in Florida, I’ve stuck to short, easy runs (3.1 and 5 miles) while Annie and my dad have breakfast. Next week, I hope to get back into a routine, but with the holidays on the horizon, I know running will take a backseat, and that’s OK. End-of-year running is always a crapshoot for me, and I can live with that! (Still thinking about a spring marathon, though… Definitely still thinking…)

And so…

Take good care of yourselves. Take good care of each other.

You’re not alone.

Whatever you’re going through, keep going.

Love,

Ali