Happy Hour With Ruth & Roxy:  Show Notes – January 11, 2024

Overview 

In Happy Hour January 11, Ruth & Roxy discuss Zoom, authenticity, how the current cold snap is making them want to move to the tropics, the soothing power of a medicinal drink from Africa called dawa, and the one word Roxanne knows in Swahili.

Trying New Things

We can all do hard things, but only if we embrace failure. The first time we do anything new will probably suck. We need to do it anyway because we can only get better – like us and this podcast! We don’t love Zoom, but today, with me (Roxy) down with a cold I’d rather not bring to Ruth’s house, Zoom was the better option. Yes, we know the production values aren’t great. But we showed up anyway. Perfection is the enemy of done. (Or something smart and pithy like that.)

Ruth noticed recently on a Facebook community we’re in for Supernatural, the virtual reality workout we both do, that some folks were complaining about the coaches. These participants wanted to do their own workout without commentary. Well, that’s not how Supernatural works. The exercise platform encourages community and engagement. For people who haven’t experienced a lot of success in team sports or traditional exercise programs, the instruction, the rah-rah and the “way to go, athlete!” from the coaches is a huge draw. But not everyone wants or needs the same thing. This might mean that instead of complaining about what’s not working for you, you need to search elsewhere for the program that fits you better.

Same goes for us. If you love our Happy Hours, great. If we’re not a fit for you, no problem. We’re here to find our particular tribe of listeners, and we’ll take all constructive criticism. What we won’t do is change to something that isn’t authentic to us or that will compromise the community we’re building. 

It’s Cold, Roxanne!

Ruth says this at least three times a day right now. It’s minus fourteen degrees in our area of the world and so windy, the road is blocked by fallen tree limbs and left us without power for 12 hours. We both want to be somewhere warm, Africa for Ruth, Hawaii or Mexico for me. But would we move there permanently? Or even for a few months of every year? Neither of us have done that but we know others who have. What are the pros and cons of moving to a new country? What does that feel like? Tell us the challenges, the joys, what drew you to your new home country, what you miss about your old home. We’d love to hear from those of you who’ve done it.

Just in case – and because she knows she’ll be back in Africa – Ruth is learning Swahili. I know one word: Owodunni. It’s Swahili for “it is good to have money.” We found it in a baby name book. Yes, darling firstborn, that could have been you.

Books, Books, Books

I’m always reading a few different books. Right now in non-fiction, it’s The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. Surprisingly entertaining reading for a heavy subject, this fascinating book explores the effect of trauma on the brain, mind, and body. For fiction, I’m reading Harlan Coben’s The Match, a thriller about a man who was rescued from the woods as a feral child, who later discovers biological relatives through DNA tests. Who abandoned him? Why? How did he survive? Why can’t he remember any of this? Harlan, you owe me a few hours of sleep!

Gratitude

I’m grateful for the dawa Ruth sent over before we began recording yesterday. Ruth first tasted this when she was on safari and got the dry cough that is common for visitors to that climate. The guides brought her this steaming beverage made of tea, spices, citrus, honey and being Ruth, she immediately got the recipe. It’s lovely. 

Because reciprocity is the name of our game, and it’s not Happy Hour without wine, I made a pot of Vin Brule. I was introduced to Italy’s answer to mulled wine by my son-in-law, over Christmas. Naturally, his was better, but mine was pretty good, too. I used a combination of recipes but mostly this one from The Mediterranean Dish. 

We’re both so grateful for YOU! It’s so wonderful to see so many people supporting our venture and joining our community! Thank you for being here!

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Thanks again for being here – see you in two weeks and until then, what do we want?

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