T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 80

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #80!

Here are some things I really like and that you might too.

Financial Independence/Retirement Articles

What Does Success Look Like and How Does It Feel? (One Frugal Girl) – “If you are unhappy with the traditional version of success, ask yourself why you are pushing for larger paychecks.“

Want to Be a Lazy Seeker of Financial Independence? Then Invest in Your 20s. (We Want Guac) – “The earlier you start investing, the less money you’ll need to put in upfront to get huge gains later on.“

Video

It’s been known that orcas sometimes hunt and kill great white sharks but the behavior has never been seen or caught on video. Now it has.  Watch this amazing drone and helicopter footage off South Africa of orcas hunting and killing a great white shark.  Sometimes the hunter becomes the hunted.

Who’s Inspired Me

Emily Sisson and Eliud Kipchoge.

The marathoning world has had a big few weeks.  Emily Sisson ran a 2:18:29 at the Chicago marathon to beat the American woman’s record by 43 seconds.  And she threw down a negative split to make it even more impressive.  Meanwhile Eliud Kipchoge broke his own official marathon record in Berlin by a whopping 30 seconds and finished in 2:01:09, inching the record that much closer to the hallowed 2 hour mark. 

The limits of human performance are unknown, and athletes like Sisson and Kipchoge are out there exploring them.  I try to internalize that spirit.  I don’t know my limits, and I somehow keep getting better and faster in my early 50’s.  Inspiration is everywhere.

What I’m Grateful For

That I didn’t get hurt badly after taking my first rock climbing lead fall. I ended up with a bruised hip and some cuts and scratches, but it was all minor.  Climb on.

Lyrically Speaking

I wish I had some spending money
I could spend on you
The story’s sad but the ending’s funny
We’ve got to see it through
Whenever money comes up, it never comes down
And it’s never enough it’s true
I wish I had some spending money
I could spend on you

From “Spending Money” by Ron Sexsmith

Ron Sexsmith is one of those mostly unknown artists who’s been around for a long long time but can still go to any city in America and sell out large clubs and venues.  He’s been called the “songwriter’s songwriter” by other artists and has a catalog of 17 albums dating back to 1986.  I have quite a few Sexsmith records and especially enjoy his releases from the early 2000’s. 

As for the lyrics above, I do have spending money, but as a life long saver I just have to get more comfortable with spending it.

Miscellaneous

Fortune favours the shrewd – “Attaining and maintaining power lies at the heart of almost all animal societies. And it’s as devious as human politicking“ 

Regular exercise has long-term benefits for immunity – “Moving more and doing some type of exercise is better than nothing.“ 

How Stoicism influenced music from the French Renaissance to Pink Floyd – “Have you ever turned to music when struggling with a difficult emotion, like sadness, anxiety or anger?“  Dave’s comment – This article talks about the Pink Floyd song “Time” and is a great partner piece to my recent post about the same song.