T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 46

Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #46!

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

Finance Articles

Financial Independence for the Whole Human (Playtirement) – “What is a life with money and freedom when you aren’t actually happy?”

What Does It Mean to Live A Rich Life? (Financially Balanced) – “Be happy with who you are, what you have, and where you are on your journey. Don’t worry about what others are doing. Their journey is completely different from yours.”

Video

Do you surf or swim in the ocean?  If so you’ll enjoy this.. Have fun on vacation!!

Who’s Inspired Me

Drew Manning. 

As the obesity epidemic in America keeps growing and killing people there seems to be no solution, no way of even slowing it down.  Personal Trainer Drew Manning sure is doing his part.  At the age of 30 he purposely set out to gain a ton of weight and become obese, and then lose it all to get back to the lean fit person he was.  In the journey he hoped to learn a ton about his body and more importantly what it’s like to be obese.  It gained him a lot of fame and he started a blog and podcast called Fit2Fat2Fit. 

Last year as he approached the age of 40 he did it again.  He purposely gained 63 pounds in 4 months, and then helped his followers on a journey to lose it.  What I like about Drew is he’s not doing this as a gimmick, he’s a genuine guy and really cares.  I listen to his podcast and have heard him on countless others, and he heavily focuses on the emotional and mental side of the obesity and health epidemic.  He’s not into shaming people, he’s into being empathetic and understanding their struggle.  As a former obese guy myself who took about a decade to get to a healthy weight, I can tell you his approach works better. 

Watch his second appearance on the Health Theory podcast where he lays out his message of an empathy-centered approach to the obesity epidemic.

What I’m Grateful For

The fact that bike ridership is massively up around the world.  I’m skeptically optimistic that it will stick in the U.S., but still grateful it’s happened.

Lyrically Speaking

I’ve got gardens growing, got quiet days
Clothes on my back, food on my plate
Got friends to help me if I call for them
I don’t need anything that I don’t have

From “Don’t Need Anything” by Glen Phillips

You may not recognize Glen Phillips by name but if you were even a casual rock fan in the 1990’s and listened to the radio I guarantee you know some of his songs.  Phillips led the band Toad The Wet Sprocket who achieved quite a lot of fame and radio play with songs like “All I Want” and “Something’s Always Wrong“.  They were a staple on the radio and MTV, and nowadays in grocery stores across America.  Toad broke up in 1998 and Phillips started making solo records.  I loved the band and was delighted when they reunited in 2009, and they’re still making records.

“Don’t Need Anything”, from Phillips’ second solo album Winter Pays For Summer, is a super-chill piano ballad, a song for Sunday morning.  And the lyrics might as well be right out of financial independence blogs.  It’s a simple and beautifully written song about having enough.

Miscellaneous

Getting back to nature: how forest bathing can make us feel better – “The Japanese have known for years that spending mindful time in the woods is beneficial for body and soul.”

The Sun Is Stranger Than Astrophysicists Imagined – “The sun radiates far more high-frequency light than expected, raising questions about unknown features of the sun’s magnetic field and the possibility of even more exotic physics.”

Why Free Speech?