for the good of the greek.

Yesterday an article was brought to my attention that made me cringe.

The article appeared in the Wall Street Journal and was titled "Shutter Fraternities for Young Women's Good" and basically implies that fraternity men are the cause of all problems on college campuses.

The final paragraph of the article states:

If you want to improve women's lives on campus, if you want to give them a fair shot at living and learning as freely as men, the first thing you could do is close down the fraternities.

Now I'm not sure what your experience is with Greek Life on a college campus. Maybe you were in a fraternity or a sorority, and maybe you weren't. Maybe you despised Greek organizations. Maybe you didn't understand them. I'm not here to judge, but I think it's unfortunate that you didn't have an opportunity to experience Greek Life the way I did.

Yes, I was in a sorority. When I was a freshman and was looking to fit in, I met a group of women who made me feel at home. They made me feel comfortable in my skin, they understood my jokes and my concerns and my sarcasm, and they were truly my sisters. My sorority has been a major defining point in my life, for the good and the bad.

You see, like most experiences in life, there are some not-so-wonderful aspects to Greek Life. It's a big time commitment. Socials, philanthropies, sisterhoods. They take time. You might not like all your brothers and sisters. But you know, that happens with real life families too.

My sisters are some of the greatest women I know... at least most of them (haha).

The Greeks I know do amazing things. They make differences on their campuses and in their communities. Food and clothing drives and fundraisers are part of Greek Life too. I just wrote a story on a chapter of my international sorority, and they raised more than $17,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. That's just one chapter in one sorority.

But wait... this article is about fraternities. Should they be banned? Are they a danger to women?

I say no.

Sure, an organized group of men could be a threat. But this is true whether they are in a fraternity or not. The men I know in fraternities are men of character. True gentlemen. As a whole, they are outstanding men who do their part in the Greek community. They also have fun. Some of them make bad decisions. And yes, some of those bad decisions reflect poorly on the entire community.

I know that my sorority sisters could tell you about a group or two that have not made a positive impression on them. They have had awful, rotten experiences. But I can tell you that those same sisters would also probably say that some of their best times have come with fraternity men.

The unfortunate part of fraternities and sororities? The bad seeds. Every group has at least one. My sorority even had them. People who never showed up to things, pawned off their responsibilities because they didn't feel like doing their part, and people who really thought that being part of the Greek community was all parties and drinking. It's not. If you know a Greek organization that is solely interested in parties and drinking, you're only getting to know the type of organization that is portrayed on TV and in movies.

I have to agree with the article rebuttal on Jezebel: Banning Fraternities Won't Fix the Problem.

TJ Sullivan says that if you're going to fill your fraternity house, fill it with good brothers. It's true for both fraternities and sororities. Don't just fill to quota. Pick the best people. Pick good character. Pick people who are genuinely interested in what your group stands for (for example, my sorority believes in the 5 S's: self, service, social, scholarship, sisterhood). If someone is enthusiastic, make sure they are enthusiastic for the right reasons, not the parties or the drinking.

Education also needs to happen. At my alma mater, they have a program called No Zebras. Essentially, you may be a bystander but that doesn't mean you're not empowered to be part of a situation where someone looks like they are in trouble. Don't just stand by and let something happen; inject yourself into a potentially problematic situation and help prevent it. Stop it before it starts. Be part of the solution.

There will always be men (and women) who are part of the problem. There will be folks who are the cause of the problem. Realize that they give your group (your sisters, your brothers) a bad name. Don't let them drag you down. Don't let them give us all a bad reputation.

Fraternities as a whole are not the problem. Individuals who make extremely poor choices are, and should be punished or prosecuted accordingly.

How can Greek organizations change the perceptions and misconceptions people have about them?

I'm not sure what the answer is, but banning Greek organizations is not it.

try, try again.

For a while, running was going so well. I've never gotten to the point where I run very far very fast, but at least I'm running. I could run for a while without stopping, even. Last weekend in Vegas I ran those 2.26 miles and I only stopped once when I was turning around.

So I felt empowered. This is good, I thought.

This week has been another story.

Running hurt. My shins exploded, my ankles were sore, my calves were not cooperating. I felt like I have so many times before. I considered quitting. Then I went and ran again anyway, even though it still hurt.

I know everyone has to start somewhere, and like I said earlier this week, I can't just go from 1 or 2 miles to 5 or 6 without putting in the time and the effort. I know this. But it doesn't stop me from being envious of people who went out this morning and ran a long run of 20 miles. It doesn't stop me from wishing that instead of a 39-minute 5k, I could run a 28-minute 5k like my friend Brentley.

I am slow. And I can't go very far. And you know, that really is OK, except I want to be fast and I want to run far.

What I really need to do is stop comparing myself to other people.

This actually is true in so many ways. I need to stop comparing myself to other runners. I need to stop comparing myself to people my age who are married and have homes and families and dogs, when I am single and in an apartment and sans dog. In my uniqueness, I should be comfortable and confident with where I am and what I'm doing. But it's too easy to compare.

So how do you get past that? I don't know, but I'm going to keep trying.

In other news, my seeds are growing and my green beans (that are actually purple but they turn green when you cook them) are huge:

Bean plants stretching their leaves.

I just transplanted them yesterday, so hopefully they take to their new home.

Now I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my weekend here at home - with all my traveling I haven't been home for the last two weekends!

Question: How do you move past a run injury or soreness that impedes your ability to run? How did you improve your form, speed or cadence when you started running?

running takes time.

Back in January, I told you how I wanted to run. And not just run a little - I wanted to run far. "I'm going to run a marathon," I said.

Well now it is April. According to my 26 week plan, I should be able to run 20 minutes 4 times a week this week. I didn't run Monday. I already feel behind. My dreams of marathoning are wobbling around in my brain. I am asking myself if I actually think I can do this.

Truth is, last week I told running buddy SK that we should at least shoot for the half-marathon. I thought about giving up on 26.2 for now. I didn't think I could do it by September 5. But now that I look at my little 26 week plan, I still have hope.

No, I'm not signing up for the marathon just yet. But I am still considering it.

I don't like to give up on things so easy. I stated publicly that I wanted to run a marathon, and it seems much to easy (and maybe a little lazy) to say that I am just going to settle for half the distance. Right now I've been paying weekly visits to what I call my "leg doctor" and I've been running at least a few times a week. I actually went on vacation this past weekend and ran. I have never gone on a vacation and packed running clothes. It's just not who I am. Or at least, it's not who I was.

It's easy to stop running.
It's easy to say "this is too hard."
It's easy to sit in my chair at home, inactive.
It's easy to pretend my legs hurt too much to keep going.

It's hard to have a big 26.2-mile goal.
It's hard to find places to run that are not the treadmill or my hilly street.
It's hard to make running part of my schedule some days.
It's hard to keep pushing when my legs want to quit.

It's hard to get into a routine for running. I need to learn how to stretch. I need to learn how to use that nifty foam roller I got. I need to learn how to stop worrying what other people are thinking when they see me running, out of breath, and remember that I am running and maybe they are not.

Running takes patience, and it takes time. You can't just wake up one morning and decide you want to be a runner and go out and run 10 miles. (If by some miracle you can, you're likely to be very sore the next day.) You have to train and probably buy a new pair of shoes and build your mileage base, one mile at a time.

I'm still not sure if I can call myself a runner, but for the sake or argument, let's say I am. I am a runner because I can run 2.26 miles when I am off on vacation and I have running shoes and running pants and compression socks and a foam roller. I am LindsAy, and I am a runner.

Take 5 in the Garden - my next race.

My runner self sees races and gets excited. My runner self wants to run a half-marathon at Disney. Maybe I can convince someone to run in the Disney Princess Half Marathon with me. (It's in February in case you need to start training now.) My non-runner self didn't get excited about races in other states, because my non-runner self didn't care. Now I care.

I care that I feel behind in my training and that I am still only running 12-minute miles. I care that September is going to be here before we know it. I care that my work trips are going to mess up my schedule. I care that my next race is in about two weeks, on a very hilly Garden of the Gods course.

It's funny how little it takes to transform yourself into something you didn't think you could be. But today, I am a runner. It just takes a little time.

Goal check: what goals did you set for yourself for this year? Are you still working toward them, or have you changed them?

if.

I didn't write this one, but I like it. Hopefully I will write something original soon.

IF 

by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
'Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

one day i'll learn...

One day I'll learn...

How to pack for a trip. That is, I won't pack so much.

How to save money. It's hard.

To put my laundry in a laundry basket instead of on the floor. And to put the clean laundry in drawers and on hangers instead of on my couch.

How to wake up early to work out, instead of leaving it til after work. (These 5 tips might help.)

My kitchen is not going to clean itself (but I would like it much better if it did).

What it feels like to push through double-digit miles on a run.

That really, anyone can do an Ironman. (That's right, I want to do one of those too.)

How to take better photos. Or at least more of them.

That managing my time means fitting in a lot more than Mad Men and Skype conversations with Josef.

Apples really aren't as loud as I think they are.

To abandon the snooze button and wake up when the alarm goes off the first time.

That I too can make crafty things, not just baked goods, for the Pikes Peak Community Cupboard. Although, I won't be bringing farm-fresh eggs or homemade butter any time soon.

I don't need to compare myself to anyone else. I am unique, and that's what makes me awesome (and you, too!).

There's no need to rush some things.

How to change a tire, take off a tire, switch gears, and basically anything else related to my bike.

I can do more things by myself than just go to movies. Life is too short to wait for someone else to make plans.


If you're not hungry, there's no need to eat.

Liars are everywhere. But so are honest folks. It's not always easy to spot either one.

Hugs stop being appropriate in most social situations once you hit driving age. (That doesn't make me miss hugs any less, but I still haven't come to terms with this fact.)

Friends can be found in the most unlikely places.

Not everyone likes Star Wars quite as much as I do. What a shame.

What will you learn one day?

lots o' stuff to...

Take a look around you. Right now. What's to your left? Your right?

If you're at home, probably more stuff than if you were at work. I see mail that can be tossed (but hasn't been), laundry that needs to be put away (but hasn't been) and movies to watch (that haven't been). Are you noticing a trend here?

We have too much stuff. You probably do, but I know I do. Too. Much. Stuff.

Where does all this stuff go? Crammed onto shelves, stuffed into drawers, piled into closets? At least, if you're me, that's where it all goes. Don't worry - I'm not about to make any appearances on Hoarders. I just have a lot of stuff.

I don't need all this stuff. You might say, "Well LindsAy, what are you doing with all this junk? It is cluttering your life. Just throw it out."

I try that. Really. I do. But let's be honest. I like it. Most of it. Not the junk mail (although it is a reminder that I do get mail from someone, albeit not the collection of pen pals I'm looking for), but most of the other stuff? I like it.

I know I need to pare down my wardrobe. But it's hard. I look at a shirt (that I probably have owned since 2005) and think, "I just can't part with this today. I like this shirt." Well duh. Of course I like the shirt. If I hadn't liked it, I wouldn't have bought it. I don't need this shirt. This shirt does not need me (shirts don't have feelings). We could part ways and never think of one another again. Yet, this shirt is still living in my closet.

Some people live what is called a minimalist lifestyle. I could not do this. Minimalists don't like stuff. Or clutter. I do. Yes, I admit it! Clutter. I like it.

And a minimalist wardrobe? As if. I like options. When I pack for a three-day trip, I take enough stuff for a week. Easy. This probably plays into my weird thing with having clean clothes when I'm traveling. Anyway. Not the point.

So my question for today is: how do you cut back? How do you cut things out of your life that you think you need but you don't really need? I should be able to fit my clothes in my dresser and in my closet instead of randomly piling them around on my couch and in my room.

I feel like this is a big step. I need to start clearing clutter out from my life (even though I like the clutter) because I don't need it. It's weighing me down. I am no minimalist, but I really need to get rid of some stuff.

How do you sort and rid yourself of the stuff that you once thought you needed?

And... I had to add this because it's just too funny, and it fits too well: