June 24, 2025 • 31 mins
A casual murder confession, a marathon in Tanzania, and goats with attitude. This episode dives into what it really takes to navigate life’s chaos with grace, humor, and a reset ritual that doesn’t require a life coach named Celeste. From impulse bangs to emotional piñatas, we’re talking bad days, mindset pivots, and not packing the dead goat. 🐐
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Imagine this. You step off a plane in
Tanzania, still buzzing from thealtitude of your dreams and
serious jet lag. The air smells like wet earth
and promise. You're here for a marathon, but
the race isn't the hard part. Not yet.
You and your partner hop into a well loved truck with a driver
(00:22):
who seems like he knows every bump in the red dirt Rd.
He points out Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance like he's
showing you where the gods vacation.
Goats scatter like they missed their exit.
People wave. The driver continues his
sightseeing narrative. We were sort of zoning out when
(00:43):
out of nowhere, he says it. Calm as a cucumber, marinating
in mystery. My old boss, the mountain guide.
Oh yes, he's dead. Got himself killed for sleeping
with someone else's wife. People take that kind of thing
seriously here. Your brain hiccups like did we
(01:07):
just get a casual murder confession served with our
welcome tour? The driver keeps cruising, sun
bouncing off the windshield, while your understanding of the
world takes a wild little detour.
Welcome to the land of unexpected truth bombs and
perspective resets, where livestock has the right of way
(01:31):
and Grace shows up like a Flamingo at a funeral.
Offbeat, oddly timed, but somehow just right.
Welcome to the latitude adjustment.
It's time to stop drifting and start navigating by your own
inner compass. The life you're looking for
isn't out there. It's in motion right now.
Get ready to step off the map with your hosts, Erica and Rusty
(01:53):
Harrison. OK, we're calling this one the
Trouble with Goats and Grace. Or more formally, Manage Bad
Days. Now listen, there are bad days
and then there are Tanzania. We just landed and the driver
mentioned murder like it was themost normal thing in the world,
(02:13):
kind of days like. Those kind of days.
Those are the days when you figure out if you're aging hero
Cape fits or if it's still stuckin your carry on next to your
anxiety meds and a melted granola bar.
This story came from our our trip to Tanzania.
I signed up for the Mount Kilimanjaro Marathon because
(02:38):
that's what you do when you're recovering from a foot injury
and feeling dangerously optimistic.
It was the tail end of the rainyseason, which was great.
Everything was absurdly green, trees bursting, hills glowing,
and Mount Kilimanjaro rising in the distance like a sleeping
(02:59):
colossus with altitude issues. Was so psychedelic.
Ohh surreal but the most memorable part.
It wasn't the mountain. It was that ride, that driver,
that moment when the air got still and he just dropped a
murder confession like it was a weather report, chance of rain,
(03:21):
scattered livestock, and Oh yes,infidelity based homicide.
Oh, that thing. We were staring out at herders,
cattle, and the occasional stubborn expression from a cow
that clearly had opinions about our route.
And in that moment, what we thought was going to be a
peaceful postcard perfect intro to Tanzania turned into a
(03:45):
spiritual slap from the universe.
Welcome to Africa, folks. Buckle up or don't.
That, my friends, is what a bad day can feel like.
It's not always explosive. Sometimes it's just one weird
sharp moment that trips your brain.
Absolutely. A comment, a look, a sudden
(04:06):
flash of grief, or a herder's side eye that hits you in the
soul and then your thoughts unravel like a cheap hammer
during hurricane season. But here's the thing.
The story, the goats and grace part, isn't really about the
murder. It's about mindset.
Because every bad day is a crossroads disguised as chaos.
(04:31):
You can either spin out, or you can do what the livestock does
Stop, blink, choose something indigestible, and keep going.
We realized it right there in that rattling truck.
The driver wasn't shaken. He'd seen all kinds of bad days.
It was. Totally his norm.
(04:53):
But he wasn't bitter. No, he's just weathered.
His piece didn't come from ignoring life'll bite.
It came from knowing the world has teeth and beauty and you
respect both or you get eaten. And it made us ask, what if
managing bad days isn't about fixing them?
What if it's about riding them like a rusty beach bicycle with
(05:17):
one good pedal and a basket fullof metaphors?
Because that's what aging heroesdo.
We don't wait for calm seas. We learn to sail crooked.
Exactly. It's emotional navigation.
I like that terminology. Yeah, you can't outrun the
squalls, but you can pack snacksand wear sandals that don't mind
(05:39):
getting wet. Maybe that means journaling.
Maybe it means breathing insteadof barking.
Maybe it means realizing your only job today is not to make
things worse by chasing chaos into traffic.
Let's get real, we've both made bad days so much worse, right?
(06:00):
Loudly and with drama. But grace?
Grace is like coconut water in acrisis.
You know, hydrating, humbling, and slightly weird if you're not
used to it. You know those little floating
inclusions that are in there? I love those inclusions.
Oh, strain that out. It's a whole muscle and we flex
(06:22):
it hard as when we least want to.
So today we're talking about howto move through the mug.
Not around it, not over it, right on through it.
Flip flops, flapping grace rod and shotgun, and your dignity
catching a rod when it can. That's like your dignity with
(06:43):
its thumb out. When the unexpected hits, don't
panic. Pause, Observe.
Ask yourself, is this a crisis or just a plot twist?
And nine times out of 10, it's just a detour.
Not the end of your trip, not the undoing of your story.
Just something asking you to slow down and maybe laugh a
(07:05):
little. You said it's not the end of the
world. Coming up next, we're bringing
you the Aging Heroes Challenge, your guide to surviving the
unpredictable detours of life without losing your soul, your
cool, or your snack stash. Because if Africa taught us
anything, it's this Grace doesn't always wear white robes
(07:27):
and a Halo. Sometimes it shows up barefoot,
wrapped in red dust and hitchinga ride next to a man who just
redefined unbothered. All right, heroes, you've
(07:49):
survived Segment once Twisty Rd.through Tanzania.
You heard the murder confession.Don't tell anybody it's Vegas.
You watched Erica run a marathonin a land where the cows look
like they're dressed for carnival and sunsets come with
mood swing. I'm not sure.
I don't want anybody to have seen me running that marathon.
(08:11):
So now what do you do when your day pulls a fast one?
When life slaps your smoothie out of your hand and every
thought in your brain is screaming, this day is toast and
also may be possessed. We're talking about a full
system hijack, the emotional equivalent of a customs officer
(08:33):
rifling through your psychic luggage.
And tossing your sense of peace into a bin marked Random
Liquids. It usually hits around 10:17 AM.
You're hungry, someone says something sideways, your inbox
is a volcano in business casual,and boom, you're in a funk
(08:58):
deeper than a Jimmy Buffett fan's Margarita tab.
But here's the good news. There's good news.
You don't have to stay there. You don't have to let one weird
moment throw off your whole safari.
Exactly. That's the whole point of this
segment. Because while we can't control
(09:20):
the unexpected drivers or the surprise emotional sucker
punches, we can learn to steer ourselves back to sanity.
Preferably before we throw that flip flop at someone we love.
So let's break it down, OK? What does it actually look like
to manage a bad day in real timewithout needing a private
(09:42):
island, a life coach named Celeste, or a medicinal pina
colada? Hey, Rusty, let's go back to
that Kilimanjaro trip for a minute.
Let's do that. That bit where our driver
casually dropped the murder nugget, that part, it wasn't
just the info. I think that it was a little
unnerving. It was the way he he said it
(10:04):
like he was. Just.
Pointing out a mango tree, you know.
Right. My brain went full tilt.
Is this funny? Is it sad?
Is this a red flag? Should we switch drivers?
Do we need a safe word? Right.
But here's the moment of truth. I realized I didn't have to
solve it all right then. I could just breathe.
(10:26):
I could notice. I could stay in my body and let
the weirdness just float by. That much friends was a reset,
and resets are the secret sauce of bad day survival.
You don't escape those days, youinterrupt them.
You pivot, You coconut shuffle your way back to the center.
(10:49):
I'm definitely going to start coconut shuffling from here
forward. So today everybody, we're
sharing our go to reset ritual. It's like a tiny island you swim
to when the tide of your day tries to sweep you out to sea,
with your peace clinging to a pool noodle and your last nerve
(11:11):
checking the weather. It's simple.
Yes, it's portable. That's right, and here's how it
works. When you feel the spiral coming,
when you're emotionally frayed, snackless, and three emails away
from lighting your laptop on fire, pause.
Put your feet on the ground. Breathe in for four, exhale for
(11:34):
six, and then repeat until your nervous system stops tap dancing
on your adrenal glands. Next, check your inner weather.
Ask yourself, what's my forecast?
Stormy, foggy, 80% chance of irrational rage with a side of
dramatic soundtrack. Naming it gives you power.
(11:59):
As long as your feelings stay vague and shadowy, they run the
show. But once you name them, you
become the island boss with a clipboard and a whistle.
I'm naming mine Clifford. Then comes the ninja move that
changed my life. I ask myself, is this the whole
(12:21):
truth or just my mood talking? Because bad days lie, y'all?
They whisper that you're unlovable, that everything's
ruined, that the cookies you just stress ate don't count if
you were standing up and sad. But when you challenge those
thoughts, even gently, they don't hold up and can start to
(12:44):
evaporate. Do a small, tangible reset.
Something kind, something easy, something human.
Go outside, drink water, put on a ridiculous song and dance like
your dignities already checked out.
Or, my favorite, I pull up that one photo from Tanzania.
(13:06):
You know, that one where I'm super sweaty, dusty, triumphant,
and only slightly delirious. I look at that woman and think
she didn't just run a marathon in Africa, survive a random
murder monologue, and still makeit to dinner just to be undone
by a passive aggressive e-mail. Perspective, baby.
(13:29):
That's the real reset. You got it.
All right, here is an Aging Heroes challenge for the week,
the reset ritual for the next 7 days whenever your brain starts
unraveling. We want you to pause, breathe,
ground your yourself. Check the forecast.
Name your mood like you're the island weatherman.
(13:51):
Challenge the lie. Ask is this true or just
dramatic? Reset one tiny act of kindness
to your system. Drink water, move a little, sit
still, laugh. Swing in the hammock.
Have a little snack, a little dance, a little breath.
Write that down, stick it on your fridge, tattoo it on your
memory or whisper it into your rum punch if you want.
(14:15):
Whatever works. Bonus round, tell someone you
trust about your reset ritual. That way, when you're spiraling,
they can send you a tropical emoji and gently remind you to
get your groove back. That, my friend, is true
friendship. What we're really doing here,
we're training ourselves not to believe everything we think when
(14:37):
we're spiraling. That's emotional freedom.
Because the goal isn't to have perfect days.
It's not the goal. Is to have the tools to stay
centered when the day goes full circus.
O When the tensions winning, thevibes are tanking and your life
(14:58):
feels like a poorly written telenovela.
You pause, you breathe, you reclaim your inner Safari.
I love that. All right, here's a recap of
what we've covered so far. What to do when the chaos wins?
In segment 2, we went full Jungle Island Wisdom.
(15:19):
You learned the Reset ritual, a four step tool for shifting out
of the storm and back into your soul.
From naming your internal weather to challenging your
spiraling brain lies, we showed you that grace isn't passive.
It's a practice and sometimes itwears flip flops and refuses to
(15:41):
explain itself. Your challenge.
Practice the ritual for seven days.
Recenter reset. Reclaim your mojo.
And coming up in Segment 3, we're talking about the sneaky
little voice that shows up on bad days and tries to convince
you to make terrible life choices.
It's called mood based decision making and it's the devil in a
(16:05):
crop top with a questionable accent.
Don't fall for it, heroes. We've got stories, science and
just enough insolence to call itout.
And if you fall for it, just pick yourself up.
(16:27):
All right, heroes, if segment 2 was about reclaiming your inner
Safari. Then this segment is about not
burning the tent down while you're in it, or more
accurately, not booking a one way trip to Chaos Island just
because you got sand in your metaphorical shoes.
We call this one Don't Text YourEx how to Outsmart Mood based
(16:51):
Decisions because let's be honest, some of our worst ideas
show up dressed like saviors, whispering trust me while
wearing a sun hat and holding your phone.
Oh yeah, mood based decisions are like trying to sail in a
hurricane with a cocktail umbrella.
(17:12):
I'm pretty sure I've seen you dothat a time or two.
You feel dramatic and powerful for about 3 minutes, then you're
wet, confused, and emotionally shipwrecked.
Somewhere between Regret Reef and Bad Idea Bay.
Yeah, that's a familiar story. I can sense brewing.
(17:34):
We'll save that for another episode.
When we're hijacked, emotionallyspeaking, we start grasping for
the nearest lever of control. We want relief, not clarity.
So we do things like rage texting, rage quitting, raid
shopping, or giving ourselves transformative bangs at 11:00 PM
(17:56):
with eyebrow scissors. Raise your hand if you've ever
composed A resignation letter inyour head, rehearsed it in the
mirror and then almost sent it to the wrong department.
Don't you tell anybody I'm sitting here with my hand in.
Here it's OK, this island is a judgment free zone.
Unless you buy a ferret online because you're lonely.
(18:20):
Then we might gently intervene. Let's go back to Kilimanjaro for
a hot second. When our driver casually dropped
the oh, by the way, there was a murder line.
I felt this internal ZAP. It wasn't panic, it wasn't fear,
just kind of that primal do something energy.
(18:41):
It felt a little like, should wecancel the race?
Should we find a new hotel? Should we Google how to fake a
family emergency in Swahili? Yeah, same.
My brain went to DEFCON 4. Do we know this life?
Are we now part of the plot twist?
Is this going to be a Netflix documentary narrated by an
(19:03):
overly dramatic narrator with a flair for suspense?
We weren't in danger, we were just unsettled.
And unsettled is not a good headspace for decision making.
It's a good headspace for writing emo poetry, but not for
life choices. Exactly when your nervous system
(19:23):
is lit up like a tiki torch at abeach wedding gone wrong, your
logic brain takes a vacation andleaves your mood in charge.
Leaves it, bye bye. And your mood?
Let's just say it's been drinking.
How about a little wisdom? Pause the decision.
Don't trust the mood all. Right, step one, learn to spot
(19:45):
your mood. Hijack.
It looks like this. You're overly reactive.
You're fantasizing about escape,revenge, or moving to a yurt.
Narrating your life like you're starring in a soap opera.
You're thinking screw it. More than twice before noon.
Step 2. Make it your personal island
(20:06):
law. No big decisions during
Moodstorm, no breakups, no confrontations, no major
purchases, no telling your boss how you really feel via a meme.
Real talk, here we go. I once thought of quitting
everything and picking up a sidehustle on eBay because of a
weird comment and low blood sugar.
(20:28):
I had three tabs open. Amazon smart ass comeback and
Ben and Jerrys. It seemed like a crafty escape
plan. By dinner, she was over it.
That's right, All it took was a snack, a jog, and a nap.
Suddenly, what seemed like an existential crisis lost its
plot. I still like eBay but I'm I'm
(20:50):
more than happy for someone elseto be the seller, at least for
now. That's the thing.
Moods are like tropical storms. They roll in, they make noise,
and then they drift out. But if you rearrange your whole
life during the storm, you wake up with soggy plans, weird
bangs, and three new monthly subscriptions.
(21:11):
Oh shoot, that's how that keeps happening to us.
Here's the hack, delay and document one.
Write it down 2. Step away and three revisit it
in 24 hours with a clearer brain.
Half the time you'll look at it and go, what in the hell was I
thinking? That is so true.
(21:31):
Have I mixed sadness with strongcoffee again?
Yes, I did. The other half of the time
you'll still care, but now you can respond instead of react.
Also, tell your people your pattern.
Let them be your lighthouse, someone who will gently sit.
Maybe don't buy that alpaca farmjust yet.
(21:54):
Maybe just have a juice first. That's love.
That's island love. Supportive, salty, and soul
stabilizing. You got it.
Meanwhile, back in Tanzania, that driver's confession could
have derailed our whole trip. Sure, we could have left.
We could have canceled the marathon.
Totally. Packed it all up, but we paused.
We let it settle and that trip became one of the coolest
(22:17):
experiences of our lives. That's the lesson.
Feelings are visitors, not landlords.
They don't get to run your life just because they're loud and
wearing a metaphorical crown. Say it louder for the folks
currently doom scrolling and contemplating sending that risky
text. Feelings aren't facts.
(22:40):
They matter, yes, but they're not the whole story.
No, Especially when you're tired, hungry, or emotionally
sunburned. The aging hero's toolkit.
It's not just hammocks and high vibes.
It's discernment. The art of waiting.
The courage to pause, to respond, not react.
(23:01):
So next time your mood starts suggesting plot twists, ask it
to take a seat, give it a coconut water, and let your
wisdom do the talking. Your peace is sacred, your
growth doesn't need a crisis, and your ex still doesn't
deserve that text. All right, let's do a segment
recap. This is mood does not equal
(23:23):
mindset. Mood based decisions are usually
trash fires in paradise. If you're triggered, tired, or
tangled up in feelings, delay your decision making.
Use the delay and document method.
Let trusted people reality checkyou.
Practice discernment. Let the weather pass.
(23:45):
You don't need to react from themood, you get to respond from
your island wisdom. Coming up next, the sacred art
of letting go. We're talking forgiveness,
mental decluttering, and why carrying emotional trash makes
your soul smell foul. That's segment 4 heroes.
(24:06):
It's juicy, It's healing, and yes, it's slightly weird, just
how we like it. All right, heroes, you've ridden
(24:32):
shotgun through a story where chaos ruled the road, murder
made a surprise cameo, and your nervous system did more squats
than a CrossFit coach in Hurricane season.
We've paused, we've reset, and we've avoided texting our ex,
cutting our bangs or booking a one way ticket to Meltdown
(24:56):
Island. Now comes the final move, the
one most people skip. It's not sexy, it's not flashy.
It's the hardest and the holiest.
It's the release. We call it don't pack the dead
goat because when the day goes sideways and you survive it, the
only thing worse than the chaos is hauling it into tomorrow like
(25:20):
an emotional carry on. You know what we mean.
You've had the tough talk, missed the flight, survived the
awkward encounter at the grocerystore with your former therapist
and your current emotional support snack.
And yet, at midnight, you're still replaying it, carrying it
(25:41):
around like it's an emotional pinata.
You might eventually crack open foreclosure.
But here's the deal. The drama's done.
The thing happened. You felt it.
You handled it. Now it's time to set it down
gently and walk the hell away. Remember that bumpy ride through
Tanzania? The one with the unexpected
(26:03):
murder anecdote? Yeah, we had a choice.
We could freak out, panic, let it cloud the whole trip, view
every friendly wave like it camewith an asterisk, sleep with one
eye open and one sandal off. Or.
Or. We could set it down, label it
(26:23):
as unexpected cultural download,and move forward.
We chose the latter, and becausewe did, we got the full
experience. Yeah, Beauty, discomfort, humor,
healing. Not because it was perfect, but
because we didn't drag the weirdness behind us like a
suitcase with squeaky wheels. In this segment, it's your
(26:48):
permission slip to do the same, to not let one moment ruin the
rest of your adventure. Tools for letting go.
Tool one. close the loop. Say to yourself, that happened,
it's over, I'm OK. Say it like you're brushing off
sand before getting back in the hammock.
(27:08):
Tool 2. Realize the release, write it
down, earn it, or crumple it up and bank shot it into the trash
can like an emotional 3 pointer at a beach bonfire.
Tool 3. Move your body.
Dance, swim, walk it off like you're heading to the Tiki bar
(27:28):
of Truth. Your body stores stuff.
Let it be part of that letting go.
Tool 4. Compassionate truth.
Tell yourself I did the best I could with what I knew at the
time and now I know better. Say it like you're putting a lay
around your own neck and handingyourself a fruit smoothie.
And Tool 5. Sorry, but no souvenirs.
(27:52):
If you're retelling the story topunish yourself or someone else,
stop. This isn't a tourist shop.
No need to take home pain in a snow globe.
The point? The goal isn't denial, it's.
Completion. Because guess what?
Tomorrow deserves the best of you, not the version still
(28:15):
dragging yesterday's mess through airport security.
Letting go doesn't mean forgetting.
It means honoring what happened and honoring what's next.
I think that's why we love sailing.
You can't carry the last weight with you.
You ride it, you release it, youscan the horizon for what's
next. It's all about that.
(28:36):
So today, aging heroes, we invite you to lighten your
emotional luggage. Don't pack the dead goat.
Leave it in Tanzania, or in thatawkward Zoom call, or in last
Tuesday's meltdown that no longer needs to board your
soul's next flight. So let's recap this episode.
(28:58):
Manage bad days. Let's do it.
We dropped into Tanzania where chaos ruled the road and
unexpected truths asked us to check our mindset mid marathon.
Segment 2 gave us the Reset Ritual, a four step practice to
reset when your day starts doingcartwheels.
(29:21):
In segment 3, we taught you not to make life altering decisions
from inside a mood monsoon because no one needs an impulse
tattoo or an X tech spiral. And here in segment 4, we handed
you the sacred scroll of lettinggo.
(29:43):
Because managing bad days isn't about perfect responses.
It's about choosing presence over panic, humor over
heaviness, and grace over the urge to carry crap into
tomorrow. If this episode hit your heart,
it spoke to you. Share it, text a friend, tag us,
(30:05):
and go follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Aging Heroes.
You can also find our full tribeat www.agingheroes.com.
Coming up next week, Episode 10,Convert your stress.
Because not all stress is bad. Some of it's fuel, some of it's
(30:28):
feedback, and some of it's just your inner critics screaming for
a better job description. We're going to show you how to
turn tension into traction. I like that.
How to get unstuck without unraveling?
Until then, take care of that brave, slightly sunburned,
wildly worthy part of yours. And whatever you do.
(30:52):
Whatever you do, don't. Pack the.
Dead goat, we'll see you next time.
Imagine this. You step off a plane in
Tanzania, still buzzing from thealtitude of your dreams and
serious jet lag. The air smells like wet earth
and promise. You're here for a marathon, but
the race isn't the hard part. Not yet.
You and your partner hop into a well loved truck with a driver
(00:22):
who seems like he knows every bump in the red dirt Rd.
He points out Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance like he's
showing you where the gods vacation.
Goats scatter like they missed their exit.
People wave. The driver continues his
sightseeing narrative. We were sort of zoning out when
(00:43):
out of nowhere, he says it. Calm as a cucumber, marinating
in mystery. My old boss, the mountain guide.
Oh yes, he's dead. Got himself killed for sleeping
with someone else's wife. People take that kind of thing
seriously here. Your brain hiccups like did we
(01:07):
just get a casual murder confession served with our
welcome tour? The driver keeps cruising, sun
bouncing off the windshield, while your understanding of the
world takes a wild little detour.
Welcome to the land of unexpected truth bombs and
perspective resets, where livestock has the right of way
(01:31):
and Grace shows up like a Flamingo at a funeral.
Offbeat, oddly timed, but somehow just right.
Welcome to the latitude adjustment.
It's time to stop drifting and start navigating by your own
inner compass. The life you're looking for
isn't out there. It's in motion right now.
Get ready to step off the map with your hosts, Erica and Rusty
(01:53):
Harrison. OK, we're calling this one the
Trouble with Goats and Grace. Or more formally, Manage Bad
Days. Now listen, there are bad days
and then there are Tanzania. We just landed and the driver
mentioned murder like it was themost normal thing in the world,
(02:13):
kind of days like. Those kind of days.
Those are the days when you figure out if you're aging hero
Cape fits or if it's still stuckin your carry on next to your
anxiety meds and a melted granola bar.
This story came from our our trip to Tanzania.
I signed up for the Mount Kilimanjaro Marathon because
(02:38):
that's what you do when you're recovering from a foot injury
and feeling dangerously optimistic.
It was the tail end of the rainyseason, which was great.
Everything was absurdly green, trees bursting, hills glowing,
and Mount Kilimanjaro rising in the distance like a sleeping
(02:59):
colossus with altitude issues. Was so psychedelic.
Ohh surreal but the most memorable part.
It wasn't the mountain. It was that ride, that driver,
that moment when the air got still and he just dropped a
murder confession like it was a weather report, chance of rain,
(03:21):
scattered livestock, and Oh yes,infidelity based homicide.
Oh, that thing. We were staring out at herders,
cattle, and the occasional stubborn expression from a cow
that clearly had opinions about our route.
And in that moment, what we thought was going to be a
peaceful postcard perfect intro to Tanzania turned into a
(03:45):
spiritual slap from the universe.
Welcome to Africa, folks. Buckle up or don't.
That, my friends, is what a bad day can feel like.
It's not always explosive. Sometimes it's just one weird
sharp moment that trips your brain.
Absolutely. A comment, a look, a sudden
(04:06):
flash of grief, or a herder's side eye that hits you in the
soul and then your thoughts unravel like a cheap hammer
during hurricane season. But here's the thing.
The story, the goats and grace part, isn't really about the
murder. It's about mindset.
Because every bad day is a crossroads disguised as chaos.
(04:31):
You can either spin out, or you can do what the livestock does
Stop, blink, choose something indigestible, and keep going.
We realized it right there in that rattling truck.
The driver wasn't shaken. He'd seen all kinds of bad days.
It was. Totally his norm.
(04:53):
But he wasn't bitter. No, he's just weathered.
His piece didn't come from ignoring life'll bite.
It came from knowing the world has teeth and beauty and you
respect both or you get eaten. And it made us ask, what if
managing bad days isn't about fixing them?
What if it's about riding them like a rusty beach bicycle with
(05:17):
one good pedal and a basket fullof metaphors?
Because that's what aging heroesdo.
We don't wait for calm seas. We learn to sail crooked.
Exactly. It's emotional navigation.
I like that terminology. Yeah, you can't outrun the
squalls, but you can pack snacksand wear sandals that don't mind
(05:39):
getting wet. Maybe that means journaling.
Maybe it means breathing insteadof barking.
Maybe it means realizing your only job today is not to make
things worse by chasing chaos into traffic.
Let's get real, we've both made bad days so much worse, right?
(06:00):
Loudly and with drama. But grace?
Grace is like coconut water in acrisis.
You know, hydrating, humbling, and slightly weird if you're not
used to it. You know those little floating
inclusions that are in there? I love those inclusions.
Oh, strain that out. It's a whole muscle and we flex
(06:22):
it hard as when we least want to.
So today we're talking about howto move through the mug.
Not around it, not over it, right on through it.
Flip flops, flapping grace rod and shotgun, and your dignity
catching a rod when it can. That's like your dignity with
(06:43):
its thumb out. When the unexpected hits, don't
panic. Pause, Observe.
Ask yourself, is this a crisis or just a plot twist?
And nine times out of 10, it's just a detour.
Not the end of your trip, not the undoing of your story.
Just something asking you to slow down and maybe laugh a
(07:05):
little. You said it's not the end of the
world. Coming up next, we're bringing
you the Aging Heroes Challenge, your guide to surviving the
unpredictable detours of life without losing your soul, your
cool, or your snack stash. Because if Africa taught us
anything, it's this Grace doesn't always wear white robes
(07:27):
and a Halo. Sometimes it shows up barefoot,
wrapped in red dust and hitchinga ride next to a man who just
redefined unbothered. All right, heroes, you've
(07:49):
survived Segment once Twisty Rd.through Tanzania.
You heard the murder confession.Don't tell anybody it's Vegas.
You watched Erica run a marathonin a land where the cows look
like they're dressed for carnival and sunsets come with
mood swing. I'm not sure.
I don't want anybody to have seen me running that marathon.
(08:11):
So now what do you do when your day pulls a fast one?
When life slaps your smoothie out of your hand and every
thought in your brain is screaming, this day is toast and
also may be possessed. We're talking about a full
system hijack, the emotional equivalent of a customs officer
(08:33):
rifling through your psychic luggage.
And tossing your sense of peace into a bin marked Random
Liquids. It usually hits around 10:17 AM.
You're hungry, someone says something sideways, your inbox
is a volcano in business casual,and boom, you're in a funk
(08:58):
deeper than a Jimmy Buffett fan's Margarita tab.
But here's the good news. There's good news.
You don't have to stay there. You don't have to let one weird
moment throw off your whole safari.
Exactly. That's the whole point of this
segment. Because while we can't control
(09:20):
the unexpected drivers or the surprise emotional sucker
punches, we can learn to steer ourselves back to sanity.
Preferably before we throw that flip flop at someone we love.
So let's break it down, OK? What does it actually look like
to manage a bad day in real timewithout needing a private
(09:42):
island, a life coach named Celeste, or a medicinal pina
colada? Hey, Rusty, let's go back to
that Kilimanjaro trip for a minute.
Let's do that. That bit where our driver
casually dropped the murder nugget, that part, it wasn't
just the info. I think that it was a little
unnerving. It was the way he he said it
(10:04):
like he was. Just.
Pointing out a mango tree, you know.
Right. My brain went full tilt.
Is this funny? Is it sad?
Is this a red flag? Should we switch drivers?
Do we need a safe word? Right.
But here's the moment of truth. I realized I didn't have to
solve it all right then. I could just breathe.
(10:26):
I could notice. I could stay in my body and let
the weirdness just float by. That much friends was a reset,
and resets are the secret sauce of bad day survival.
You don't escape those days, youinterrupt them.
You pivot, You coconut shuffle your way back to the center.
(10:49):
I'm definitely going to start coconut shuffling from here
forward. So today everybody, we're
sharing our go to reset ritual. It's like a tiny island you swim
to when the tide of your day tries to sweep you out to sea,
with your peace clinging to a pool noodle and your last nerve
(11:11):
checking the weather. It's simple.
Yes, it's portable. That's right, and here's how it
works. When you feel the spiral coming,
when you're emotionally frayed, snackless, and three emails away
from lighting your laptop on fire, pause.
Put your feet on the ground. Breathe in for four, exhale for
(11:34):
six, and then repeat until your nervous system stops tap dancing
on your adrenal glands. Next, check your inner weather.
Ask yourself, what's my forecast?
Stormy, foggy, 80% chance of irrational rage with a side of
dramatic soundtrack. Naming it gives you power.
(11:59):
As long as your feelings stay vague and shadowy, they run the
show. But once you name them, you
become the island boss with a clipboard and a whistle.
I'm naming mine Clifford. Then comes the ninja move that
changed my life. I ask myself, is this the whole
(12:21):
truth or just my mood talking? Because bad days lie, y'all?
They whisper that you're unlovable, that everything's
ruined, that the cookies you just stress ate don't count if
you were standing up and sad. But when you challenge those
thoughts, even gently, they don't hold up and can start to
(12:44):
evaporate. Do a small, tangible reset.
Something kind, something easy, something human.
Go outside, drink water, put on a ridiculous song and dance like
your dignities already checked out.
Or, my favorite, I pull up that one photo from Tanzania.
(13:06):
You know, that one where I'm super sweaty, dusty, triumphant,
and only slightly delirious. I look at that woman and think
she didn't just run a marathon in Africa, survive a random
murder monologue, and still makeit to dinner just to be undone
by a passive aggressive e-mail. Perspective, baby.
(13:29):
That's the real reset. You got it.
All right, here is an Aging Heroes challenge for the week,
the reset ritual for the next 7 days whenever your brain starts
unraveling. We want you to pause, breathe,
ground your yourself. Check the forecast.
Name your mood like you're the island weatherman.
(13:51):
Challenge the lie. Ask is this true or just
dramatic? Reset one tiny act of kindness
to your system. Drink water, move a little, sit
still, laugh. Swing in the hammock.
Have a little snack, a little dance, a little breath.
Write that down, stick it on your fridge, tattoo it on your
memory or whisper it into your rum punch if you want.
(14:15):
Whatever works. Bonus round, tell someone you
trust about your reset ritual. That way, when you're spiraling,
they can send you a tropical emoji and gently remind you to
get your groove back. That, my friend, is true
friendship. What we're really doing here,
we're training ourselves not to believe everything we think when
(14:37):
we're spiraling. That's emotional freedom.
Because the goal isn't to have perfect days.
It's not the goal. Is to have the tools to stay
centered when the day goes full circus.
O When the tensions winning, thevibes are tanking and your life
(14:58):
feels like a poorly written telenovela.
You pause, you breathe, you reclaim your inner Safari.
I love that. All right, here's a recap of
what we've covered so far. What to do when the chaos wins?
In segment 2, we went full Jungle Island Wisdom.
(15:19):
You learned the Reset ritual, a four step tool for shifting out
of the storm and back into your soul.
From naming your internal weather to challenging your
spiraling brain lies, we showed you that grace isn't passive.
It's a practice and sometimes itwears flip flops and refuses to
(15:41):
explain itself. Your challenge.
Practice the ritual for seven days.
Recenter reset. Reclaim your mojo.
And coming up in Segment 3, we're talking about the sneaky
little voice that shows up on bad days and tries to convince
you to make terrible life choices.
It's called mood based decision making and it's the devil in a
(16:05):
crop top with a questionable accent.
Don't fall for it, heroes. We've got stories, science and
just enough insolence to call itout.
And if you fall for it, just pick yourself up.
(16:27):
All right, heroes, if segment 2 was about reclaiming your inner
Safari. Then this segment is about not
burning the tent down while you're in it, or more
accurately, not booking a one way trip to Chaos Island just
because you got sand in your metaphorical shoes.
We call this one Don't Text YourEx how to Outsmart Mood based
(16:51):
Decisions because let's be honest, some of our worst ideas
show up dressed like saviors, whispering trust me while
wearing a sun hat and holding your phone.
Oh yeah, mood based decisions are like trying to sail in a
hurricane with a cocktail umbrella.
(17:12):
I'm pretty sure I've seen you dothat a time or two.
You feel dramatic and powerful for about 3 minutes, then you're
wet, confused, and emotionally shipwrecked.
Somewhere between Regret Reef and Bad Idea Bay.
Yeah, that's a familiar story. I can sense brewing.
(17:34):
We'll save that for another episode.
When we're hijacked, emotionallyspeaking, we start grasping for
the nearest lever of control. We want relief, not clarity.
So we do things like rage texting, rage quitting, raid
shopping, or giving ourselves transformative bangs at 11:00 PM
(17:56):
with eyebrow scissors. Raise your hand if you've ever
composed A resignation letter inyour head, rehearsed it in the
mirror and then almost sent it to the wrong department.
Don't you tell anybody I'm sitting here with my hand in.
Here it's OK, this island is a judgment free zone.
Unless you buy a ferret online because you're lonely.
(18:20):
Then we might gently intervene. Let's go back to Kilimanjaro for
a hot second. When our driver casually dropped
the oh, by the way, there was a murder line.
I felt this internal ZAP. It wasn't panic, it wasn't fear,
just kind of that primal do something energy.
(18:41):
It felt a little like, should wecancel the race?
Should we find a new hotel? Should we Google how to fake a
family emergency in Swahili? Yeah, same.
My brain went to DEFCON 4. Do we know this life?
Are we now part of the plot twist?
Is this going to be a Netflix documentary narrated by an
(19:03):
overly dramatic narrator with a flair for suspense?
We weren't in danger, we were just unsettled.
And unsettled is not a good headspace for decision making.
It's a good headspace for writing emo poetry, but not for
life choices. Exactly when your nervous system
(19:23):
is lit up like a tiki torch at abeach wedding gone wrong, your
logic brain takes a vacation andleaves your mood in charge.
Leaves it, bye bye. And your mood?
Let's just say it's been drinking.
How about a little wisdom? Pause the decision.
Don't trust the mood all. Right, step one, learn to spot
(19:45):
your mood. Hijack.
It looks like this. You're overly reactive.
You're fantasizing about escape,revenge, or moving to a yurt.
Narrating your life like you're starring in a soap opera.
You're thinking screw it. More than twice before noon.
Step 2. Make it your personal island
(20:06):
law. No big decisions during
Moodstorm, no breakups, no confrontations, no major
purchases, no telling your boss how you really feel via a meme.
Real talk, here we go. I once thought of quitting
everything and picking up a sidehustle on eBay because of a
weird comment and low blood sugar.
(20:28):
I had three tabs open. Amazon smart ass comeback and
Ben and Jerrys. It seemed like a crafty escape
plan. By dinner, she was over it.
That's right, All it took was a snack, a jog, and a nap.
Suddenly, what seemed like an existential crisis lost its
plot. I still like eBay but I'm I'm
(20:50):
more than happy for someone elseto be the seller, at least for
now. That's the thing.
Moods are like tropical storms. They roll in, they make noise,
and then they drift out. But if you rearrange your whole
life during the storm, you wake up with soggy plans, weird
bangs, and three new monthly subscriptions.
(21:11):
Oh shoot, that's how that keeps happening to us.
Here's the hack, delay and document one.
Write it down 2. Step away and three revisit it
in 24 hours with a clearer brain.
Half the time you'll look at it and go, what in the hell was I
thinking? That is so true.
(21:31):
Have I mixed sadness with strongcoffee again?
Yes, I did. The other half of the time
you'll still care, but now you can respond instead of react.
Also, tell your people your pattern.
Let them be your lighthouse, someone who will gently sit.
Maybe don't buy that alpaca farmjust yet.
(21:54):
Maybe just have a juice first. That's love.
That's island love. Supportive, salty, and soul
stabilizing. You got it.
Meanwhile, back in Tanzania, that driver's confession could
have derailed our whole trip. Sure, we could have left.
We could have canceled the marathon.
Totally. Packed it all up, but we paused.
We let it settle and that trip became one of the coolest
(22:17):
experiences of our lives. That's the lesson.
Feelings are visitors, not landlords.
They don't get to run your life just because they're loud and
wearing a metaphorical crown. Say it louder for the folks
currently doom scrolling and contemplating sending that risky
text. Feelings aren't facts.
(22:40):
They matter, yes, but they're not the whole story.
No, Especially when you're tired, hungry, or emotionally
sunburned. The aging hero's toolkit.
It's not just hammocks and high vibes.
It's discernment. The art of waiting.
The courage to pause, to respond, not react.
(23:01):
So next time your mood starts suggesting plot twists, ask it
to take a seat, give it a coconut water, and let your
wisdom do the talking. Your peace is sacred, your
growth doesn't need a crisis, and your ex still doesn't
deserve that text. All right, let's do a segment
recap. This is mood does not equal
(23:23):
mindset. Mood based decisions are usually
trash fires in paradise. If you're triggered, tired, or
tangled up in feelings, delay your decision making.
Use the delay and document method.
Let trusted people reality checkyou.
Practice discernment. Let the weather pass.
(23:45):
You don't need to react from themood, you get to respond from
your island wisdom. Coming up next, the sacred art
of letting go. We're talking forgiveness,
mental decluttering, and why carrying emotional trash makes
your soul smell foul. That's segment 4 heroes.
(24:06):
It's juicy, It's healing, and yes, it's slightly weird, just
how we like it. All right, heroes, you've ridden
(24:32):
shotgun through a story where chaos ruled the road, murder
made a surprise cameo, and your nervous system did more squats
than a CrossFit coach in Hurricane season.
We've paused, we've reset, and we've avoided texting our ex,
cutting our bangs or booking a one way ticket to Meltdown
(24:56):
Island. Now comes the final move, the
one most people skip. It's not sexy, it's not flashy.
It's the hardest and the holiest.
It's the release. We call it don't pack the dead
goat because when the day goes sideways and you survive it, the
only thing worse than the chaos is hauling it into tomorrow like
(25:20):
an emotional carry on. You know what we mean.
You've had the tough talk, missed the flight, survived the
awkward encounter at the grocerystore with your former therapist
and your current emotional support snack.
And yet, at midnight, you're still replaying it, carrying it
(25:41):
around like it's an emotional pinata.
You might eventually crack open foreclosure.
But here's the deal. The drama's done.
The thing happened. You felt it.
You handled it. Now it's time to set it down
gently and walk the hell away. Remember that bumpy ride through
Tanzania? The one with the unexpected
(26:03):
murder anecdote? Yeah, we had a choice.
We could freak out, panic, let it cloud the whole trip, view
every friendly wave like it camewith an asterisk, sleep with one
eye open and one sandal off. Or.
Or. We could set it down, label it
(26:23):
as unexpected cultural download,and move forward.
We chose the latter, and becausewe did, we got the full
experience. Yeah, Beauty, discomfort, humor,
healing. Not because it was perfect, but
because we didn't drag the weirdness behind us like a
suitcase with squeaky wheels. In this segment, it's your
(26:48):
permission slip to do the same, to not let one moment ruin the
rest of your adventure. Tools for letting go.
Tool one. close the loop. Say to yourself, that happened,
it's over, I'm OK. Say it like you're brushing off
sand before getting back in the hammock.
(27:08):
Tool 2. Realize the release, write it
down, earn it, or crumple it up and bank shot it into the trash
can like an emotional 3 pointer at a beach bonfire.
Tool 3. Move your body.
Dance, swim, walk it off like you're heading to the Tiki bar
(27:28):
of Truth. Your body stores stuff.
Let it be part of that letting go.
Tool 4. Compassionate truth.
Tell yourself I did the best I could with what I knew at the
time and now I know better. Say it like you're putting a lay
around your own neck and handingyourself a fruit smoothie.
And Tool 5. Sorry, but no souvenirs.
(27:52):
If you're retelling the story topunish yourself or someone else,
stop. This isn't a tourist shop.
No need to take home pain in a snow globe.
The point? The goal isn't denial, it's.
Completion. Because guess what?
Tomorrow deserves the best of you, not the version still
(28:15):
dragging yesterday's mess through airport security.
Letting go doesn't mean forgetting.
It means honoring what happened and honoring what's next.
I think that's why we love sailing.
You can't carry the last weight with you.
You ride it, you release it, youscan the horizon for what's
next. It's all about that.
(28:36):
So today, aging heroes, we invite you to lighten your
emotional luggage. Don't pack the dead goat.
Leave it in Tanzania, or in thatawkward Zoom call, or in last
Tuesday's meltdown that no longer needs to board your
soul's next flight. So let's recap this episode.
(28:58):
Manage bad days. Let's do it.
We dropped into Tanzania where chaos ruled the road and
unexpected truths asked us to check our mindset mid marathon.
Segment 2 gave us the Reset Ritual, a four step practice to
reset when your day starts doingcartwheels.
(29:21):
In segment 3, we taught you not to make life altering decisions
from inside a mood monsoon because no one needs an impulse
tattoo or an X tech spiral. And here in segment 4, we handed
you the sacred scroll of lettinggo.
(29:43):
Because managing bad days isn't about perfect responses.
It's about choosing presence over panic, humor over
heaviness, and grace over the urge to carry crap into
tomorrow. If this episode hit your heart,
it spoke to you. Share it, text a friend, tag us,
(30:05):
and go follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Aging Heroes.
You can also find our full tribeat www.agingheroes.com.
Coming up next week, Episode 10,Convert your stress.
Because not all stress is bad. Some of it's fuel, some of it's
(30:28):
feedback, and some of it's just your inner critics screaming for
a better job description. We're going to show you how to
turn tension into traction. I like that.
How to get unstuck without unraveling?
Until then, take care of that brave, slightly sunburned,
wildly worthy part of yours. And whatever you do.
(30:52):
Whatever you do, don't. Pack the.
Dead goat, we'll see you next time.
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