75 Hard Restart Day 5: Graduation in the Rain, Hotel Stair Workouts & Running on East Coast Time
Restart Day 5.
The original plan was to wake up at 5 AM and hit the hotel gym before graduation events started.
But apparently my body had other plans.
I completely slept through my alarm.
Which honestly makes sense because to my California body…
it was basically still 2 AM.
East Coast time adjustment was not happening gracefully.
Luckily my daughter woke up around 6 and woke me up too.
Because we had about 30 minutes to get ready and get over to Brown University to secure seats for commencement.
In the rain.
Rainy Graduation Morning
The ceremony itself didn’t even officially start until around 10:30.
So once we got seats situated, I left my daughter — the one not graduating today — in charge of holding our spots while I headed out to get my workout in.
And let me paint this picture for you:
I’m speed walking through the streets of Providence:
in a dress
in 3.5 inch heels
in the rain
trying to get my 45-minute workout done.
And Providence sidewalks are no joke.
Uneven pavement.
Random holes.
Different textures from years and years of repairs.
It was basically a live-action ankle stability workout.
So that was fun.
Post-Workout Survival Meal
After my walk, I sat back down and had:
two pieces of beef jerky
a black Americano
And by the time the undergraduates walked through for photos, we were all:
cold
wet
hungry
My daughter’s department ceremony wasn’t until 2:45, so we had about two hours to go find food and regroup.
Pho for Lunch
We ended up at Pho Horn's.
And this place pretty much specialized in different variations of beef pho, plus a huge appetizer menu.
So I ordered:
brisket pho
jasmine tea
And for an appetizer we shared roasted quail wings.
The warm soup after standing in cold rain all morning felt perfect.
Department Ceremony + Avoiding Water
Then it was time to head back for the department ceremony.
And here’s the funny part:
I still had barely started my water intake for the day.
Not because I forgot.
But because I absolutely did not want to spend the entire graduation ceremony trying to find a bathroom.
Hydration strategy becomes very different during all-day events.
Celebration Dinner in Boston
The ceremony wrapped up close to 4 PM, and after that we headed to Boston for dinner at Ocean Prime.
And that’s when I started aggressively catching up on my water.
Dinner was part celebration, part exhaustion recovery.
We split the seafood tower appetizer.
And I ordered:
a spicy tuna roll
Since we were celebrating my daughter graduating, I asked for nonalcoholic champagne.
But they didn’t have any.
So instead they served me ginger ale in a champagne flute.
Which honestly still felt festive enough.
I also had a nonalcoholic paloma…
or as they called it:
a “PaNOma.”
Everything was delicious.
And then came dessert.
The table ordered:
crème brûlée
chocolate torte
carrot cake
I was completely satisfied just taking:
one bite of the crème brûlée
one bite of the chocolate torte
Not even a full ounce of dessert total.
And that felt really good actually.
Because old me probably would’ve kept picking at it mindlessly just because it was there.
The Hotel Gym Was Closed… So I Adapted
By the time we got back to the hotel, I was exhausted.
And of course…
the hotel gym was closed.
Perfect.
But instead of letting that derail me, I improvised.
I did stairs.
Up one flight.
Down one flight.
Up two flights.
Down two flights.
Up three.
Down three.
Up four.
Down four.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
That workout was brutal.
Ending the Night
After the stairs:
shower
reading my 10 pages
finishing my water
And by the end of the night, I was completely done.
Physically tired.
Emotionally tired.
But also really proud of myself.
Because this day could’ve very easily turned into:
“I’ll just skip it.”
But I didn’t.
What I’m Noticing on Restart Day 5
I already know alignment is not about ideal conditions.
It’s about adapting.
Flowing.
Adjusting without abandoning yourself.
Because life is never going to hand you perfect circumstances all the time.
There will be:
delayed flights
exhaustion
rain
schedule changes
closed gyms
celebrations
emotional days
long nights
unexpected stress
And I think that’s where feminine and masculine energy really come into balance.
The masculine says:
“Keep your word.”
“Find a way.”
“Stay anchored.”
The feminine says:
“Adjust.”
“Respond.”
“Work with yourself instead of against yourself.”
And healthy alignment needs both.
Because too much masculine energy can turn into rigidity and self-punishment.
Too much feminine energy without structure can become chaos and inconsistency.
But together?
That’s where sustainable alignment lives.
Not in perfection.
In adaptability.
In leadership with softness.
In learning how to move with life without completely abandoning yourself every time conditions change.
Restart Day 5 Complete
Rainy sidewalks.
Graduation ceremonies.
Hotel stair workout.
Still aligned.
