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Fun. AFD and NYC. Is

0:34

it springtime yet? Hi

0:36

friends, welcome to another

0:39

episode of That Sounds Fun.

0:41

I'm your host Annie F.

0:43

Downs and I'm so happy

0:45

to be here with you

0:47

today. Just as a reminder

0:50

on that sounds fun in

0:52

2025 We are doing interview

0:54

episodes every Monday in our

0:56

series that sounds fun the

0:59

seasons We have a special

1:01

TSF seasons guidebook to go

1:03

along with each episode a

1:06

place for you to take

1:08

notes and assess your season

1:10

across multiple areas of life

1:12

That is available at Annie

1:15

F downs.com/seasons The winter pages

1:17

are there and next week

1:19

if you've already purchased the

1:21

guidebook will be sending you

1:23

the spring pages as well.

1:25

Once a month I get to

1:28

come here just me and you

1:30

and talk about something I am

1:32

processing. This started about 15 months

1:34

ago when I first moved

1:36

to New York and we called

1:38

them AFD and NYC as I

1:40

was real-time learning what it was

1:43

like to live in this city

1:45

where I am today too and

1:47

how it was different from the life

1:49

I had known for a long time

1:51

in Nashville. One of the

1:53

episodes that mattered a lot to

1:56

me and mattered a lot to many

1:58

of you was AFD and... NYC,

2:00

episode 6, an essay about

2:02

my body, and about how New

2:04

York City was changing

2:06

my body. No, that's

2:08

not what happened. New York

2:11

didn't change my body. New

2:13

York changed my mind about

2:15

my body. A truth that

2:17

remains today a year and

2:20

a half into this wild

2:22

dual citizenship life I'm trying

2:24

to have is that mostly

2:27

my body thrives in New

2:29

York. It thrives in ways

2:31

it does not thrive in

2:33

other cities. I've lived in

2:35

a few places, but nowhere

2:37

have I had the experience

2:40

I am having here. The

2:42

amount of walking surrounded by

2:44

so many bodies and so

2:46

many shapes and sizes and

2:49

so much freedom to be you.

2:51

It's why I love the subway.

2:53

It's why I love Central Park.

2:55

I just love that we

2:58

are all embodied together, experiencing

3:00

each other in a version

3:03

of traffic, but traffic that

3:05

isn't hindering our humanness by

3:07

separating us in cars. We

3:10

are in crowds. Crowds

3:12

of unique humans that all

3:14

bring their own history and

3:17

their own pain and joys.

3:19

Their spiritual experiences and

3:21

the spiritual forces they

3:23

have allowed. and their

3:26

actual body. We bring them

3:28

all together. My friend Meredith

3:30

and I left a Broadway

3:32

show last night and ran down

3:35

the steps at the 50th Street

3:37

entrance to the Uptown 1 train

3:39

just as it was pulling up

3:42

and filling up. We ran, real-time

3:44

ran to get onto one of

3:46

the subway cars. About... I don't

3:49

know, 30 college students were in

3:51

the same car and they weren't

3:53

moving to the middle of the

3:56

train, which is a must do

3:58

when it is crowded. More people

4:00

can get in the doors. You've

4:02

got to scoot to the middle

4:05

of the train. I lost my

4:07

patience trying to get on and

4:09

said, y'all, please move and shoved

4:11

my way past them into the

4:13

center of the subway car.

4:16

Bodies, passing bodies, reflecting

4:18

together after shows, experiencing

4:20

each other and flesh

4:22

that takes up space in

4:24

the world. I was so annoyed

4:26

at those students and also I

4:28

just love it. Also, New York

4:31

Tip that I learned this

4:33

week. You don't talk about a

4:35

show when it is over until

4:38

you are five blocks away from

4:40

the show. You never know when

4:42

someone's friends or parents are like

4:45

standing around you, sitting around you,

4:47

walking around you, so hold your

4:49

opinions and thoughts after you leave

4:52

a show until you are five

4:54

blocks away. I'm sitting outside a

4:56

cafe right now as I write

4:59

this. The sun has just barely

5:01

been out and the temperature is

5:03

just barely crusting into the 50s,

5:05

but warm enough is close enough.

5:08

I am willing it to be

5:10

here by behaving like it's warm.

5:13

And as I sit, the sidewalk

5:15

is bustling back and forth in

5:17

front of me with people, all

5:19

sorts of people. And they all

5:21

got dressed today and left

5:23

their homes and they are

5:26

walking around feeling or feigning

5:28

confidence. It's one of

5:30

my favorite things about this

5:32

city. If I love how we have

5:35

to interact with each other's bodies

5:37

on the subway, I equally love

5:39

how we all walk on sidewalks.

5:42

Because I need you to know

5:44

that my neighbors in New

5:46

York City strut. Not always

5:48

intentionally, but everyone crosses the

5:51

street with purpose. And where

5:53

I come from, walking with

5:55

purpose is a strut. It

5:57

has taught me an important thing

5:59

and... been a real catalyst

6:01

in the changing of my

6:03

mind and how it feels

6:05

like my body thrives here.

6:08

In New York, if you decide

6:10

you are beautiful, you are. In

6:12

New York, if you walk with

6:14

confidence, you are believed

6:17

to be confident. The

6:19

size and shape of your

6:21

body doesn't determine as much

6:23

here as the way you

6:25

carry that body through the

6:27

world and through New York. While

6:30

my mind has in the last

6:32

year and a half changed pretty

6:35

drastically in how I think about

6:37

my body, my physical body

6:39

has also changed and I am

6:41

stronger than I've been maybe ever

6:43

but for sure in a long

6:45

time. I think that has to do

6:48

with the amount of going

6:50

up and downstairs and lugging

6:52

things here, there and everywhere

6:54

and just the constant walking

6:56

in New York. My body

6:58

feels healthy and strong.

7:01

But with that being said,

7:03

something is off in my body.

7:05

I told someone today

7:07

that I feel like I'm made

7:09

of cement. Here at the end

7:12

of winter, my body feels like

7:14

it is full of cement. A

7:16

phrase my mama uses is

7:19

stove up. My body just feels

7:21

like stove up. I googled

7:23

it to get you like

7:25

a proper definition and AI

7:27

tells me stove up is

7:29

an adjective that means to

7:31

be physically uncomfortable due to

7:33

injury, illness, exercise or overwork.

7:36

It can also mean battered,

7:38

worn out or kicked or

7:40

stepped on. That feels dramatic.

7:42

I do not feel that. I

7:44

just feel like my body is

7:47

stuck like... Everything is stuck full

7:49

of cement. I'm not moving

7:51

as much as I usually

7:53

do and my body knows

7:56

it. It has been so cold

7:58

in New York City. that

8:00

I haven't exercised outside at all

8:02

and that is my favorite form

8:04

of exercise, especially here. Walking or

8:07

jogging outside makes me so happy.

8:09

I also love lifting weights, but

8:11

I don't have any in my

8:13

New York City apartment. I have

8:16

bands to use with my faster

8:18

way workouts, but not heavy weights.

8:20

And I'm not choosing to use

8:22

some of my budget for a

8:25

gym membership, though I have seriously

8:27

considered it. Because here in New

8:29

York, so many people make friends

8:31

and build relationships at their gym.

8:33

So socially, it feels important. Is

8:35

this weird to talk about? I

8:37

don't know. I just know that the

8:40

last month in New York has felt

8:42

different. It's felt like my body got

8:44

filled with cement or porridge or something,

8:46

and it feels, well, stove up. Is

8:49

it springtime yet? My

8:51

friend and I were talking

8:53

about how our workout routines are

8:55

different based on the seasons. And

8:58

if you look in history,

9:00

before the Industrial Revolution, people

9:02

lived more seasonally, and of

9:04

course they were inside and

9:07

more quiet and slower and

9:09

conserving energy in the winters

9:11

and doing the exact opposite

9:14

in the summers. I am ready for

9:16

that. My body feels so ready

9:18

for that. Is it springtime yet?

9:20

But didn't I just tell

9:23

you minutes ago about how much

9:25

I love the embodied nature of

9:27

this city and how it has

9:30

so drastically changed my mind and

9:32

my body? How I'm thriving more

9:34

than I ever have in my

9:37

body in New York City. But

9:39

also I'm feeling stuck and

9:41

weird and off, which has made

9:43

my mind also behave in

9:45

old thinking patterns in old

9:48

ways. Am I not past

9:50

this yet in my own personal

9:52

growth and development? I'm halfway through

9:54

my 40s and still thinking about

9:57

my body and how it makes

9:59

me feel? and how other people

10:01

see it and what they think?

10:03

Is that season not over yet?

10:06

Is it springtime yet? This has

10:08

all been stressful for me because

10:10

I actually really crave healthy rhythms.

10:13

I'm sure you do too. My

10:15

body feels less, I don't know,

10:17

cementy when I have proper rhythms.

10:20

It took me a long time,

10:22

a lot of counseling appointments, a

10:24

lot of trial and error to

10:27

find what healthy rhythms are for

10:29

me and my body and to

10:31

pursue the rhythms over pursuing the

10:34

outcome in my body from having

10:36

healthy rhythms. And I'm learning in

10:38

real time that how I feel

10:41

about my body actually affects how

10:43

I feel about where I'm living.

10:45

But also I think the season

10:48

is part of the problem here.

10:50

Like I said, is it springtime

10:52

yet? I always grieve a little

10:55

bit when it's time for me

10:57

to leave New York, which I

10:59

will do today when you are

11:02

hearing this and head back to

11:04

Nashville, but this time it feels

11:06

a little different, honestly, because I

11:09

know how much warmer it's going

11:11

to be in Nashville. Going back

11:13

to Nashville, I know I will

11:16

immediately be able to be outside

11:18

and I will have my little

11:20

workout equipment in my house that

11:23

I need and my happiest healthiest

11:25

rhythms will be back. It feels

11:27

like it will be a sigh

11:30

of relief to get my body

11:32

unstuck from whatever this is. But

11:34

I never feel this way about

11:37

New York. So that's weird for

11:39

me. Is this

11:41

just seasonal, is this like

11:44

seasonal sadness? Is this just

11:46

part of the end of

11:48

winter getting to me? My

11:51

doctor says this isn't pyramidopause,

11:53

but is it? And this

11:56

isn't how I usually feel.

12:00

Here in New York, these last

12:02

two weeks have just been so

12:04

brutally cold for me, a southerner,

12:07

trying to live an NYC life.

12:09

In fact, mid-February, I was saying

12:11

to my counselor how hard this

12:14

place feels for me, and she

12:16

said, we don't make decisions about

12:19

New York in February. No one

12:21

does. I understand why. Now that

12:23

it is March and there are

12:26

sunshiney days and I've made a

12:28

few laps around my favorite part

12:31

of Central Park, it is starting

12:33

to feel totally different. And it

12:35

will only get warmer and brighter

12:38

and the days get longer. Is

12:40

it springtime yet? I'm ready to

12:43

feel normal in my body again

12:45

and classic me. I think if

12:47

I get on a plane today

12:50

and go somewhere else, that will

12:52

happen. Your girl is an any

12:55

gram seven all day every day.

12:57

And I'm really sad to leave

12:59

New York as I always am.

13:02

I'm sad to lose the constant

13:04

crowds, the subway rides, and the

13:07

walking everywhere. I'm sad to lose

13:09

the freedom I feel in New

13:11

York to just let my body

13:14

be my partner in this life

13:16

and take me everywhere I want

13:19

to go. A privilege I do

13:21

not take lightly as I know

13:23

not all bodies can do what

13:26

I am able to do today.

13:28

After three surgeries in the last

13:31

three years, two of them on

13:33

my knees and both requiring much

13:35

recovery. I'm more grateful than ever

13:38

and more committed than ever to

13:40

a healthy body. as much as

13:43

I can control. I recognize how

13:45

lucky I am to walk around.

13:47

Will changing locations bring spring for

13:50

my body? Will I untangle this

13:52

mess in my mind just by

13:55

starting to run again next week?

13:57

Is my body changing seasons in

13:59

a more profound way that I

14:02

need to pay attention to or

14:04

has this just It's been a

14:07

weird winter. I'm bringing these questions

14:09

to you because I'm bringing them

14:11

to me. But I bet in

14:14

your own way, in your own

14:16

spiritual, emotional, mental, professional, or physical

14:18

lives, you're wondering some similar things.

14:21

Is it springtime yet? Could the

14:23

seasons please change so that I

14:26

can see if this thing will

14:28

change too? I'm

14:30

bringing it to God too, asking

14:32

him what is going on. In

14:34

the season of Lent, I'm wondering

14:37

what he is wanting me to

14:39

pay attention to and see clearly

14:41

what I couldn't see in another

14:43

season. Lent is just days old

14:46

and I'm already feeling the weight

14:48

of it, the clarity and the

14:50

conviction. I'm

14:52

not one who loves to tie

14:55

bows on things, but I have

14:57

a good bow for us here

14:59

today as we are wishing spring

15:02

was here in our cities and

15:04

in our bodies and in our

15:07

hearts. What do we do? We

15:09

just keep going. We just keep

15:11

walking. We just keep honoring what

15:14

we feel. I journaled all of

15:16

this and talked through all of

15:19

this with my counselor before bringing

15:21

it here. We keep telling ourselves

15:23

the truth. Something has changed in

15:26

my body. Something has changed in

15:28

my mind. I don't understand it,

15:30

and I don't like it. And

15:33

we grab on to our healthy

15:35

rhythms as best we can to

15:38

keep some things the same as

15:40

they were in other seasons. And

15:42

we trust the process. This is

15:45

all a process. our bodies, our

15:47

spiritual lives, every relationship we are

15:50

in, all in process. And what

15:52

is happening today is meant for

15:54

you. It is part of the

15:57

journey. So we trust the process,

15:59

and by that I mean. trusting

16:02

God in the process that he

16:04

is allowing. As we soon turn

16:06

the page to spring in the

16:09

northern hemisphere, at least, we trust

16:11

the story. We trust the author.

16:14

We trust our bodies. If you

16:16

have thoughts to share, there's a

16:18

great place for that on Instagram

16:21

at That Sounds Fun podcast. I

16:23

would love, love, love to hear

16:25

your thoughts about any of this.

16:28

Thanks for following along on this

16:30

journey with me. We are sure

16:33

learning together in real time, aren't

16:35

we? Hope you have a great

16:37

weekend. Hope you experience a little

16:40

bit of spring in your life

16:42

too. And we'll see you back

16:45

here on Monday where I get

16:47

to share with you a really

16:49

special conversation with our dear friend,

16:52

Ellie Holcomb. You

17:03

know over time life can get you down

17:05

discouragement starts to creep in and eventually we

17:07

just stop letting ourselves hope for more We

17:10

say things like I believe it when I

17:12

see it and don't get your hopes up

17:14

Sounds like good grown-up advice, right? Actually, it's

17:16

not Hey, I'm Christy Wright number one national

17:19

best-selling author speaker business coach and mom of

17:21

three. Oh, and I have a podcast called

17:23

Get Your Hopes Up, which is what I

17:25

want to tell you about Romans 1513 says,

17:28

may the God of hope fill you with

17:30

all joy and peace as you trust in

17:32

him so that you may overflow with hope

17:35

by power of the Holy Spirit. And that

17:37

is exactly what my show is about. Whether

17:39

I'm telling one of my latest crazy God

17:41

stories or giving you practical advice to live

17:44

out your faith, I love hanging out with

17:46

you every Monday to help you get to

17:48

know God, get closer to him and get

17:51

your hopes up again. Listen to get your

17:53

hopes. up.com. That's get your hopes.com. Are

17:55

you looking for encouragement

17:57

to live life how

18:00

God calls you to and know

18:02

that your life kingdom purpose? Well

18:04

look further. Hi, I'm Megan I'm

18:07

a mom, wife, and host wife,

18:09

and host of the

18:11

She podcast. Each week we'll Each

18:13

week, we'll chat all

18:16

about life from a

18:18

Jesus -loving perspective. Relationships, parenthood,

18:20

hormones, hormones, routines, getting our fire

18:22

for God back, anxiety, practical

18:24

ways to walk with God, and

18:26

more. Think of it with sitting

18:29

with that one friend that's

18:31

always cheering you on. So be encouraged

18:33

to live in every season

18:35

of life on the She purposefully podcast.

18:37

Tune in on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or

18:39

or wherever you listen to podcasts.

18:41

podcast.