Minute With Mallon: I Heard Her Laugh!

Jun 25

Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Something I Taught:

I was working with a client recently who owns 16 motorcycles. His job has been very stressful this year due to circumstances that are out of his control. But he told me that he has been going out and riding his motorcycles right after work, and it just completely clears his mind.

It made me think back to 2005. My first wife Leigh was in the depths of cancer. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, had suffered through a double mastectomy, radiation, chemotherapy – just a living hell.

A very good friend offered his vacation home to us. It was out in the country and just beautiful.

He told us that he had two four wheelers if we would like to use them. His property had some forest on it, and many rolling hills. Over the years he and his kids had worn down a path by riding around. It took around 5 minutes to do the whole course at full speed, so it was pretty long.

After unloading the car, Leigh and I pulled out the 4 wheelers. I was very worried for her. I didn't want her to get hurt, and I didn't know if the jarring would cause her pain. But after a couple of minutes we took off.

Within a minute or two, she was ramping it up.

And I started to hear her laugh!

It was the first time in a couple of years that I saw her just completely let go with joy and reckless abandon. There was so much joy in her laughter. (As I write this, I have tears streaming down my face from the beauty of the memory.

We raced each other for at least a couple of hours. It was a day that I will never forget.

She passed away a few months later. She’d been my 3rd grade sweetheart…

Why am I telling you this? Several reasons:

First, movement clears the mind. There’s just something about getting your body moving—whether it’s a walk, a ride, or anything active. It clears out the mental clutter and helps you reset. The body leads, and the mind follows.

I've heard it said that joy is medicine. When Leigh was going through cancer, the first time I heard her belly laugh again was out on that four-wheeler. I’ll never forget it. That joy—that moment—it was healing. In the middle of hard seasons of life, don’t underestimate how powerful it is to laugh and feel alive.

Movement creates a needed outlet. My client doesn’t ride his motorcycles to show off—he rides because it helps him think, breathe, and feel better. We all need that kind of outlet—something that brings peace and helps us recharge.

And lastly, Recreation Isn’t Optional—It’s Restorative. Recreation isn’t just for fun—it’s for your soul. It rebuilds you. It fills you back up so you can go back out and give your best again.

So here’s my questions for you:

● What’s your version of a four-wheeler ride?

● What helps you clear your mind, feel alive, and reconnect with joy?

Figure it out this week, don’t wait.

Make space for it. Schedule it. Do it.

Your body, your mind, and your soul will thank you.

Something to Ponder:

"If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk."

— Hippocrates

Something I Learned:

When I work with people about how to set up their days, we discuss the fact that willpower fades during the day.

In his book Talk Like Ted, Carmine Gallo says this:

"We have a finite amount of willpower each day, which becomes depleted as our brains consume more energy.” He found that completely unrelated activities (resisting chocolate, working on math puzzles, listening to a presentation) drew on the same source of energy. This helps to explain why we get so tired, especially later in the day, after we've been making decisions all morning or trying to suppress distractions (like the tempting piece of pie for lunch).

The culprit is glucose, or lack of it. Glucose is a simple sugar manufactured in the body from all kinds of foods. It enters the bloodstream and acts a fuel for muscles, which include your heart, liver, and brain.

Mental activity rapidly depletes glucose, which is why it is critically important to complete the harder items on your to-do list early in the day.”

In other words, Eat the Green Frog First!