Your Body Is An Instrument, Spend On The People You Love, Gather Your People To Celebrate Life | FRLN 124

This issue of the Fit Rich Life Newsletter is dedicated to Debi Wise, my wife Carly’s mother.

Debi has been an avid reader of this newsletter.

And over the years, she has given me the kind of feedback every writer hopes to receive.

She has told me that what I write is meaningful.
That it is helpful.
That it matters.

And I cannot overstate how much that has meant to me.

Because putting your thoughts, ideas, stories, and lessons into the world takes courage.

It is easy to overthink.

It is easy to wonder:

Will anyone care?
Is this useful?
Am I saying anything that matters?

Debi’s encouragement has given me the courage and energy to keep going.

To keep writing.
To keep sharing.
To keep putting my ideas out into the world.

So for this issue, I want to honor Debi by sharing a few of the things I have learned simply from being in her presence.

FIT — Your Body Is An Instrument Of Expression

At every family wedding, Debi tore up the dance floor.

Not casually.

Not politely.

She danced with joy.

And her joy was infectious.

It is such a pleasure to watch Debi and Carly dance together. There is something deeply beautiful about seeing a mother and daughter celebrate life through movement.

No performance.
No pressure.
Just music, rhythm, laughter, and love.

Debi also plays the piano beautifully.

When we visit, I’ve watched her sit down at the piano and let her fingers dance across the keys, producing a symphony of sound that seems to resonate not just in the room but in the heart and spirit.

There is something divine about using your body to create music.

And there is something equally divine about moving your body to music.

Dance and music are two of the body’s highest forms of expression.

They are not just entertainment.

They are health.
They are vitality.
They are joy.
They are aliveness.

This has reminded me that fitness is not only about lifting weights, tracking macros, hitting step counts, or training for pickleball.

Those things matter.

But fitness is also about expression.

It is about being in your body.
Feeling your body.
Celebrating your body.
Letting your body be a vehicle for joy.

I keep a harmonica in my car, and I make a lot of noise driving to the gym or the pickleball courts.

I am not sure anyone would call it music.

But it is one of my forms of breathwork.

It wakes me up.
It enlivens me.
It gets me into my body.
It reminds me that health is not only discipline.

Health is also a physical expression of movement & sound.

Debi has reminded me of that.

Move your body.
Dance when the music comes on.
Make music if you can.
Make noise if you cannot.

Your body is not just something to optimize.

It is something to celebrate through dance & music.

RICH — Spend On The People You Love

One of the most powerful money lessons I have learned from Debi is this:

Use your financial resources to enrich the lives of your loved ones.

Whether it is Chinese New Year, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, or family gatherings, Debi knows how to use money in service of love, family, celebration, and connection.

That is a beautiful thing.

Because money is not just for accumulating.

Money is not just for investing.
Money is not just for optimizing.
Money is not just for watching a number go up.

Money is a tool.

And one of the highest uses of money is to spend it on the people you love.

Every birthday, Debi has gifted me money.

She supported me in my quest to reach Financial Independence, knowing that I'd invest the gift of money. Or that I may use it to purchase some random fitness paraphernalia in my never-ending quest to build a Fit Rich Life.

And I have always appreciated that.

But what I have appreciated even more is the spirit behind it.

The generosity.
The thoughtfulness.
The joy of giving to loved ones.

I have also lost count of the number of times she has treated Carly and me to wonderful meals and experiences.

And despite living in Huntington Beach, she has always gone out of her way to use her time, energy, and financial resources to visit us in Santa Cruz.

That is a rich life.

Not just having money.

But knowing how to use it.

To connect.
To celebrate.
To show up.
To make memories.
To love people well.

This is something I talk about often in Fit Rich Life:

Build wealth, absolutely.

Save.
Invest.
Automate.
Own assets.
Create financial freedom.

But do not forget what the money is for.

Money is for life.

And some of the best uses of money will never show up on a spreadsheet.

They will show up around a dinner table.
On a dance floor.
At a family gathering.
Inside a shared memory that people will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Or as a boon in a loved one's quest.

Debi has always used money as a beautiful expression of love.

LIFE — Gather Your People To Celebrate Life

One of the big reasons I knew Carly was the one was because of the way her family comes together.

The holidays.
The meals.
The laughter.
The stories.
The traditions.
The feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself.

I have always admired that.

This past February, we had a huge Chinese New Year celebration with more than 50 family members, dragon dancers, catering, and the kind of energy that fills an entire house (and backyard).

It was big.
It was loud.
It was joyful.
It was full of life.

And then there are the smaller gatherings.

A smaller Christmas celebration. A more intimate room. Less spectacle, but just as much love.

Both matter.

The big celebrations and the small ones.

The once-a-year traditions and the ordinary moments.

The packed rooms and the quiet conversations.

Family gatherings are not always perfect. No family is.

But when people continue to show up, gather, eat, celebrate, dance, talk, laugh, and be together, something sacred happens.

You remember that life is not meant to be lived alone.

You remember that joy multiplies when it is shared.

You remember that traditions become anchors.

And you remember that some of the most meaningful parts of life are built slowly, through years of showing up for each other.

Debi has been a central part of that.

She has helped create a family culture where people gather, celebrate, and stay connected.

And that has impacted me deeply.

Because a Fit Rich Life is not just about having a fit body and a rich portfolio.

It is about having a life rich in love.

Rich in relationships.
Rich in memories.
Rich in family.
Rich in laughter.
Rich in music.

Rich in moments that remind you why any of this matters.

What Debi Has Taught Me

Debi has reminded me to dance more.

To make music.

To move my body with joy.

To use money as a tool for love, celebration, and connection.

To gather with family.

To create memories.

To encourage people when their words have helped you.

To tell people when their work matters.

That last one is especially meaningful to me.

Because Debi’s encouragement has mattered.

Her words have helped me keep writing.

And if this newsletter has ever helped you, encouraged you, challenged you, or inspired you in some way, Debi has played a role in that.

Her encouragement helped give me the courage to continue.

And for that, I am deeply grateful.

So this issue is for Debi Wise.

Thank you for dancing.
Thank you for playing music.
Thank you for gathering family.
Thank you for your generosity.
Thank you for your encouragement.

Thank you for reminding me what a Fit Rich Life really looks like.

A body physically expressed in movement & sound.

A rich life well-spent on the ones you love.

An overflowing heart of abundance.

And a family gathered together in celebration of the life we share.

With love & gratitude — your son-in-law,
​
— Justin "Dragon" Carl