Becoming a "Swiftie"

 If you're unsure what/who a "Swiftie" is, I'd be quite shocked. "Swifties" refers to the fandom of the incredible, inspiring soul: Miss Taylor Swift.

Many years ago, I was nicknamed "Taylor Zwift" - which was fun word play referring to both my cycling abilities and maybe due to the fact I was the youngest blonde (Taylor 'look-a-like') female on my triathlon team at the time - haha! I'm not quite sure there, but the name stuck among my teammates. Zwift is an indoor cycling app which I've used extensively over the years and extra appreciated during the Shelter-In-Place provisions during the 2020 pandemic.

Last fall (of 2023), due to my challenging circumstances, I was drawn to listening to more of Taylor's music and wow, I felt more connected to the themes and her experiences more than ever. Specifically, how she is publicly judged and harassed for her personal life - which is none of people's business (just like me!). We are also kindred spirits in the sense we stand up for women & minorities, in addition to ourselves. 

I seriously contemplated renting out my local movie theater in Redwood City to privately watch her concert last fall on the (very!) big screen (cost was $700.. but it seemed worth it, at the time, especially given the fact my 'local' health/dr care was failing me on multiple levels), but I ultimately chose not to. Due to still being in recovery from intense PTSD flashbacks (in addition to building my first/own apartment mostly by myself), the noise and sound system, most likely, would have set me off into a panic state, so I skipped on this. However, her music hit the top of my music playlists late in 2023 and carried me through this year. One of the first records I bought earlier this year is Midnights (which I highly recommend!).

**This blog post is dedicated to the lovely TSA agent I met at the San Francisco International Airport earlier this year, who overheard a man yell at me (in almost exact words): "Who do you you think you are? Just another empowered woman running her mouth??", after I let him firmly, yet gently, know he shouldn't speak to her in the condescending, rude manner he was. (This incident occurred March 15th, when I was heading up to Seattle, WA for a quiet healing weekend, with fresh air, hiking & seafood on my mind.). I'd like to think I helped her feel supported, as I'd imagine her job is very stressful and she's probably underappreciated at times - similar to how I've felt in my numerous career positions. We truly never know our impact on somebody, but that was my intention in sticking up for her. I think I saw her smile when I yelled back to the man, as I walked away: "My name is Heidi Buttery! Check out my website ultraheidibuttery.com" - which was an active domain at the time, summarizing my journey to date. Also, I may have dropped some F-bombs, too on my walk to security and organizing my wallet as I waited for x-Ray scan, but hey, his unfavorable attitude deserved a check-up/shut-down and someone had to do it!)

So yes, while our deliveries are incredibly different (with Taylor beautifully commanding stages all over the world and me speaking up on my everyday travels), we are kindred spirits and it's an honor to be called "Taylor Zwift".

May you have a lovely week ahead!

With Aloha,

Heidi