A Thank You to Chuck Norris

Lauren Nixon-Matney • May 4, 2025
Pixel art tribute inspired by Chuck Norris and Walker, Texas Ranger, representing childhood memories, karate lessons, and gratitude for the strength and inspiration found in the Searching for Stars Cosmic Post Office.

Thank You: Chuck Norris

A Thank You to  Chuck Norris


Chuck Norris doesn’t just inspire people he roundhouse kicks inspiration directly into their lives.


I have never met Chuck Norris. But somehow, the man has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. And honestly? I owe him a thank you.


Some people grow up with childhood heroes movie stars, athletes, cartoon characters. Me?
I grew up with  Walker, Texas Ranger.


It was my granny’s favorite show, and that meant it was
our show. If Walker was on, the world could wait. And if Chuck Norris said something was important, you listened. Which is why one completely normal day, in the middle of my childhood, Chuck Norris unknowingly changed my life.


The Day Chuck Norris Pulled Me Out of Class


I was about 11 or 12, going through a rough patch my family was on edge due to some pretty serious circumstances, and life felt uncertain. But on this one particular day, I was sitting in school, minding my own business, when I got called to the office.


Now, let me set the scene: this had
never happened before. My mind immediately jumped to panic mode. Had something happened to my dad? Was I in trouble? Was I about to be abducted by secret government agents?


Turns out, none of the above. I walked into the office, and there sat my granny, looking
dead serious.


And then she said,
“I was watching Walker, Texas Ranger today, and at the end of the episode, Chuck Norris said that kids should do karate.”


Now, if anyone else had said this, it might have seemed
random. But this was my granny. And this was Chuck Norris.


She proceeded to tell me that she had seen a
flyer for karate lessons at the Methodist Church and, since Chuck Norris personally recommended it (as far as she was concerned), she wanted to sign me up. She would pay for it, take me to my lessons, tournaments, everything.


So I did it. And you know what? It
helped me so much. Karate taught me discipline, confidence, awareness, and strength. But even more than that, it gave me treasured memories with my granny. She never missed a class. She never hesitated to be there for me. And all because Chuck Norris gave her the idea.


The Total Gym Obsession (And My Baby Workout Partner)


Fast forward a few years: I’m in high school, and late-night TV is
infomercial gold. And the best of the best? The Total Gym commercial.


I was obsessed. I
wanted one so bad. Chuck Norris made that thing look like the ultimate workout. Forget a normal gym—I wanted the Chuck Norris way.


Years later, after I had my first baby, Jaxon, I told my husband Jamie that I
deserved a present for having his child. Naturally, I asked for a Total Gym.


Jamie delivered. And so did the Total Gym.


Not only did it help me
get into the best shape of my life—even better than before having a baby—but it became a special bonding time with my son. Jaxon loved it.


He hated being rocked in a chair, but if I
laid back on the Total Gym, holding him in my arms while doing squats, and sang to him? He was out like a light. I literally sang my babies to sleep on a Chuck Norris workout machine.


I have
photos, videos, and countless memories of this. And now? Jaxon and Maggie love using the Total Gym, too. Chuck Norris workouts have officially become a family legacy.


Post-Baby #3 &
  The Roundhouse Kick to My Gut Health


Now, after my
third pregnancy, I was feeling the weight of time. Recovery was slower, energy was lower, and I needed something extra. Enter: Chuck Norris’ Roundhouse green juice and probiotic.


Embarrassingly enough to admit I have struggled with
gut health probably my entire life. But this? Game changer.


Chuck Norris doesn’t sell
health products.


He sells
bottled invincibility.


Between the
Total Gym, proper diet, exercise, and this probiotic, I have felt stronger, more energized, and healthier than I could have imagined. And yes, I fully believe that Chuck Norris himself has something to do with that.


The Shirt, The Legend, The Roundhouse Kick of Gratitude


Jamie once had a Chuck Norris t-shirt I gifted him that read:


“Chuck Norris doesn’t break hearts. He breaks legs.”


He loved that shirt. He wore it until it literally fell apart. And when it did?
I saved it to make a t-shirt quilt.


Chuck Norris, you’ve been more than just a Texas icon—you’ve been an unexpected mentor, a source of strength, and a legend in my life.


Because of you, my granny walked into my school and signed me up for karate. Because of you, I got in the best shape of my life and somehow turned a piece of workout equipment into a lullaby for my babies. Because of you, I found strength in every season of my life before kids, after kids, and even now, as I chase them around.


I may never get the chance to meet you. But if I do, I’ll shake your hand, look you in the eye, and say
thank you. And then I’ll probably embarrass myself by crying.


Chuck Norris doesn’t just inspire he
leaves a roundhouse-kick sized impact on people’s lives and footprints of strength wherever he stands.


A Thank You To Chuck Norris 8bit Image of Lauren in Karate Gi
Latter to Chuck Norris Image of 8bit Digital Stamp from Searching For Stars - Letters of Light

A Thank You To Chuck Norris

RESUME THE RHYTHM:

DRIFT THROUGH A CONSTELLATION OF MEMORY

Searching For Stars

By Lauren Nixon-Matney April 12, 2026
Film: Young Guns 1 & 2 Bon Jovi : Blaze of Glory
By Lauren Nixon-Matney April 12, 2026
*A letter of light for Rosey Blair* Okay this is going to sound oddly specific but stay with me... You remind me of a very particular kind of feeling. The kind that lives somewhere between fall air, soft lighting, and a childhood movie that most people forgot existed, but the ones who remember it? Oh we remember. The 1987 Chipmunk Adventure! Which I did not expect to ever connect to another adult human about, and yet here I am. There’s just something about that movie the movement, the music, the chaos, the fun, the outfits, the chipettes... like being in motion and color and sound at the same time. And watching you feels like that again in a weirdly beautiful , full circle way. Not in a “this is aesthetic content” way more like a “this is a person who actually lives inside her life” way. And ironically that’s what makes your aesthetic top notch in my opinion. Cozy but not fake. Honest and raw but not too harsh. Funny without trying to perform funny. (which is rarer than people think) There’s a warmth in how you show up that feels familiar in a way I can’t fully explain but definitely recognize. I came across you scrolling my phone, postpartum, trying to find my footing again. At the time I was in that weird in between space, relearning my body, trying to feel like myself inside something that had completely changed... yet again. And you showed up in your space on instagram in a way that felt real. Authentic. Original. Not “perfect body positivity” not curated confidence just a woman existing in her body dressing it, living in it, laughing in it and making that feel normal again. Healthy. Beautiful. Fun! Something I really grew to respect about you was that you didn’t stay frozen in one version of that message or yourself just to make people comfortable. You shifted. And I really admire the way you talk about Changing your mind. Leaving spaces that don’t feel right anymore. Figuring out that loving yourself isn’t one fixed version it evolves. That kind of honesty is quietly powerful and extremely profound. You evolved and changed your mind out loud. And people always have something to say when a woman does that... but you stayed steady anyway. That kind of self trust? That’s the part people don’t talk about enough. That’s what bravery looks like in real time! You don’t just create content, you create an honest space for people to re-meet themselves in whatever version they’re currently in. It’s the kind of magic that doesn’t need to be announced it just exists, and people feel it when they orbit around it. You didn’t just show up on my feed, you showed up in a moment where I needed to feel like myself again. Like a song you forgot you loved until it comes back on and suddenly you remember everything. And somehow through outfits, honesty, humor, book reviews and a lot of zany ingenuity... you saved parts of my girlhood that likely make me a better mother. Thanks so much for being you! Thanks for being real. Thanks for taking up space, your energy’s reach is more powerful than you ever might have imagined. P.S... I have to add this because it lives rent free in my brain! That Taylor Swift workout series you did?!? absolutely unhinged in the best way It was funny and chaotic and somehow still motivating… I'm not deep in Taylor Swift knowledge territory, but it made me pause and go “okay wait... there’s something here.” The way she owns her work, reclaims it, redraws the line that I own me energy it felt incredibly aligned with what you were doing too. With love, light and gratitude, Stay Weird! -Lauren “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” -Louisa May Alcott
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