Life’s unexpected plans are often worth the ride. This past week, no – strike that – this past month, I have been reminded of this over and over. The run down:
Run (pun) Down One:
I had been training for the River Bank Run 25K (15.5 miles) which was scheduled to happen about a month after my first Half Marathon, the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon & 5K (GGH). The week before the GGH I pulled something in my right leg – up near the groin (ewww, groin area). I kept running through it and after the race, I continued to run through it ... until I couldn’t run anymore. The muscles in my legs were cramping around the clock and I couldn’t walk (not to mention run) without a limp. Our bodies are pretty frickin smart to over compensate for how dumb we can be. Good thing!
Today, I am slowing returning to running after an interesting 3 week break. Here is what I learned (this is A Hard Way to Learn, after all). Never underestimate the importance of cross training – that isn’t just window dressing. If you are going to run, and run distance, you have to add yoga for the stretch, walking/biking for working the other muscles in your body, and some strength training to help with core development. Also, you have to swallow your pride and stop doing what is hurting you . . as a friend told me “You’re not an elite runner, you don’t depend on this for income. You do it for health and happiness”. Right! I learned – if I am not happy or healthy doing it – It is time for a break.
I also learned, or dare I say was reminded, I am so lazy. It is so easy to be lazy . . I like it way too much. That 25 pounds lost have been waiting for a chance to get back on board. Yikes!
Run (pun) Down Two:
Medical Maddy Strikes again. Our daughter is a lightning rod for all things medical. If you have followed this blog, you know she has had a hell of a life journey. The thing about Maddy, if she is going to get sick – she does it big time. Last week she complained of a sore throat. It increased throughout the week and even with a doctor visit and antibiotics, she wasn’t getting better. Turns out she had an abbesses on her tonsil and if you think a groin muscle pull is gross . .you don’t even want to hear what an abbesses on the tonsil means. Let’s just say, OMg!, what is pouring out of your mouth? Yea, I hope you are not eating or anything right now – but I keep it honest peeps.
So, it was clear our ‘awesome day together’ with a lunch, a trip to GRAM, visit to Titanic, a delish dinner, and a first (for her) visit to the ballet to see Romeo and Juliet was not going to happen. Instead I saved the vacation day, worked from home while she slept. But, last night the most wonderful thing happened! Tom, Maddy, Andy and I were all home – together on a Friday night - with college aged children. And, we gathered around the television and watched Maddy’s choice: Gangster Squad. This hasn’t happened in nearly forever and it was heaven. Simple joy and happiness!
Did you get my puns? Sometimes I am so clever I hurt myself.
Assignment: I stumbled upon Smart Girls at the Party (Amy Poehler) and I highly encourage you to visit. Especially if you are, have been, or know of any young women in your life. Plus, there are some seriously funny finds there (duh, it’s Poehler). www.sgatp.net . . . do it!
A HARD WAY TO LEARN: Even at 50, life is still trying to teach me lessons.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Empty Nest Break . . .
College is ending for another year and today is our last day as an empty nest couple. I can’t lie to you; I have bitter-sweet emotions on this one. Obviously I love, and more importantly, actually like our college kids but . . .
Listen, Tom and I have established this new pattern to our routine and frankly, we like it. We like doing dorky things like watching (interactively) Jeopardy. We like not having dinners together. We like being in the same home but not necessarily in the same room together – and in contrast, we have fabulous conversations while just kicking back and letting the stress of the day wash out of us. We love our spontaneous date nights. We love the freedom of just acting like adults . . who are temporarily childless.
Then there are the things we like to do, outside of our relationship: he has golf and football (which really never stops you know – did you know that?? Coaches work at least 11 months a year. Plus, just for the record, he is a volunteer coach – give him the props folks. I, for one, know I will be a little less critical of the sideline now that I am in the game from this position). But, I digress . . . he has golf, football, and his workout routine. I have running and arts/cultural and about a zillion television shows I enjoy. We have a nice blend of us/me time and we like it.
I understand that once the kids return, will still be these people but now we have to remember how to share – with children – who have been adults for 10 months. Young adults who have set their own schedules, made their own rules, and created their own hours . . and now they are back in our home.
Yap, this is a bitter-sweet return to a full house.
Assignment: Remind me of this in August when I am crying because my college aged children are leaving home again, will you?
Listen, Tom and I have established this new pattern to our routine and frankly, we like it. We like doing dorky things like watching (interactively) Jeopardy. We like not having dinners together. We like being in the same home but not necessarily in the same room together – and in contrast, we have fabulous conversations while just kicking back and letting the stress of the day wash out of us. We love our spontaneous date nights. We love the freedom of just acting like adults . . who are temporarily childless.
Then there are the things we like to do, outside of our relationship: he has golf and football (which really never stops you know – did you know that?? Coaches work at least 11 months a year. Plus, just for the record, he is a volunteer coach – give him the props folks. I, for one, know I will be a little less critical of the sideline now that I am in the game from this position). But, I digress . . . he has golf, football, and his workout routine. I have running and arts/cultural and about a zillion television shows I enjoy. We have a nice blend of us/me time and we like it.
I understand that once the kids return, will still be these people but now we have to remember how to share – with children – who have been adults for 10 months. Young adults who have set their own schedules, made their own rules, and created their own hours . . and now they are back in our home.
Yap, this is a bitter-sweet return to a full house.
Assignment: Remind me of this in August when I am crying because my college aged children are leaving home again, will you?
Friday, April 12, 2013
Final Thoughts Before the Half
When I first considered a return to running, I actually did it because I realized all the health problems I was having were 100% my fault. What a humbling notion! Throughout my 40's, I had played around with exercise classes, here and there, but none of them stuck. The only sport I had really ever enjoyed in life was running.
But I was out of that game for so long, and I knew how much it would hurt to return, I didn’t think it was ever going to be a possibility for me again. Plus, and let’s be 100% honest here: I am inherently lazy, I was more than 25 pounds overweight, and I was getting old. And those are some bad odds, folks.
But as life will often happen when you let go of control, I found that I was surrounded by people I really liked, and many of them had one thing in common: they were runners. Inspired and envious of their stories teamed with my humble realization that I was my own worst enemy: I started out with the Couch to 5K program and on October 1, 2011 returned to running with my first 5K.
Funny thing about running, it is a solo sport and you can plan to do it for yourself – but in truth, it is one of the most inspiring and connected sports out there. Without the support of family and friends, many runners would return to the couch. My family is my motivation: I want to set a good example and they inspire me by their amazing courage to tackle new adventures. My friends, and there are so many, are my inspiration: runners are a giving and supportive group and I have met so many beautiful people through this return.
And so here we are, one day away from my first ever half-marathon. I have to say, I am proud of myself because I will finish this race one way or another. But more than that, I am filled with joy because I know more than 3,000 other women are feeling the same way I am RIGHT NOW. They have logged the miles, felt the self-doubt, and depended on the support from others to get them through this most united solo-sport that has ever been created.
Salute!
Assignment: Put those bad thoughts away – run your race like you life your life: Full OUT!
But I was out of that game for so long, and I knew how much it would hurt to return, I didn’t think it was ever going to be a possibility for me again. Plus, and let’s be 100% honest here: I am inherently lazy, I was more than 25 pounds overweight, and I was getting old. And those are some bad odds, folks.
But as life will often happen when you let go of control, I found that I was surrounded by people I really liked, and many of them had one thing in common: they were runners. Inspired and envious of their stories teamed with my humble realization that I was my own worst enemy: I started out with the Couch to 5K program and on October 1, 2011 returned to running with my first 5K.
Funny thing about running, it is a solo sport and you can plan to do it for yourself – but in truth, it is one of the most inspiring and connected sports out there. Without the support of family and friends, many runners would return to the couch. My family is my motivation: I want to set a good example and they inspire me by their amazing courage to tackle new adventures. My friends, and there are so many, are my inspiration: runners are a giving and supportive group and I have met so many beautiful people through this return.
And so here we are, one day away from my first ever half-marathon. I have to say, I am proud of myself because I will finish this race one way or another. But more than that, I am filled with joy because I know more than 3,000 other women are feeling the same way I am RIGHT NOW. They have logged the miles, felt the self-doubt, and depended on the support from others to get them through this most united solo-sport that has ever been created.
Salute!
Assignment: Put those bad thoughts away – run your race like you life your life: Full OUT!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Mind Blowing Thoughts:
It has been my history, that houses with lilac trees in the yard have always been the ones to feel most like home.
It is completely possible that I am beyond the age I often thought my friends parents were back in the day. That age, by the way, was old: very, very, old and I do not feel THAT age.
Spring brings out the most diversity in clothing options. This is not always a good thing nor is it ever a horrible thing, but it is a fact.
Assignment: Thursday means cupcake day in 2013. Best resolution I have ever made (and kept, so far). Never too late to set a goal for 2013 . . . what will it be?
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Is Marriage a Separation of Church and State?
I do not profess to be an expert in this area, so know that going into this reading. Also, know that you may have strong disagreement to my opinion, which doesn't devalue either of us in any way.
The United States Supreme Court is currently in deliberation regarding same-sex marriages. The debates are filled with heat and passion on both sides. My simple summary: The Court is reviewing a federal constitutional right that was established by our forefathers in 1776. When our forefathers defined what marriage in America would be based on their principals and beliefs at that time. That is the fact that is being debated.
Since 1776, States (and our nation) has had issue with the following heterosexual marriage laws:
•Interracial marriages were illegal until the 1960s.
•In many states, the legal marriage age was 13; providing access to heterosexual adults (over the age of 18-21) to marriage heterosexual children ages 13-17.
•All 50 states allow marriages to dissolve at any point in the marriage: 24, 48, 72 hours. The perks of this grow based on the status of one’s celebrity.
•All 50 states allow heterosexual individuals to marry as often as they desire. The perks of this grow based on the status of one’s celebrity.
Interesting . . . . . .. . .
One of the greatest oppositions to same-sex marriage comes from a religious difference in Gods’ intentions on marriage. This begs me to ask: Is the issue of marriage – all marriage – a separation of church and state? If so, and the Bill of Rights is upheld then religion doesn't factor into this legal decision. Let’s be honest, it would be easier to be able to pick and choose our support of the amendments based on our own preference (free speech, right to bare arms . . just a couple of examples) but we kinda need to be fair all around when it comes to the Bill of Rights. We can’t use it as our baseline of support for one issue and ignore it on others. Seems to me, and I might be wrong, but it seems to me that marriage might fall under the Ninth Amendment.
So why is the separation of church and state so important, well in the words of Thomas Jefferson: “Believing that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State (Letter to the Danbury Baptists, 1802).
Now don’t get me wrong, I fully believe that God’s law out weights all man-made rules. This is one reason I get frustrated with the disagreements within churches over man-made rules, but another subject for another time. I also believe that our walk if faith is a difficult one. Are there verses in the Bible that reference a union is between a man and a woman? Yes, clearly there are. But there are also verses that take positions on slavery and tattoos. There are stories that support if a man dies, his wife is promised to his brother. There are stories where David plots to kill the husband of a woman he loves so he can have her. There are stories where Ruth plots to sleep next to a man so that he will be confused and wed her.
The thing is, the Bible is a good and holy book . . it speaks God’s word. The Bible is also confusing to ‘we the people’. Often we use segments to support our position (as I just did) without fully disclosing or studying the full intention of the word. The Bible can be confusing (to me at least) because it doesn't spell everything out for us, and it forces us to study and seek more wisdom so we grow in our faith. But there are some elements that are pretty clear and are the foundation for how we are to try to live.
ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'
TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'
FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'
SIX: 'You shall not murder.'
SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
And in summary of those 10 Commandments:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40).
Interesting . . . . .
Assignment: Love one and other.
The United States Supreme Court is currently in deliberation regarding same-sex marriages. The debates are filled with heat and passion on both sides. My simple summary: The Court is reviewing a federal constitutional right that was established by our forefathers in 1776. When our forefathers defined what marriage in America would be based on their principals and beliefs at that time. That is the fact that is being debated.
Since 1776, States (and our nation) has had issue with the following heterosexual marriage laws:
•Interracial marriages were illegal until the 1960s.
•In many states, the legal marriage age was 13; providing access to heterosexual adults (over the age of 18-21) to marriage heterosexual children ages 13-17.
•All 50 states allow marriages to dissolve at any point in the marriage: 24, 48, 72 hours. The perks of this grow based on the status of one’s celebrity.
•All 50 states allow heterosexual individuals to marry as often as they desire. The perks of this grow based on the status of one’s celebrity.
Interesting . . . . . .. . .
One of the greatest oppositions to same-sex marriage comes from a religious difference in Gods’ intentions on marriage. This begs me to ask: Is the issue of marriage – all marriage – a separation of church and state? If so, and the Bill of Rights is upheld then religion doesn't factor into this legal decision. Let’s be honest, it would be easier to be able to pick and choose our support of the amendments based on our own preference (free speech, right to bare arms . . just a couple of examples) but we kinda need to be fair all around when it comes to the Bill of Rights. We can’t use it as our baseline of support for one issue and ignore it on others. Seems to me, and I might be wrong, but it seems to me that marriage might fall under the Ninth Amendment.
So why is the separation of church and state so important, well in the words of Thomas Jefferson: “Believing that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State (Letter to the Danbury Baptists, 1802).
Now don’t get me wrong, I fully believe that God’s law out weights all man-made rules. This is one reason I get frustrated with the disagreements within churches over man-made rules, but another subject for another time. I also believe that our walk if faith is a difficult one. Are there verses in the Bible that reference a union is between a man and a woman? Yes, clearly there are. But there are also verses that take positions on slavery and tattoos. There are stories that support if a man dies, his wife is promised to his brother. There are stories where David plots to kill the husband of a woman he loves so he can have her. There are stories where Ruth plots to sleep next to a man so that he will be confused and wed her.
The thing is, the Bible is a good and holy book . . it speaks God’s word. The Bible is also confusing to ‘we the people’. Often we use segments to support our position (as I just did) without fully disclosing or studying the full intention of the word. The Bible can be confusing (to me at least) because it doesn't spell everything out for us, and it forces us to study and seek more wisdom so we grow in our faith. But there are some elements that are pretty clear and are the foundation for how we are to try to live.
ONE: 'You shall have no other gods before Me.'
TWO: 'You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.'
THREE: 'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'
FOUR: 'Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.'
FIVE: 'Honor your father and your mother.'
SIX: 'You shall not murder.'
SEVEN: 'You shall not commit adultery.'
EIGHT: 'You shall not steal.'
NINE: 'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.'
TEN: 'You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.'
And in summary of those 10 Commandments:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:36-40).
Interesting . . . . .
Assignment: Love one and other.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Happy Birthday Maddy Jo
It is funny how things can just hit you while in the middle of day-to-day life. Today is Maddy’s 19th birthday and today is the first birthday that she and I have spent it apart. I realized this while walking into my office today,. . .and suddenly there was an answer for my melancholy. Our baby has grown-up and is living life as she decides. You think this would get easier after doing it so many times with our other children, but it doesn’t.
Maddy’s life began with a clear determination to do things her way. She was the only child who missed her delivery date by days. She was waiting for a time when her arrival would be notice: a scheduling that she determined and foreshadowing of our future. Unlike her tiny siblings, Maddy entered this world a healthy and bountiful 10 pounds 1 ounce; and with her first breath, she was ready to take on the world.
Maddy’s determination would serve her well in life, months battling colic, years batting night terrors, and one very long year battling cancer. She has felt the turbulence of friendships ending, the heartbreak brought on by boys, and the crush of having to work hard to prove yourself, if only for her own sake and no others. If you have meet Maddy, you know her determination will challenge you to listen, to seek fairness, and to work for understanding. As she has matured, I have seen her deep sense of sympathy; empathy and understanding nurture this determination into compassion. Her dream is to enter Human Service field, as a Child Life Specialist, and help children who are battling their bodies’ illnesses. Little does this young woman know how many she has already helped in her short 19 years on this earth. I hope she understands the light that she shines is by far one of her greatest gifts. Blessings!
But for today, I will honor Maddy by thinking of her as little wild haired girl ever ready to sing; You are my Sunshine, and run into my arms each night when I came home from work. Happy Birthday sweet Maddy, you are a beautiful woman. I treasure the secret laughs and tears we share.
Assignment: Lift up the lives of those who are young: and celebrate the needed changes they are making in this world.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday: Must be true confession day!
I try to keep this blog real: an honest look at my thoughts, emotions, and perspective on life. This said, I also have to come clean on some weak moments. Today is one of those days. I am working from home today and only now realized that I am wearing: Santa PJ pants (pink), A Groundhog Day Sweatshirt (light blue), and Shamrock socks (green). This is a true story.
I was going to post a photo but I think your imagination is more powerful. Plus, you know.. . .once it is on the Web – it never goes away. A photo could hurt my future fashion consultant modeling contract.
Serious business happening in this outfit - serious business.
Assignment: Dress like a holiday!
I was going to post a photo but I think your imagination is more powerful. Plus, you know.. . .once it is on the Web – it never goes away. A photo could hurt my future fashion consultant modeling contract.
Serious business happening in this outfit - serious business.
Assignment: Dress like a holiday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)