Running Parable #2

When I decided to run a marathon in my usual full disclosure kind of way I told everyone that I knew. I get so excited about things and I just assume that my enthusiasm is catching and so off I shot my mouth to anyone that would even pretend to listen. Imagine my shock and surprise when people did not react enthusiastically! I got lots of reactions and most of them could be chalked up to, "you are nuts, a total masochist, seriously what is the matter with you?" Completely shocked me! I have learned though that so often the things you feel inspired to do make no sense to the outside world...you are a nut....a complete lunatic, and people feel open to say whatever is on their minds if they think they are saving you from yourself. This has happened on so many things I have wanted to do! Adopt a child from Haiti, home school my children, get rid of TV channels, move out in the middle of nowhere...Well my enthusiasm isn't catching but I am maintaining it anyway! Sometimes you have to just get out there and run whether it seems crazy or not!

The Running Parable-#1

Running is one way that I have spent many hours of my life. I started after I had my second child and became a fanatic after my third child. I am like the turtle, though I never win the race. Since I don't run fast I decided to run far and that has meant lots and lots of hours, usually just me and my IPOD and my mind that never turns off. Over the years I have come up with a lot of running parables and decided I better start keeping track of them before the lessons are all forgotten. In high school the worst torture I could imagine was that one LONG mile that we had to run for our fitness test. After about 2 yards I would get a cramp in my side and be certain that I was going to die any minute. After kid number 3 I got this brilliant idea to run a marathon and I began running following a schedule. I learned early on that cramp or no cramp I had miles to cover and that I had to keep running anyway. I learned something amazing, you can run with a side stitch, a broken toe, the flu, hundreds of mosquitoes attached to every part of you not covered by clothes, depressed, worried, ligaments ripped out in a knee, with a headache...you get the idea...No matter what you can run!

I think this particular lesson has been invaluable to me and boy am I using it right now! I have a cramp associated with parenting! I am tired, I have a headache, I feel broken down, I am certain that I should be doing better, I have a pile of laundry on the floor that I am afraid to tackle certain there is a monster hiding underneath it (we have been camping for a week), I am remembering what life is like with a a baby who is mobile and can and will get into everything (I spend much of my day fishing stuff out of his mouth so I don't have another child who needs to have a penny surgically removed from his throat, I have already had two), are you getting my point? Back in the old day this would be a signal to me that it's time to check out. With the help of my running parable I can see that now is the time to grit my teeth and dig in! I can parent even with all of these cramps in my side and hopefully, just like when I run after a few miles (sometimes as many as 10) it goes away and that runners high shows up, here's to the parenting high that I just know has got to be in there somewhere!

I've Lost My Mind, Have You Seen It?

OK...we all have those moments when we are a bit absentminded or random or whatever, and then there are some of you who get to feel that way all of the time due to real life adult ADHD, but I have a new one for you. I think maybe I have developed this as an adult of 35...I have always been great at focus, not so great at thinking outside the box or fun, but focus yes. Now I find myself sort of aimlessly wandering from thing to thing never quite figuring out what I was doing in the first place...It's very strange and a bit unnerving. I can't for the life of me read a book and find myself reading the same line over and over and not having any idea what is going on. My friend suggested we take a little note of the things we want to talk with about to each other since we don't catch each other often, but I explained that I would have the thought, head for the paper and by the time I stopped to wipe up a spill, put on a band-aid, changed a load of laundry, unwrapped a popsicle, refereed a fight....I would have forgotten what it is I was thinking on the way to the paper...I stopped to find my train of thought so I could explain this more in detail to you, but lost my train of thought...I sure hope it comes back someday! In the spirit of the random thoughts here goes the wandering now...I am going to women's conference tomorrow with my mom and sister, can you say woo-hoo? Talk about spiritual feast, throw in the girls, laughter and a mint brownie and you have a recipe for perfection! My son Jamen is playing baseball this year and got pegged in the eye at bat last night...we are talking wicked cool black eye, his response, "I was just so glad I didn't strike out," boys are so cool. My son is playing this song for his piano recital and I could never tire of listening to it and love that he is playing it for an hour a day...listen to it, it's awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMpDrjT0TUI I just finished read The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family...I loved it, I highly suggest it for all families. Well the mind appears to have gone blank again...so have a happy random kind of day. I have to wonder if now it will be possible for me to be fun or to think outside the box, that would be nice...wish me luck on that.