MotherJoggerBlogger: Blue Sunday

After a week of head-popping colds, crappy running, Stella getting the memo and becoming very much a two year old, Heath having a short week of school leaving him bored and irritable, the amount of patience and confidence in my aptitude for parenting and life in general could fit on half the tip of a sewing needle. When Friday crept upon us, I was determined to change all of that.

The name of the game for the weekend was to reclaim even the tiniest shred of feeling able, joyful, and well.

This attitude-shift of a weekend plan was kicked off by a Friday evening run through the dark and eerie forest of the Whitewater Center with Trail Pal. The chilled air was exactly what my stopped up sinuses needed, and for the first time in over a week, I could breathe again. Once again we were out in the middle of the woods, in the dark, minus the glow of two headlamps, alone. Well, not entirely alone. Leaf-rustling drew out attention to a tree-shimmying raccoon, a limb waltzing o'possum, and an unidentified (and rather large sounding) shuffling of footsteps. We came to a crosstrail of sorts, turn right for an additional three miles, or left to the parking lot. Spooked by big foot, hungry for dinner, and ready for a warm shower and bed, we opted to call it a run at 8 miles, and headed on home.

I had high hopes for waking the following morning with a renewed sense of ease and comfort, but at 8:30 Heath and Stella were already wrestling on our bed. An event that begins with laughing and ends with...? You guessed it, crying. I knew we needed to get out of the house, and stay out. I had heard about the opening of the new Discovery Place Kids in Huntersville. The venue sounded outstanding. Imaginative play times 100. A Fire Station, ambulance, doctor's office, grocery store, Veterinarian's office, race car to drive, construction zone to build, car mechanic's station, and on and on and on it goes. Opening day, though. Friday that sounded terribly unappealing. Saturday morning, it was the only place I could think of to go.

So we went. Opening day 1/2 price admissions. Hours of happy, engaged play for the kids. And after playing, we headed across the street to eat lunch at Lupie's.

I headed back out to the Whitewater Center this morning to complete a long run in preparation for the 25k in 3 weeks. 12 miles. And during that 12 miles, I started to feel a little better. By the time I got back home, I felt lighter. We ate lunch. Played outside. Took a nap. Played outside some more. Ate dinner. Baths. Bedtime stories. Bed.

We got MTV's Nirvana Unplugged from Netflix. Rocky Road Ice Cream.

If I could maybe have a good cry, then I might be reset to normal. Or something that resembles normal.