When I walked out the door to go on a run this evening, I was finishing up a phone call and because of that, I forgot my ipod. No music meant I was forced to just think...scary, I know. I was in particularly good spirits on my run today, so it was a good time to be alone with my thoughts. First of all, did you notice how "good spirits" and "running" were used in the same sentence? That's right, I no longer hate running...as much. This gorgeous weather we've been having has forced me out of the house and I've been jogging frequently.
Anyway, on my run today I was feeling particularly grateful for everything that has been going on in my life. I have a great husband, great family, great friends, two jobs that I enjoy and can do while staying at home with my happy baby, a car with butt warmers (this is about to be important), and a house big enough to fit our family of four (me, Brady, Eric, and Eric's stuff). Lately, just when I feel like life is as good as it gets, it gets a little better. Now, while I've led a fairly privleged life, I have experienced a few bumps along the way, and at those times, hearing someone gush about how good their life is was about as fun as as a four-piece puzzle. So...feel free to close your browser if that is where you are in your life right now. It is certainly easier to rejoice in other people's good fortune when you yourself are feeling blessed.
I'll often pass strangers who see Brady and say something to the effect of, "Enjoy this, it is the best time in your life." Although I think they are probably right, I also feel a twinge of sadness. It's like when you were a kid on summer vacation and August rolled around and you knew school was right around the corner. You should still be enjoying summer, but was a bit tarnished because you knew school started in a few weeks and how you could enjoy yourself with visions of books and homework looming over you? Ok, this is probably a terrible analogy and I do have hope that my 30's will be as good or better than my 20's, but I sometimes hold on to the notion that my life will "peak" without me knowing it and I'll look back and wonder why I ever complained about a messy house or a crying baby.
So I've really tried to enjoy each day. Yesterday, I was sitting by the window with Brady, enjoying the cool breeze. I was holding him and we were cheek to cheek...he was pefectly still and was staring intently at some unknown object out the window. It was a simple moment but a nice one, and at almost the exactly instant I made a mental note to remember and appreciate the moment, Brady let out a fart. He has a way of doing that...making a perfect moment better.
So back to our run. Ok, my run, Brady didn't contribute much except dead weight. I made a break-thru today and ran the whole four-mile loop. Usually, about 5 minutes of walking is involved. The key was reversing my loop. The monster hill didn't hit me until the last 5 minutes of my run (the hills start before mile 3 the direction I usually run) and at that point, I just wanted to be able to say I ran the whole thing so I pushed myself and ran the hill. Although ask one of the cars witnessing me push the stoller up this hill and "running" might not be their first verb choice. Anyway, we got home and it was bathtime for Brady. We moved the bath from the kitchen sink to the bathtub, since Brady has begun to make a mess with his splashing. As it sometimes does, the warmth caused a reaction when Brady's butt hit the water and he started whizzing in the tub. He peed, stopped, then started again. Then stopped again, and started again. There were at least three pee breaks and this stopping and starting struck me funny. I started laughing, which caused Brady to laugh at me laughing. If there is anything funnier than a laughing baby, its a baby laughing while he's peeing in the tub while seemingly having no clue what's going on. Did I mention Brady has a way of making perfect moments better?
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