This is one of my favorite places to sit and think, my own little hidden spot, tucked away in the city. See that rock on the left? I like to sit right there, feet in the water, and think.
Isabel loves to frolic in the water while I think, so it’s a great spot for both us.
This post is part of Think Kit 2011.
Last weekend, I ran a half marathon. (Says the girl who never thought she’d run even a 5K.)
Granted, I ran about the first 10ish miles, then walked/ran the rest — but I crossed the finish, which was my ultimate goal. It helped to have a good friend next to me most of the way, and, oh yes, having trained for the whole deal didn’t hurt, either.
Speaking of training, you know, in retrospect it really wasn’t that difficult. Aside from the usual “I have to run HOW many miles?” on long run days, — and oh, that one day when we did 10 miles for the first time and couldn’t put sentences together, our brains so busy with the mental energy required to keep going — it really wasn’t difficult to train for. I suppose if I had been shooting for a specific time, I would have felt more pressure, but this was a nice way to go about it.
So once again, life affirms for me that nearly most of the battle is in just showing up and taking action. Some days I did not want to run, even just 3 or 4 little ol’ miles. But I told myself, well, I’ll just put on my running shorts and see how I feel. Then, I’ll just put on my running shoes and see how I feel. Then, well, I’ve got all this gear on, and Isabel is looking at me like this would just be the best thing EVER, so let’s just go. And then suddenly I am running the whole distance I need to run (though, half of my brain is all “Ugh! I just want to WALK! This is so HARD! Can’t we just stop? I think I feel a pain in my leg? Oh, there’s too much sweat on my forehead, that calls for stopping, right? Please?”) and mostly ignoring that whiny self and just DOING.
There is a lot to be said for doing. Doing is the hardest and usually the best part. Doing is living. There’s a lot in dreaming and thinking because those things can lead to doing. But not always. Going from dreaming/thinking to doing sometimes feels like a leap over a very huge chasm. I think one of the puzzles in life is to figure out how to make that chasm smaller and smaller, so that there is more doing (thoughtful doing) and less just thinking about how nice it will be to do something.
At the finish:
The busyness of working just about full time and being in graduate school just about full time also means that there’s not much time for big adventures. Instead, we take small ones just blocks from our house. Isabel constantly reminds me there is delight in sniffing each flower, in bounding down the trail to find what’s up ahead, in chasing ducks even if they fly away before you can reach them.
This spring has been the usual: rainy and green and full of growth. I love it. We take many wet hikes that have been so lovely and cleansing. Isabel insists on dipping herself in the creek, as if getting rained on wasn’t wet enough.
Well, as I’ve mentioned, we’re in one place for awhile. But that doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity to wander or see new things. I try to make a habit of picking a different path home than I’d usually go from work, the grocery, school, just to keep the brain working. Isabel and I take walks in the neighborhood nearly everyday, and in order to give her new things to sniff, I usually try to take a different path than the previous walk. She’s so fun to be with on walks because she sees the world as a giant opportunity for sniffing, and this reminds me that the world is a giant opportunity. To notice. To see everything as new. We’ve walked our neighborhood blocks so many times now, I feel as if I have it all memorized! I think tomorrow I might try walking down the street like I’ve never seen it before.
