Monday 3 December 2012

A Winter? Run


I did not take this picture today, but is was wet out today and it is in Madison and so I am, so it works. 

I went for a long run today. It is 60 degrees in December, crazy. Running in December in shorts and a t-shirt. Excellent!

Runs are always great for praying, for thinking and for clearing my head. It is a good time to put things into perspective or plan something. About 20 minutes into the run today...... I had figured out all of the things that I wanted to.  What was I to think about for the next hour or so?

It turned out to be a great run. I saw various people on my way. (not people that I knew) The first set of people said hello. I said "best December ever!" and they laughed and agreed.

Then I passed two men in matching race shirts. We said hello and they wished me a "Happy December!"

As I ran over a bridge, I said hello to the man that was fishing under the bridge and told him good luck. He said thanks and some more things that I didn't hear all of. It is funny having a conversation as you are passing someone, there is a limited window of time for chatting.

A little further on, there was a man carrying a bag of stuff and walking next to the lake. We said hello. And then he asked, "you're going up that hill?" "Yep." He told me to enjoy the run. (the hill is quite steep.)

There is a crossing guard on Monroe Street. (I love crossing guards, just think that they are so neat, don't really know why.) As I was running towards him, he pointed straight ahead of me to ask which was I was going to need to cross the street at his corner. I pointed straight too. He stopped the cars and I ran right across. The timing was perfect and I thanked him. This specific crossing guard is really passionate about it, it is so great!

I ran amongst students on the bike path. Then saw a guy that I work with bike by. I said hello but it may have been too late for him to have noticed me.

Up another hill and around a curve, there was a service guy oiling a door lock. I told him not to get cold. He chuckled a great santa like jolly laugh. How fun!

People are so neat. What great little moments of interaction.


Monday 26 November 2012

Cookies and Little City Life

I went to Trader Joe's last week. As I was standing at the register, I noticed that they have mini gingerbread men! Welcome to the holidays!

I got excited to see these little guys and exclaimed as such, "You have the gingerbread men! Wow!"

The lady at the register said yes. Then I went on to explain to the people in line behind me how great they are. Small enough to not be overwhelming. They have a great gingery flavor and frosting on the back but are not too sweet. I was very enthusiastic about it. They told me that I must or should work in sales or marketing because I made the cookies sound so fabulous.

Today I went to the pharmacy that I love down the street from my house. The lady in the pharmacy spent a long time with the older lady in front of me picking up scripts. She took time to go through each prescription and talk about how long until the refill. They also talked about an upcoming trip for the older lady. The pharmacist even got smaller bottles and put labels on them so that they woman would not have to travel with all of her pills. I am impressed with the time and care that the women had. How thoughtful. It made me thankful for this little pharmacy and for this little city. How many places can you go to where there is that much care and time spent? It is good to remember to slow down and care.

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Letting Go and Living

Let go and let God worry about the future. How about that? He can know what is going to happen. We can know it as things happen. Easier said than done. But still something to aim for.

I like excitement. I like new adventures. However, there are times when I wish that I knew how things were going to work out. What will my life look like in a few years? What things will I get to do between now and then? Where will I get to go?

But the thing is, it does not matter what happens. Things will work out, circumstances will sort themselves. God knows what will happen. I don't need to know right know. And when I need to know, I will. Easier said than done sometimes.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Summer

The summer went by so quickly: a few Michigan trips, a Chicago trip, a couple times taking my boat on the lake, some weddings, baseball games, movies outside, blueberry picking, a water park day, and summer is nearly over. It's been a good time. Good time with family and friends, good runs, good food, good cooking, new recipes, a successful half marathon and fun. I have heard over and over that it is important to be thankful. There is a lot to be thankful for for sure.

Sunday 1 July 2012

Dancing

There is not enough dancing in real life. Yesterday I went to a wedding and had a grand time being silly and dancing. So fun! And so freeing. Nobody has to be good at it, just do it. It seems to be that with dancing, I you are confident enough then you are good enough at it.

I always kind of wanted to be in one of the old musicals, singing in the rain or something similar. Twirly skirts and dancing around, count me in! Trouble with that idea is that I am not graceful. I dance for fun, not skill and grace, pity.

On the way to the wedding, my phone died. Whoa! We had one more turn on the directions.... It should have been easy. However, without the helpful blue dot guiding the way, we got a little list. First we thought we drove too far and missed the turn. So we stopped at a gas station but it was closed. We drove some more and stopped at another station. We were not far enough. So we drove on. And on. And some more. Then stopped a third gas station. The guy working looked the place up in the phone book. (a local paper phone book, super handy) i knew the address number and street name. (but was it Sudbury road or Old Sudbury road, not something i remembered) We had now missed the turn. Finally, we made it to the wedding. On time enough to do our proper usher duties!

Thursday 28 June 2012

Maps and travel

I am sitting on a plane heading Boston. Sounds like fun. And reminding me of my England trip. (the going somewhere and being on an airplane part)

When I was in England on a bus, the driver asked where I was from, I said Michigan. Not really true at the moment, but oh well, it would be the answer I would give someone if they asked while I was in Wisconsin. He asked, "Isn't Michigan by all the lakes?" Impresive geography. I wonder if you gave a British person a blank map of the states, would they be able to name the states? What if all the names were listed and it was a fill in the blank kind of a thing? How many Americans would be able to do that?

I have always loved maps. I find them fascinating and can stare for hours at them. We used to have a globe and I would pretend that I was going to go on a trip to wherever my finger landed after spinning the globe. And then I would spin it again and get a new place. And again. I have seen a lot of crafts online nowadays from maps. Maybe I just want a map of someplace for a wall of my apartment.

Why are maps so mesmerizing?

Monday 4 June 2012

Summer is Coming



I love summer! I love flip flops, riding bikes, going on walks, sitting by the water, running in the warmth, and the feeling of the sunshine!

Summer is a time when the winter is really over and anything is possible. More people are outside on the bike paths and sitting in the outdoor seating areas of restaurants. Last Sunday, I got to ride my bike downtown and go out for breakfast sitting outside in the beautiful sunshine. Sipping coffee, enjoying food and company.... bliss.

We can get so caught up in life, in making grown up decisions and figuring out next steps. I think it's important (and can be difficult) to enjoy the moments on the way. To take time and reflect or just be. It's important to be grateful for all that is well in life. I know I have a lot to be thankful for!

Tuesday 22 May 2012

End of Run Hello

Tonight I took a short run. At the end of the run, I was stretching a little bit out front of my house. I saw a young guy walking on the sidewalk towards me. He was not walking in a straight line, tired or drunk, or who knows. He became a pleasant surprise in my evening. As he walked by, here was the conversation:

Him: Have a fabulous, super evening. (I don't really remember the words there, something more like that, less like "have a good night." There was definitely a fabulous or fantastic involved.
Me: Thanks, you too.
Him: Stay safe.
Me: Thanks, you too.
Him: Have a good run.
Me: (didn't feel the need to tell him that I was done running) Thanks, have a good walk.
Him: Thanks, it'll be a long one. (he was half a block away by this point as he never stopped walking)

What a pleasant interaction. Hopefully he gets home safely and soon. I love those moments when you get to say hello to someone. And maybe you will never see them again. It doesn't matter. The power of a hello and the spread of some good cheer and well wishes.