Happiness is a Journey

11.19.2009

I came home from work, bummed out by the cold, the dark, the job hunt, and a very awkward afternoon walk/cookie break with the boy. 

I stuck a frozen flatbread from Trader Joe’s in the oven, and I called up Steff.  I started telling her the backstory.  I told her about how he is REALLY into shirts with animals on them, how I THINK this is in an ironic way…  but that I don’t know, because I don’t yet know him well enough to know when he is serious versus joking.  And I told her about how when he stripped off his sweatshirt to reveal a bear t-shirt while we were making out, he was like, “RAWR, THE BEAR IS COMING OUT.”

And suddenly, we both were in utter hysterics over the phone, laughing so hard that I was crying and she was coughing up post-bronchitis phlegm and we just could not stop.  And suddenly, everything seemed okay.

RAWR. 

NYT Love.

The NYT Modern Love column is perhaps one of my favorite things of all-time.  The one from this week?  Is about Facebook and is completely awesome.

11.18.2009

I arrived at the school and got paired up with my three little running buddies.  They looked at me with big eyes.  “Have you done this before?” one of them asked shyly.

“Yup,” I said.  “It’s fun!”

We trekked over to Stow Lake in a big group, and when they said “GO!” my three girls took off like a shot.  Thirty feet later, they were panting and ready for a walk break.  We did three laps this way, stop and go and look at that bush! and just a little farther!

And then we were done.  “We ran THREE WHOLE MILES!” said one of them, beaming.

“You sure did,” I said.

Girls on the Run (Bay Area) still needs adult running buddies (men or women!) to sign up for their 5k on 12/5.  Sign up!  Come jog/hop/skip/sprint/walk, cheer your 3rd or 4th grade girl buddy on to a 5k finish.  Seriously, this is one of the best and most rewarding things I’ve ever done.  Please help.  Register here.

11.17.2009

He had offered to bring orange juice or chicken noodle soup, but when I declined, he showed up with apple juice and popcorn. I opened him a beer and poured myself a glass of wine before proceeding to kick his ass at Scrabble.

“I think we should watch a movie,” he said after the game was over. We sat close to one another but not touching, chatting while the movie played. It finished, and Conan O’Brien came on. He slung an arm around me, casually massaging my shoulder and upper arm as I leaned against him.

And finally, he kissed me.

11.16.2009

I walked leisurely into work, traffic buzzing alongside me, the sun shining down on me. I felt centered, lucky to be where and when I was.

11.15.2009

The first half-mile of my first 5k in nearly a year feels difficult, but then I settle into an easy rhythm.  The cadence of my footstrikes is rapid.  The air is crisp around me even with the late autumn sun.  I am slow to finish, compared to my pre-injury pace, but I am satisfied.

11.14.2009

Home after a long day of travel, I crawl into my favorite pair of grey sweatpants and my oversized Purdue hoodie. I climb into bed and immediately have two cats glued to me and purring.

11.13.2009

I set my alarm for 5:30 to make sure that I have time for a short run. When the alarm goes off, the room is dark and cold. I pry myself out of the warm bed, throw on shorts, t-shirt, and lace up my shoes. I grab my iPod and head downstairs and outside. The sun is just rising. The air is crisp. The ground is strewn with autumn leaves, and more fall softly around me as I start running, fall into a rhythym. I completely zone out, enmeshed in the beauty of the season and the historic homes around me. Eventually, I pass an open field, and the sight of the sun rising in Mississippi momentarily takes my breath away.