The Heat is Not On

Usually my life feels like a race. A scramble to get things done. A sprint to keep up with my child. A relay with my friends so we can try to prevent ourselves from going absolutely crazy with all the good and terrible that life brings each day. A marathon to try and pace myself so I don't just roll over and die.

Today, I've decided I need another analogy, because a race indicates that there are winners and losers, professionals and amateurs and it defeats the point of the actual journey.

I have a number of things going on right now, so I'll just share them with you and stop looking at other people and comparing. Instead, I'd like to do what they teach us at school. "Focus on the individual's needs. Everyone develops at their own pace. Relish the growth. Celebrate it for each child at each moment."

1. While out on my run today, I had a thought -- I think the owl pencil, bent up spoon and left adult shoe that were on the side of the road were tossed out the car by a two year old with a first time parent (that could so easily have been me a year and a half ago). I can see him playing with the newly found window button that the parents meant to lock off, but always put off. Then he's laughing at his ability to control the window and grabbing every foreseeable item from the back seat and flinging it out of the car while chanting, "Fly! Fly!" I'm pretty sure CSI could connect the dead bunny on the side of the road at being a victim of a "drive-by shoe-ing."

2. Tomorrow, my friend Quigs is running the Bucktown 5k in Chicago. Quigs is a hater of all things outdoors. But even more, she's not a big fan of running (a feeling I definitely share with her). But Quigs has totally been my inspiration on all things weight loss and fitness oriented for the last 8 months, so I wanted to give her a shout out. She's an amazing friend and a brilliant woman. Plus, I have it on high -- from the Reverend -- that she likes to push the pace. So I'm hoping she kicks some ass!

3. Our house has run into a plague of sorts. We have mice and a ground squirrel in the field behind us, and as the weather has gotten cooler they've started burrowing in the parts of the garden that are done for the season, which would be fine, except that KTDID and I have two dogs who like to chase them, dig at them and put their noses down their holes, which has led Riley to test positively for ringworm. It's not an actual worm -- it's a skin condition, but it does mean that he's on meds for several weeks (and just as his allergies were getting better) and we're bathing all of the cats in the house twice a week. Zoe goes in for her appointment with Dr. Mary next week.

4. MacTroll is coming up an his random Marketing tour of the United States. Last year, he traveled to 3-4 cities each week for 3 weeks straight every month for six months. This year it's been reduced to just the next month and a half, thank goodness.

5. It is only Oct. 3, and I am cold. But I refuse to put the heat on. Instead, I'm walking around in sweatshirts and fuzzy socks. Does that make me a cheap bastard? Or cheap and stupid?