This week I traded shifts with a coworker, so that I could have a much needed day off today. He was supposed to work last night, and I was supposed to work all day today. I figured that working 6 hours at Caribou yesterday morning, and then 6 hours at the Fruit Stand last night, would be a good trade off for a day completely off of work.
I slept in and woke up at 10 o’clock, then I went for a short, slow, “recovery” run. I’ve been using the Nike+ Running Club app with my new Watch, and so far I am pleased with the workout rotation. Their workouts seem to escalate at a good pace, and they are varied enough that I am not getting bored. Tomorrow I have 400 repeat workout, which I am unsure how to accomplish without a track, but I am sure I’ll figure it out. The one thing I don’t really care for with the watch and the Nike+ app is that I can’t start a specific run for my plan from the watch. I’ve been using the coaching feature to train for a 10-mile run I’m doing in March, but I have to start it on my phone in order to have it follow the plan. I hope in future revisions of the app, the developers allow the plan to show up on the watch, because it will encourage people like me to use the app more regularly. The plus side is that there is a way built in to the plan to credit any runs you do toward your plan.
I spent a bit of time this morning playing with my dogs, and I’m reminded that Lily and Sydney aren’t getting any younger. Sydney shivers almost nonstop, because he is very skinny and his kidneys don’t work well, but he still plays and runs, herding the other two dogs around the yard like a champ. Lily’s face is almost entirely white, and her back legs sometimes give out when she goes up and down the stairs, but she plays like a puppy and still likes to whoowhoo her blanket to procrastinate going for the morning walk.
When I play with them, I am reminded that all good things will end, but that each day is what you make of it. They are both 13 years old, but they are joyful and loving. At the risk of being one more person who says it, at the risk of being a total cliché, I learn something from my dogs every single day. How to forgive. How to have unbridled joy. How to play. How to give love, so much love. Man, I’m going to miss those two goofy pups when they’re gone.
Last night around 1:30 or so, I decided I should do my holiday shopping today, so after playing with my dogs, I headed to Woodbury to the Barnes & Noble. Surprise, everyone, I bought literature for Christmas! I just think books are never a bad idea. I bought some magazines for some folks, some books for others, and some Mo Willems Pigeon books for some small folks in my life (I’m looking at you Dubs and T-Bean).
Don’t let the pigeon play Santa.
After I finished getting books and magazines for people I love, I stopped at the Starbucks across the parking lot to have a Holiday Spice Flat White and a Snowman Cookie. Or two.
I knew I wanted to write today, so this was the perfect place to do it. I’m using this space here, this blog, to write for now. I know I need to work on some side projects that aren’t published here, and I know I need to start working on some serious pieces to send out to try and get published in legitimate literary journals. I know.
Now my time for myself is up for today, and I have to head home to shovel the driveway. Being outside in the quiet snow is a huge relief from the chaos at either of my jobs. The dogs will bark at me through the fence, and the kids will be playing in the snow at the park, but those are welcome, happy sounds.
Reason Breeds Insanity 