change the game, don’t let the game change you

This morning I got up just a little bit earlier, to avoid the rushing around that I’m doing almost every other day.

See chickens?

Sometimes I learn from my mistakes.

It’s all about progress, you guys.

Yesterday, I put a stop to my am-i-only-18 ways, and managed to clean up my act in 12 short hours.

work, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, dinner, yoga.

It’s a magic formula.

I admit that I had a turkey sandwich and mac & cheese and called it a meal.

I’m never gonna be perfect.

Don’t even want to be, really.

Up tonight, I’m hitting the office gym to see if I can have a more successful run than last week.

My annual opening race, which I’ve been doing since 2007, is the Shamrock Shuffle.

This year, I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to run it.

Probably evident through the fact that I’ve been barely running.

While I hemmed and hawed over whether or not I could get myself to move my legs five miles, registration closed.

So there’s one less decision to make.

However- the sun’s about to warm up this city (soon, I just know it), and I know my joints will be aching with envy when I see my fellow runners hit the street.

So it’s time to get back out there, chickadees.

 

Enjoy this one, pals.

 

and i can’t change, even if i tried/even if i wanted to

Morning, chickadees.

And I apologize, again, for the long pause between posts.

First, I was in New Jersey for work.

I know.

I had a lovely view of the city from my room, found out that I can fly without xanax if only I drink more than I should, and was thankful to cruise back home to JW at the end of it.

“You smell like a bar,” he noted cheerfully when he picked me up.

If only I could report that things got better from there.

Alas, I spent the weekend doing not one thing I should, but several things that I wanted to do, and so I find myself a little scatterbrained (and dehydrated) this morning.

Sometimes, what you need is another drink, a bar stool next to your pal’s, and and permission to laugh until your sides burst.

It was that kind of weekend.

Sometimes you have to roll with what it is you know that you need.

And now, it’s the kind of week where I search out every vegetable I can get my paws on, hit the yoga mat with all the intentions I have, and drink every glass of water I can.

I just ate a half Luna bar and an apple for breakfast- It’s feeling very 2006 in my home today.

I plan on bringing us forward by this time tomorrow.

I hope the sunshine’s hitting you where you are today, chickens. Enjoy the start of this one.

everything is okay- mantra for the morning.

Morning, chickens!

The sun is shining here, which is a massive improvement, and despite the fact that NPR just told me it’s 9 degrees with the wind chill, I’ll take this as a step in the right direction.

I’m trying not to remember how deliciously warm it was last year during this week, but so far, it’s not working.

We’ve got a few days here to warm up at least a little bit.

I’m running late this morning, due to the fact that I decided to hit the yoga mat bright and early this morning.

Yoga in the morning is tough with my stubborn joints, but I like to think that pouring some good energy into all of the parts that don’t quite work helps them out.

Plus any day I can start out in a headstand is a day that’s gonna be positive.

It’s a proven fact.

 

Other things of note: last night I attempted a run for the first time in several months.

It was a disaster.

I couldn’t even find the gym at my building, which should have been my first sign that things would take a turn for the worse.

Instead, I wandered around the floor, pretending that visiting the freight elevator was a normal, post-6pm activity on a Tuesday night.

Eventually, I stumbled into the correct door, and got down to it.

 

My knees were heavy, my breath was labored, and I could only do short intervals of running before having to stop and walk.

I tried to remain un-frustrated, which was near impossible, as I reflected on the fact that I was finishing 6 miles easy at this point last year.

That doesn’t mean I’m not trying again.

My legs will take me where I want to go eventually, chickadees.

I can slow it down until then.

every storm runs out of rain

Morning, chickadees!

I’m going to allow the layer of snow I see out on the sidewalk, as long as, Chicago, you promise that this is the last time you’re going to do this.

Capito?

Thank you.

Ok- so I was cruising Pinterest last night (I like to look at all the pictures, but I admit, I skip all the crafts even though I know that’s the whole point), and I stumbled across this one, via my pal MK from work.

 

I think it’s a good one to keep in mind. I’m guilty of taking that for granted on, oh, an hourly basis, and I thought this was extremely fair food for thought on a Monday night.

I think it’s helpful to have a few words to focus on in case you lose perspective.

Last night, the delightful it’s-not-dark at 5:30 tricked me into staying later than I meant to at work, so I scurried home to eat my new favorite dinner, a Luna bar (this is sarcastic, chickens), and then ran to a nice hot studio to work out all the kinks that Monday twisted into.

It was a wobbly practice, and more than once I felt the urge to topple over into the person next to me.

Luckily, I kept it together.

At least at yoga.

Small things, you guys.

Up today: more meetings, being thankful that it’s almost, almost officially spring, and trying to be brave enough to run for the first time in a couple of months.

My legs will welcome me back, right?

Here’s hoping, chicks.

Enjoy this one.

 

gliding into this one slow

Morning, chickens!

It’s the gray, wet start of another work week here in Chicago, but if that’s what it takes to clear out the snow and move spring along, then I will (grumbling-ly) take it.

I’d rather see the sun though.

I think we all probably can agree on that.

This weekend was fairly low key, due to JW’s knee being still on the swollen, just-had-surgery side, but while he rested up, I did manage to pack in about 800 activities.

Bells, baby showers, errands, a pedicure, yoga, and more errands come to mind.

Also, a visit from the S family, which resulted in delicious brownies made by KD and a nice long night hanging out with my favorite teens, making dinner and watching movies.

As you can tell from my recent choice of activities, hanging out with these guys is pretty much at the top of my list.

I’m floating into this week with a great weekend behind me, and a few days and a quick trip to NJ for work ahead of me.

And then, chickadees, it’s time to celebrate St. Patrick’s day in the Second City.

Really, what’s better than that?

Pretty much nothing.

Enjoy this one, everyone- the sunshine’s always headed our way after the rain, right?

 

try for me just a little longer.

Ok, chickens, it’s the end of this week.

And oh man am I ready for it to be Friday.

Plans this weekend include: more yoga, more bells, one baby shower, and making sure JW doesn’t leave the couch.

He’s about as good at sitting still as I am.

Which means that I have to keep ordering him to the couch.

Last night I left my cubicle far later than I wanted to, hit the mat for as many deep breaths as I could take, and then grabbed some dinner with my pals to take to the patient, who admitted he’d been eating string cheese and goldfish all day.

It’s amazing what sitting around eating burritos with your best friends can do for your perspective.

Sometimes I think at the end of the day, it’s all about things like do you have people who you can eat burritos on the floor with and also do they make you laugh even when you don’t feel like it?

I think that, based on my observations, if the answer to both is yes, then you’re probably in really good shape, overall.

Sometimes it’s just about focusing on the things that are really important, chickens.

I’m keeping that one in mind as I cruise through this last day of the week.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it (and it looks like we’ve got it).

 

hanging out and resting up

Morning, chickens!

I’m seeing the sun peeking out from behind the clouds today, and that is nearly enough for me to have the energy to tackle this one.

It’s already Thursday you guys.

How did that even happen?

I don’t even care, if we’re going to be honest.

Yesterday, after six long hours at the hospital (JW’s surgery was actually a paltry 45 minutes), we made it back home with prescriptions, liquids, and most importantly, fried scallops in hand.

I thought it was the least I could do for the guy after a morning of being pricked, put under, and stitched up while I hung out in the waiting room.

Which wasn’t even a big deal, since I sort of love hospitals.

Weird but true facts about me. My dad was (is) a nurse, and he’s mostly worked at hospitals since I can remember. Hospitals are super interesting places to me, as long as nothing too traumatic is going on, and I don’t mind hanging in the background of all the lifesaving for a few hours.

Once we got home, JW settled in and then immediately found an iPad app which is just a dinging concierge bell, and I immediately resolved myself to have at least three hours of patience with the patient.

I’m happy to report that I think I lasted through the night.

Unfortunately, I’m headed to work today, so he’s got no one to make demands of-  although I’m sure it works after work hours, too.

In any case, once his knee heals up and he hits his PT regimen, he’ll be back to running, biking, and playing rugby (if maybe, he’s a little more careful).

This is something to be excited about- summer is headed in our direction, chickadees.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself as I stare at the not-quite-melted snow.

Enjoy this one- the weekend’s in sight!

 

 

And this will be a long one

Oh hi guys.

And excuse what might be a disjointed, nonsensical post.

I’ve been up since 4:30 this morning.

JW’s been hobbling around with a torn meniscus for oh, 18 months, and today, we are taking care of that business.

By which I mean I’m drinking coffee and hanging in the hospital waiting room, and he’s in surgery.

When we were in admissions, I was forced into a one size fits no one blue jumpsuit that JW told me reminded him of a smurf.

Nice.

There are, luckily, no photos of this germ-avoiding costume.

I’m giving him a wide berth this morning, because he’s getting his knee busted into, and also because he couldn’t have any coffee before he hit the OR.

And also maybe because I looked a little like a smurf.

With that, I’m off to hang on my phone, since my computer is dead and I can’t seem to spot an outlet.

It’s the little things we take for granted, chickens.

Be careful in the snow- Spring is on its way, I just know it.

no it won’t all go the way it should.

Morning, chick-a-dillos.

Go with it, okay?

I’m having a much calmer morning in the Second City today.

Before JW left, he pointed to the counter.

“It wasn’t just you. The bottle was hard to open.”

This made me feel infinitely better about yesterday morning’s struggle.

There will be no kitchen scenes over trying to open things today.

Last night, in preparation for the big snow (that by the way, seems to be just now thinking about starting maybe if it feels like it), I headed to hot yoga to work out the kinks of Monday.

There is nothing better than a few twists and a headstand to really turn things around, you guys.

Three days in a row after a week off means my shoulders are on fire, but I’m good with it.

Three days without yoga sometimes makes me want to set things on fire.

I’ll take the sore arms, I think.

Up today: tracking the storm, dinner with friends, and figuring out how JW’s going to hobble around post-surgery in ten inches of snow.

Somehow, I think crutches might not be the answer to this problem.

Unless perhaps they come equipped with snow shoes.

Stay tuned on how we figure this one out, chickens.

Enjoy this snow, and let’s hope it’s the last!

 

to the bottom of the exhalation

Morning, chickadees!

This is another fast moving morning, likely because I insisted on sleeping in right until seven.

Which generally, my friends, is not a big deal, except that sometimes I forget.

I forget that a morning full of twisting open jar lids is basically my new worst nightmare.

In high school, I had a friend whose mom could never twist open water bottles.

I thought this was lame, obviously.

I thought most things were lame at sixteen.

However, I would like to lob a giant I-am-so-sorry in her direction, since Saturday night I found myself handing over my iced tea bottle to sweet, 15-year old Aus who twisted it open and handed it right back to me without even a second thought.

“Where does it hurt the most?” he asked, looking concerned.

That kid is better on his worst day then I ever was at my best when I was fifteen.

In any case, this was not meant to be a pity party since, chickadees, in the end, I wrenched open the necessary lids this morning.

I’m just running a little late as a result.

I might also be kind of sweaty.

And I may have somehow cut myself during this whole endeavor.

It was sort of a battle situation.

However, I’ve got this to look forward to on my ride into work:

Take that, immune system.

Up today: getting back into it, listening to good music, heading to yoga, and crossing all my fingers and toes for something exciting happening over in my corner of the Second City.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it, chicks!