Yesterday was a day of ups and downs. I won't go so far as to quote Dickens, "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times." Because yesterday was really at neither extreme. Just a bit of good and bad. I'll highlight two very good. I'll highlight one negative--but even the negative had a positive about it.
The best positive--our house is still not the cleanest, neatest house. It will never likely be. But yesterday we got our acts together enough as a family to clean up enough so that all five of us could sit at the dinner table. Not just be home at the same time for dinner--which we often are. But to actually sit together. We had done that a lot while on vacation--both in the condo and out. But is was so nice to be able to do it on our own house. It is one of those things that (to use a cliche) makes a house a home.
The second positive--my run yesterday morning. I realized that my slow long distance runs over the summer were not for lack of training. I may or may not get a personal best in the race in two weeks. But if I don't it is not for lack of trying or lack of readiness. Yesterday's 15 mile run was the fastest pace I'd run anywhere near that distance since the Baltimore 10 Miler on Father's Dat weekend. The runs I had done the rest of the summer seem to have been a function of three things--running alone (which I am capable of doing but just is not the same as running with a group), not getting to the NCR trail (which, while some call it boring, it a welcome relief from hills), and having run in much warmer weather the rest of the summer. Yesterday's run was wonderful.
The negative--after avoiding getting hit by a backing pickup in one part of the grocery store parking lot, I hit a car while trying to pull into a parking space. Foolish--yes. Costly in terms of future premiums, etc. Probably. But, it forced me to think about why it happened (not getting myself together enough after avoiding something bad to really concentrate on the next big task) and to see that some people in the world are still pretty good people. I wrote a note and left it on the windshield of the other car, but also went to see if the owner of the parked car was in the store. She was and when I began with a profuse apology she began with "these things happen". Unhappy--yes. But she took it in stride and was very forgiving. That seems like a rare quality these days. Even in an unhappy moment, there was a moment of grace.
Two of out three positive is not a bad day. I just hope that the next negative can be a little simpler but just as graceful.
The best positive--our house is still not the cleanest, neatest house. It will never likely be. But yesterday we got our acts together enough as a family to clean up enough so that all five of us could sit at the dinner table. Not just be home at the same time for dinner--which we often are. But to actually sit together. We had done that a lot while on vacation--both in the condo and out. But is was so nice to be able to do it on our own house. It is one of those things that (to use a cliche) makes a house a home.
The second positive--my run yesterday morning. I realized that my slow long distance runs over the summer were not for lack of training. I may or may not get a personal best in the race in two weeks. But if I don't it is not for lack of trying or lack of readiness. Yesterday's 15 mile run was the fastest pace I'd run anywhere near that distance since the Baltimore 10 Miler on Father's Dat weekend. The runs I had done the rest of the summer seem to have been a function of three things--running alone (which I am capable of doing but just is not the same as running with a group), not getting to the NCR trail (which, while some call it boring, it a welcome relief from hills), and having run in much warmer weather the rest of the summer. Yesterday's run was wonderful.
The negative--after avoiding getting hit by a backing pickup in one part of the grocery store parking lot, I hit a car while trying to pull into a parking space. Foolish--yes. Costly in terms of future premiums, etc. Probably. But, it forced me to think about why it happened (not getting myself together enough after avoiding something bad to really concentrate on the next big task) and to see that some people in the world are still pretty good people. I wrote a note and left it on the windshield of the other car, but also went to see if the owner of the parked car was in the store. She was and when I began with a profuse apology she began with "these things happen". Unhappy--yes. But she took it in stride and was very forgiving. That seems like a rare quality these days. Even in an unhappy moment, there was a moment of grace.
Two of out three positive is not a bad day. I just hope that the next negative can be a little simpler but just as graceful.
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