Posted 10/4/21
Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.” Ezra 10:4
Happy Monday to all! 🙂 Another Monday in paradise here. OK…maybe not, but, all things considered, it could always be worse. The weekend was kind of an unpredictable dumpster fire at times…but even in the dumpster fire, there were amazingly cool and beautiful things. Consider the weekend of the unpredictable:
- Friday’s non-profit leadership conference was very good. I expected that I was going to be doing volunteer work the whole time and would catch sessions onbly as a fly on the wall. Turns out I only worked hard for the first 2 hours and then I was set free to watch.
- It rained cats, dogs and a few elephants all day Friday and scared me that our benefit run for Whispering Willows Senior Dog Sanctuary would either be cancelled or be a flop.
- The benefit run went off without a hitch. It raised well over $1000.
- It was cool…nice 66 degree evening for a run, right? Oh, but the 99% humidity made it feel like running in Jello.
- Saturday was my princess Lindsey’s big day. 🙂 She was a homecoming queen candidate at her college and got fancied all up and looked wonderful:
- The homecoming parade went amazingly. The skies parted and the weather was grand after a rainy morning.
- Then we headed off to the football game during which they crowned the queen. Literally a minute and a half into the game, we were already losing 14-0 (and went on to lose 77-10). Not what you expect on homecoming games…you try to pick the worst possible team to play on homecoming so that you can be sure to win to cap off a great time.
- I mentioned the 1:30 into the game score, because it was also then that this happened:
…a lightning storm, and a corresponding 2-hour delay and evacuation.
- Once the game finally resumed, halftime came and unfortunately my daughter didn’t win the queen although she was stunning (and is super cool…) and I am sure the vote was close.
- My oldest daughter didn’t get to hang out afterwards but is now coming next weekend too.
- Then Sunday…we floundered around and missed our window to make it to in-person church, but watched it on TV and was blessed although we missed our rare Lord’s Supper (we are Baptist and only do them quarterly…)
- I decided to get in a run, as I frequently do, while my bride stocks up on the grub for the week. I drove to the Springfield trailhead of the Frisco Highline Trail, the ending point of last year’s run, and decided to trace running from there to Chesapeake. It was only 27 miles, so I figured I would drive a few of the ways to see which one would be best for Runnin’ Til I’m Purple. I quickly discovered that I am an idiot. Well, actually I had long considered that thought…but in this case what I discovered is that there ARE NO SHOULDERS ON ANY ROAD TO CHESAPEAKE. There is no way to take that path safely on day 2 of next years’ event. NONE.
- I, nevertheless, drove all the way to Chesapeake to take some pictures of the idallic area and spring. They are the ones described in this piece: LINK and exemplified best in this picture:
- When I arrived, the spring was closed down (I suspect forever):
Indeed…
- I didn’t feel like running on a highway, so I headed to Republic, my hometown, and called my sis and had a nice visit.
- I got to Republic and had to get gas…and my car barely started. I limped it to Wal-Mart, expecting the battery was weak.
- The battery tested fine. That is the end of Wal-Mart’s expertise, so I went back to hop in and drive it to my normal mechanic’s shop in Bolivar. The car was dead as Julius Stinkin’ Caesar.
- I called AAA, expecting a 30 minute wait.
- They promised an hour.
- They delivered the tow in 3.5 hours. I sat in the parking lot waiting most of my day of rest.
- When they finally arrived, the nice guy said…”Oh, it is your starter. I will hit it with a hammer while you turn the key”.
- It worked. I drove home to my mechanic’s shop…who was open on a Sunday night to check me in.
- The bill is $240 for a new starter and labor.
- It will be fixed today.
- I ran 4+ miles this morning and the GPS shape was that of a Cardinal:
Life is like my weekend, friends. We are thrown curves every day. I can assure you that my super healthy and mentally strong mom didn’t expect to be where she is now, say 15 years ago. She was living life, staying healthy, and dreaming of retiring and spending time with grandkids and great-grandkids… then dementia threw her and all of us for a tragic loop. Do I have a platitude for you here that will smooth this out? Not really. However, know these few things today if you didn’t before:
- Life is unpredictable (for us, but not for God.)
- Live each day, week, month, and year like they are potentially the last, but with a positive outlook.
- Roll with the punches. Make lemonade out of the artichoke we are sometimes presented with…and you will be a Tik- Tok sensation.
- Expect the best, prepare for the worst…and the truth will likely be somewhere in between.
Update: No news on mom over the weekend. The nursing home gets case after case after case after case of Covid. It is like they have Covid parties. 🙁 Mom is still doing pretty much the same… I will know more tomorrow after my visit.
BIG Runnin’ Til I’m Purple update- After my tour de’ Lawrence County Sunday, I am revising my Runnin’ Til I’m Purple run in June to a bigger, yet safer shark: I am going to run the Frisco Highline Trail on Day 1 and run back on day 2. It will be many more miles, but it will be safer from a “get ran over by a Schwann’s truck” standpoint. I just can’t find a path to run to Chesapeake with shoulders that are available for runnin’. 🙁 Regardless, it will be roughly 37 miles on Day 1 and 37 more on Day 2. Day 3, I shall sleep. That is, as of now, how things are supposed to go.
#EndALZ.
Last thought- I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter on her big day! 🙂 She was a picture of grace and love. I am blessed beyond measure for having the three best kids on Earth, and my wife ain’t half bad either.:) Love you guys. 🙂