Little Things for Which I am Thankful (yeah, really not so little…)

It was a busy, but wonderful week. I can’t believe it was a week ago that I picked my friend Lisa (Mom to Marathon) up at the airport so she could stay with me and run the Boston Marathon! We had such a great time and even though we started as friends online, 6 years ago, in ways it feels like no time has passed, and in others, it feels like I’ve known her forever. Know what I mean?

So much to be thankful for this week!  If there’s anything you are thankful for, please drop me a comment below!

1. My friend, Lisa, finished the marathon!!! Now, normally this isn’t a big deal. She’s a great runner and has a strong will so if it’s within her power, she will always finish. Last year, however, it wasn’t within her control, due to some a-holes setting off bombs near the finish line.  So, this year she got to run down that wonderful stretch of Boylston that they had stopped her from doing last year. She told me it was one of her slowest marathons ever, but her face hurt from smiling so much. I was sooooo happy for her!

2. I had gotten to the point at work last week where I could just tell I needed time off. Whenever I start to feel like students are “grabbing” at me (for lack of a better word), I know it’s time for me to be out of the office. I mean, being here to answer questions is basically my job, so when I don’t want to do it, I know I am getting burned out. I can’t think of a better way to have spent those few days out of the office than with a good friend. We went to Castle Island down in South Boston, right on the water, on Tuesday. It was a gorgeous, sunny day. We took little Osito with us and of course, we were stopped by many children and adults alike on the way, who kept cooing over her and her cuteness. 🙂 I mean, she was in her summer dress – how could you not?? (Laugh if you will, I love that little girl and she totally doesn’t mind being dressed up.)

3. This was the week I decided to train for a marathon this fall. My second. I’m a bit nervous about my body being able to take all of the stress of the pounding, so I’m going to really pay attention to it along the way. I’m thankful for all the support I’ve received from everyone since deciding to go for it again. I’m especially grateful for having such a wonderful brother who has agreed to be my coach and put together a program for me.

4. I am thankful for having found a brand of sneaker called Hoka One One. Without them, I thought I would be relegated to no longer running races of even 5 miles. Thanks to them, I have felt so much less back pain this week and even been able to run a few days in a row. They have so much cushioning that they have been able to absorb a lot of the pounding for me. Wish me luck for the 5-6 miles I will be logging tomorrow. For right now, it’s my longest distance I’ve run in a while. It will soon be eclipsed.

5. I am so so so so thankful for my chiropractor. He’s given me such great advice and exercises to use and I am feeling the difference every day. I used to feel like my body was that of an 80 year old woman with the constant back pain. I no longer feel that way.

6. My mom got engaged this past week. I’m really happy for her. The guy she is with now is really great and treats her with such respect and admiration. It’s clear he is really in love with her. She deserves to be happy.

7. A photo is worth a thousands words! Tookie, the cat in the picture below, was my foster baby for about 7 months. His mom just sent this picture to me this week – the dog, Po, is now Tookie’s bestest, bestest, bestest friend in the world! Clearly, Po feels the same way about him as he’s letting  Tookie eat his food!  I am not sure Tookie would have been put up for adoption out of the shelter due to his elimination habits, so I felt so happy when I saw this photo and know that his mom is still totally committed to him, quirks and all.