Day 102: Fri Nov 22nd - Warm and fuzzy feelings from the Trail Front

Day One Hundred-two:  Revenge of the Evil Thorns and more warm and fuzzy feelings from the trail front.

Wind storm plagued a large area of the region last night, though our little area must have had a dome around it. I didn't detect even the slightest breeze, while the news showed reports of 50-75 mph winds wrecking havoc.  However, the thorn bushes from hell tumbled about last night and were right on our path, blocking parts of the trail. The dang things are dried out and the thorns sharp enough to bite my fingers through my gloves. Poor Jax's feet.... eventually had to get off the trail and find a different way about to protect his paws.

On another note, while running I kept thinking about time and my daughters.  I thought about how much they have grown. It leaves a myriad of feelings when I think of them as a whole and individually. Happiness, pride, love, joy and wonder, but also touched with exhaustion, sadness and if I'm completely honest, sometimes fear.
Time ticks by, but often time feels like a super power storm cell, soaring past before I can catch my breathe, with arms stretched out trying to pull back the moment.  I still struggle (and probably will always) to remind myself to take it slow each day. Try to enjoy all the little things. To be patient. To be kind. To be loving and let myself be loved (the hardest part sometimes).
Homework (especially learning about an important assignment due last minute....grrrrr), clothes to be washed, organizing schedules, dinner, cleaning, breakfast, getting hair combed, teeth brushed and all the other million little important things that gobble up moments each day. It's not easy to remember to take a deep breathe and just observe. To enjoy each quirk, goofiness and chaos, instead of telling them to be quiet.  To listen intently and with purpose, instead of being distracted and in a hurry to <insert trivial thing that can almost certainly wait>. 
I thought of this while I was running this morning and my eyes stinged.
The sadness comes from knowing that with time passing, each day they get older. Fear is letting go one millimeter at a time, knowing they must grow, slowly become independent, feel pain, sadness, happiness, joy, love, loss and everything in between for themselves.

So Celeste.... remember -  each day you have moments of joy, love, humor, laughing and hugs. That is ultimately what is important. So chill it about the small stuff and enjoy this time. Be grateful and know you are blessed to be their mother..... just don't screw up.

Day 90: Sun Nov 10th - Rosebud and Thorns

Day Ninety:  

The Rosebud Who Could 

or rather

Every Rose has it's Thorn......except this one.

Rose blooming in near mid-Novmeber, despite icy mornings.

Day ninety... 3 months, flew by, or rather ran by.  LOL

Day 82: Sat Nov 2nd - Bark Hill

Day Eighty-two: Thorns of life... and a bark hill.



I think this is a good look for him..... 

I've decided.... Life is not supposed to make sense.Things that I think I know, change. Things I thought I knew... I was wrong. So I have decided to stop struggling against the tide of life and just go with the flow. Life is good and we are blessed. We just have to look for the beautiful moments. They are everywhere.  
Finding faults in life is easy.  Doing something about them can be a challenge. But the true struggle I see in myself  is finding the beauty of life on a consistent basis. I have to remind myself that I can 'choose' happiness.  I can 'see' beauty and love the experience.
I think it was Wayne Dyer who quoted in one of his books.... 

"What we focus on expands."   
 
Which, when you think about it, makes complete sense.

Today on my run I started off grumbling about this and that. Complaining in my head about things in life that are unfair.  Seeing the lack.  After a mile of negative self talk, Jax and I came upon this hill of bark. Right in the middle of nothing really. I stared annoyed at first (not sure why), however Jax thought it was super exciting! He spotted the hill quickly from a distance (being that it was completely out of the ordinary on our ordinary running path) and bounded up the hill (pulling me along until I let go). He began pouncing in the bark, digging, jumping around and appeared completely content with where he was in that exact moment.
You could feel his joy.  He simply saw a hill, lived in the moment and was happy.

Okay, now after writing the above, I know what I really want. 

 

I want to be a dog.   

 

Woof.

Day 65: Wed Oct 16th - Frozen Leaves and Thorns

Day Sixty-five:  Frozen leaves, thorns and an ouch.

 

Frost covered most things this morning, including the thorns Jax's feet seem to be highly attracted to.  The thorns are plaguing him more lately. As if the little buggers come out of hiding in the frozen ground and seek his warm paw bed to attach to, bringing us abruptly to a halt. Again and again, the routine is whip lash from the dead  stop mid-stride (as if I'm that fast.. ha!), affected paw up in the air, stretching the hamstrings as I bend and flick off the evil prickly thing and then off we go again... only to another HALT!!              Stop... Repeat. *sigh*

 

My ouch is actually more concerning as the right side of my right foot has been aching badly the past two days. I worry about developing a stress facture, as frankly, that would be a pain to deal with right now. While I run, it doesn't hurt as much once I'm warmed up, but if I land on that side, due to the uneven trails, it is instant pain.  Afterwards it is a dull ache all day.

I wrap it, ice it, ibuprofen it and the biggest feat of all, is ignore it. 

 

Any ideas on how to help, prevent and heal this area? (besides not running of course... as that isn't an option.. foolish as it may be ;)