Run On!

Every time my son and  I pass someone running we yell out, "run on!" By a short stretch of my own imagination, I am a runner. But my son is a real runner - the kind who runs races every week and puts in 20 to 30 miles of practice.  As I watched him progress in running, I realized that it's pretty tough to keep going. Running can also be pretty lonely - especially when it's cold or dark. So, his first year of running for high school, I would tell him to, "Run On!"  Then we started saying it to other runners.  Every time I think of those words, I think of people who are running on (literally and figuratively). 

 It's so easy to adopt a woe is me attitude - to feel hopeless and that your situation is unbearable. But when I really look around me, people are going through some serious stuff and still running on. On Wednesday, I went to meet up with one of my running groups. I didn't really feel up to it.  My knee had been protesting all day and I was tired.  I ran next to a lady I had never met. She had been battling bronchitis and had not been to the group in a little while.  She said she had just "gotten over" her bronchitis, but I could still hear the heavy raspiness in her voice and she would cough every few minutes while we were running.  Her name was Dawn and she ran nonstop for 3.1 miles with a  huge smile on her face when we finished. I ran  next to her the entire time because she was so encouraging to me and I wanted to encourage her by giving her a mental RUN ON. I told that old nagging knee of mine to shut up and deal with it. If that lady could run while struggling to breathe, surely I could RUN ON too! So we chatted and ran the entire time and finished strong (well if not strong, alive and well)!



For every single problem or worry I have, I can think of a way things could be worse.  Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own stuff, that we don't take the time to recognize the pain, suffering and problems of those around us.  Take the time to tell someone to RUN ON. Give a hug, send a card, offer a smile or words of encouragement.  You'd be surprised at how much smaller your problems become when you take just a moment to focus on someone else!

RUN ON!

Free to be Kelly!

On Friday, we had to do a little office moving.  So, I wore jeans to work for the first time in the 3 plus years I have been at this job.  I figured I could throw on a blazer to dress them up.  I love this blazer I got during my birthday shopping spree - $49 Talbots.com! I am wearing my favorite belt. It makes me feel good. I got it from bodenusa.com.    But this post is not about what I am wearing - I am not a fashionista by a long shot!  This post is about being free to be me!


  It started gradually...first, I stopped trying to follow the rules for what colors went together, what patterns went together and all that business.  One of my close friends has always hated how I dress - too colorful, too haphazard. LOL - she is a fashion diva and I cannot keep up!  I started wearing the things I loved (whether it was "in style" or not).  Then I let my relaxed hair go and started cutting it shorter and shorter (people are still mad about that one).  This summer, I started wearing shorts in public again after more than 10 years of hiding my legs! Then I just went ahead and cut my hair the rest of the way, just because I wanted to see what it would look like and what it would feel like. It feels free - even though I think I may do something different this winter. But being free to be me means more than what I am wearing or how I look. It means I don't set my standards according to what other people think. If I feel good about it, and I think God is alright with it, then I go for it!


  At 42 years old, I am finally beginning to be OK with just me. I am who I am and what I am.  A few years ago, I would have never put my picture on a blog.  I could give a laundry list of the things I wish were different. The things I can change, I am working on. The other stuff - well I can't do anything about it and I am finally accepting that.  I am just me. And finally, I feel free to be Kelly! Do not conform to the standards of the world. Have a higher purpose and follow a higher power. Feel free to be you! It feels pretty darn good!

The Sock Basket

Ever wonder what happens to the socks when they go through the laundry? I mean you know they are all paired off when you start washing clothes. Where do they go? Is there a monster in the dryer? Well, we keep a basket near the dryer and throw all the lonely single socks in there. We throw them in there until the basket is overflowing with socks - literally.

The other day, I asked my teenager to go through the sock basket. We kind of take turns sorting the socks, looking for complete pairs, throwing out holey ones, etc.  If we don't find a mate, we just throw the sock back in there hoping that one day we will find it.  Nobody wants to do the sorting (which is why the basket gets so full). I am not sure why we don't want to do it. It's not a big deal really.  Just dump the socks on the rug or the sofa while you're watching TV and get it done. So the teenage boy is doing this task and it's taking FOREVER. Not because it's tedious, but because he doesn't want to do it. He found my favorite pink footie socks - the ones I used to call my lucky bowling socks (yay).  He also found a few pairs of his sister's socks, but he is dragging the whole thing out and making a mountain out of a mole hill.  Not only is he dragging it out, but he has a bad attitude about it.  No, it's not a big deal but he just doesn't want to do it. My husband and I smile at each other behind his back and choose to ignore the attitude.

The sock basket duty has me thinking though.  I'm thinking about the figurative sock baskets in my life. The places where I let little things pile up - like sending the check to the charity organization that I let talk me into a donation.  I mean I pledged (probably shouldn't have but the guy was so darn charming on the phone), then I got the envelope in the mail, then I started getting reminder calls - EVERY DAY. What's the big deal about writing the check? I am not sure - would just rather write it for anything else at the moment.  There are other things in my sock basket too - like the friend I haven't spoken to in a long while and intend to call (soon), or the weeds I keep meaning to pull, or the refrigerator I should clean out, or the closet in the basement that needs organizing.  I find a dozen things to do instead.  But just like my real sock basket, the more I let things pile up, the bigger they become.

Today, I am committing to going through all my sock baskets to see what's in them. If there's something that doesn't fit into my life, I need to let it go.  I might find a few surprises though - like something that makes me feel good, or more importantly, something that makes someone else feel good.

What's in your sock basket?

29...13 times removed

So, it's my birthday.

Lessons I have learned in my 29 years :-)

1) It's rarely THAT serious

2) My body is older than I  feel - I have to take care of it

3) My mother was right when she said always put some money away

4) What doesn't kill me really will make me stronger (at least mentally)

5) I really don't care if my purse and my shoes don't match

6) Putting off something I really want to do because I am worried something else MIGHT happen is just   plain stupid
    (Don't wait to go back to school because you MIGHT get pregnant soon)
    (Don't wait to get pregnant because you MIGHT get a new job soon)
    (Don't wait to go on vacation because you MIGHT get a new house)

7) Marriage is like a sprained ankle. If you don't take care of it, it will turn into something really bad!

8) Giving to others really does bring me more joy than receiving from others

9) Being open minded has resulted in some of the most wonderful friendships with people I didn't even think I would like

10) A friend who is too busy to see me or call is still my friend

11) A friend who turns their back on me based on what someone else said, was never a friend

12) Work will still be there in the morning

13) Being satisfied with OK nets average results

14) I shouldn't be embarrassed by wanting and expecting the best

15) Sometimes the best response is no response. I do not have to dignify ignorance with a response.

16) Unforgiveness (that's not really a word is it?) is toxic

17) I have no idea what most people are going through beyond closed doors

18) The cure for procrastination is to get started right now

19) I don't need half the junk I am holding onto, and I feel better as soon as I let go of it

20) It's OK to be different

21) Things look more manageable after a full night of sleep

22) Pausing to think before acting (even when it seems an immediate answer is necessary) can prevent a lifetime of regret

23) Children don't stay children for very long - have fun with them

24) Family isn't always blood related

25) 2 glasses of wine are enough

26) Sometimes I have to be prepared to scrap the entire plan and head in a different direction (like it or not)

27) Just when I think it's over, I realize it's just a turn in the road

28) I am beautiful!

29) Without God, I am nothing

Enjoy my birthday! It's a good day. 
 

I'm Back!

Really??? 3 years since I blogged. Well I have been busy and I don't think anyone was reading my blog anyway. So here I am - turning 42 tomorrow. I literally woke up this morning and thought, "I am going to start blogging again." What have I been up to? A little of everything. I got a new job - YAY! I am officially a government mule now. Guess what? I love it!! My hair is gone (I got it cut off), I started running, and I wore shorts this summer for the first time in about 12 years. This means that either I am getting older and have stopped caring about what other people think, or that I am really starting to like the way I look, or a little of both. So, here I am. I have changed a bit. Funny how you don't realize you are aging until you have really AGED. :-)

People tell me they like the way I put together all sorts of colors that one wouldn't normally put together. You might not be able to tell from the picture, but this jacket has red stripes in it - hence my red shoes. Let me tell you a secret, I have no clue what I am doing. I mix my clothing out of necessity. 5 years ago, I wouldn't dare to mix some of the colors and patterns I wear now. However, spending all of my money on a my kids and a house remodel, and starting to really think about the future (retirement), has really changed how I spend on myself. So, I just take the same old pieces and wear them with something different. Every now and then I buy a new piece and add it into the mix. OK, in the interest of full disclosure I will say that I just went on a SUPER internet shopping spree. I NEVER do that. My treat to myself (trying hard not to think of the total damage). Plus, I shopped during Maryland's tax-free week. Everything I purchased online was TAX FREE and of course I took advantage of free shipping deals and all kinds of online coupons. I will post a pic of all the clearance and sale priced goodies I found as soon as all my packages arrive. I will be back, and it won't be 3 years from now.

Ta ta for now!

~Kelly