Less than 3 weeks out from my second triathlon and I had not run a single step. And after my unsuccessful swim, I was really worried about being able to complete the triathlon.  I mentioned it at PT and they had me get on the treadmill and try.  I ran for a minute and 54 seconds, a long way from the 3.2 miles I would need to cover.  Cleared to start running I was advised to alternate between running and walking. My first time out I made it for a total of 5 running minutes.  As I learned after the swim, I had missed the cut off to defer the…

Yesterday began like most mornings.  I fed the dogs then opened up my YouVersion Bible app.  After reading the word of the day I clicked on the Bible plans I have been working on.  This week I started Unhindered by Fear by Esther Marie.  The plan this morning talked about fear of failure.  I am no stranger to failure in my life and over the years I know that from failure I have accomplished many goals and have grown stronger.  While working on my doctorate degree my research was not coming together and it took an extra year for me to graduate. Looking back I see how the time was…

About a month ago I started a new book, Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving, Celeste Headlee.  I forget where I saw the recommendation for this book but it spoke to me and I quickly ordered a copy.  Right away it spoke to me, as a person who always wants to be productive but in reality I have two speeds, fully on or stalled. Maybe being stalled is not so bad.  I often feel that I need to be productive with every moment of my time but for the past few years I just cannot keep up with it and feel frustrated and tired.  In…

I have the luxury of living near the beach and every summer I get annoyed with myself that I did not get to the beach often enough. The last few years I have made a more conscious effort to correct this imbalance. I am happy to report I completed my first beach day for the 2022 summer and I was able to squeeze it in before the end of June!  Due to chores, I could not spend the entire day at the beach.  I was up early and was able to get some chores done then headed off to the beach with my youngest.  We went to a different beach…

A few weeks ago I went to my first in person church service since covid began. If you follow my blog posts or know me, you know I can get anxious in a variety of situations, returning to church can now be added to the list.  I have kept in touch with some church members over this hiatus and started volunteering at our thrift store, but the thought of seeing everyone all at once was a bit scary.  It is crazy how the mind can work, even though I have missed my church family and wanted to return and see them, it was still an overwhelming thought.  Things have also…

This year I have not felt very Christmasy.  I made a decision early on that I did not want to do a lot of shopping and buy things that others don’t really need or want.  I was hoping stepping back from the commercialism would help put me in the Christmas mood, it hasn’t really helped.  I know this can be a difficult time of year for many and even though the message does not seem to be out there, it is perfectly fine to not have the Christmas spirit.  I don’t think it helps when stores start putting Christmas decorations and supplies out in the summer, what happened to a…

I have always been a fan of Halloween for the simple fact I get to dress in costume. Part of it is getting to wear something fancy and or fun but the other part is expressing my creativity. I will use any excuse to make or buy a new costume.  Last year derailed me in my pursuit of the perfect Halloween costume.  As usually happens when Halloween does not fall on a work day, my enthusiasm waned.  The Hallowed Half Marathon was deferred and my costume I spent the last year perfecting would not be needed.  A handful of us met to run the race unofficially, I wanted to save…