Good Times

I'll start with today, then back up to yesterday morning. As I mentioned yesterday, I'd hoped to run 12.01 miles this morning. A friendly competition of sorts has emerged with a runner friend from out of town regarding long run mileage. No prize involved, just temporary bragging rights. He'd said he was running 12, so I of course wanted to win. Well, I didn't know the group route or mileage for today but with the new snow I thought it might be up and around the lake for about 7 miles. So I started early and ran just over 5. When John appeared with the maps, the route was 10 miles. Gulp. More than I bargained for, but I was game to give it a try. We got back to Panera and Roger had 9.84 miles. "Around the parking lot?" he said. Sure. It's funny how many of us GPS wearers have to get to that next mileage mark. :-) I ended up with 15.45. All in all, it was a very good, comfortable run for me. Several of us commented that different muscles were sore today, due to the snow most likely. It was 20'ish and quite windy from the north with the snow was blowing sideways, but like Roger said, come January we'll be hoping for a day like this. He's absolutely right. I'd added a neck gaiter to my attire of previous weeks and it was just my face that got cold. My friend is running a marathon next weekend, so I've already conceded next week, then I'll give him a recovery week and then it's ... game on!! All in good fun.

The highlight of my morning was when Dave Morrill brought his little 3-month old granddaughter Audrey back to our corner of Panera. He's a very proud grandpa, as well he should be. She's pretty adorable.

Well, I practically jumped out of my seat. Those who know me well know how much I love babies. I got Dave and Audrey's photo then of course wanted to hold her for a while. She was so soft and warm and smelled so good. Delightful.

Marilee brought a big cookie (the thickest most heavily-frosted sugar cookie I've ever seen---HyVee Barlow Plaza gets the plug here) as we bid farewell to Emily, who's going back to Buffalo, NY where she says they've already gotten 4 feet of snow.

Back to yesterday morning. I got to the Y, was getting ready to lift, and saw Jack, an 80 to 85'ish fellow member who's there several times per week. I always greet him and ask him how he's doing, which I did again yesterday. Then he asked if it was OK if he told me something. I said of course. He gave me a very nice compliment. I said, "Jack, you just made my day." "Really?" "Yes." I gave him a little hug and we went about our routines. I felt great.

Lesson learned: Compliments are so easy to give, just take a second, are free, and just might make someone's day. I should give more of them. As I see it, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I came home and burst my little bubble by cleaning bathrooms. :-)

My friend Jeanne and I went to dinner at Chester's yesterday evening, and then the Lorie Line concert. Chester's was certainly the place to be. It's got a more urban non-Rochester feel to it than other places in town. It was busy the whole time. The food was good. The concert was again very typical of Lorie Line--good music, lots of costume changes, and they again brought all the kids in the audience up on stage and put them in costume. It's a fun evening.

Tomorrow, Jeanne and I are off to Decorah, IA for another of our holiday traditions--attending Christmas at Luther. All the choirs in the school particiate, which amounts to hundreds and hundreds of voices. There is a time when all of them are singing at once, absolutely filling the auditorium with sound. With some of the choirs lined up in the aisles, and all of them holding candles with the house lights dimmed, and all singing, it's just fantastic. Gives me chills. Can't wait.

Totally useless information:

If you play the piano, try playing for a while and then immediately go to a computer keyboard and start typing. It's a very weird feeling. Doesn't happen going from computer keyboard to piano keyboard.

During the run this morning, I was talking with Tom Williamson about quilting as his wife Karen is a quilter and was away in Red Wing at a quilting function. I commented on the abundance of fabric I have that has yet to be made into quilts (not uncommon among quilters, BTW). He said the good thing about fabric is that it doesn't go bad. Well said, Tom. :-)

I've met someone in cyberspace only, through this blog actually, who was searching for a mutual friend. He sent me some lyrics from the musical RENT:

525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life? ...

In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned, or the way that she died. ...

Itʼs time now to sing out, tho the story never ends
let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends.

I must say that some of the best minutes of the 525,600 that will make up this year have been spent on the run, in the company of friends. Runs with friends are usually a highlight of my week, and something that I always look forward to. I suppose it could be said that my "running life" and all that that includes, occupies too large a portion of my life. But it's a part of my life that I treasure and would hate to lose.

Here's to friends, and the running life. Cheers.