The continued prayer is, “Lord keep me focused. Keep my mind stayed on You. Help me to bring You praise. I know You believe in me. Please help me in my unbelief. Amen.”
This was merely a maintenance run. Had to get the miles in. To be honest, I was not in the mood but I was determined to not only get it in, but to work on speed.
It was my usual end-of-day route. Chris drops me off about 3 miles from home and I run it in.
When I’m feeling this way, I can usually rely on my vibrantly colored, super cute running garb to at least make me feel fabulous outwardly.
But alas, before I left the house for work, I had packed my navy blue, ill-fitting, running-mommy capris. I bought ‘em on clearance at TJ Maxx last winter. I love them because they are comfortable: warm enough in cool weather but moisture-wicking so I don’t burst into flame in warm weather…. and the full coverage means I never have to worry about rubbing my girlie bits raw during long runs. However, they are not figure-flattering.
They don’t make me look *bigger* than I am, they make me look *exactly* as I am. Don’t get me wrong, I have no body image problems. I am grateful for the vessel GOD gave me. But it is well that my husband is an ass man because I’ve got a lot going on back there and these capris show it.
So, with a sigh and still feeling the little sting in my left AT that cropped up after my last long run, I took the last 5 minutes of the workday to change from business casual to Running Super Mom.
After we picked up both kids and got to the drop off point, Jordan says, “Mommy, do you *have* to run? Cuz I wanna come too, but I wanna walk.”
Working out with Jordan is always an exercise in frustration because he never pushes as hard as I know he can, but with this? There is no way he could push as hard as I want to go because he’s in his school clothes.
Well, this is quite the conundrum. Usually when I’m debating about a run, I do the same psych rotation everyone does: When I am 80 years old, will I be glad I ran tonight? The next time I have cheesecake, will be I glad I ran tonight? When I go to bed tonight, will I be glad I ran tonight? When I stand before the LORD, will I be glad I ran tonight?
Typically the answer would be an unequivocal “YES!” on all counts, but not this time. This time the question is changed. Children change everything.
So I said, “Come on… Let’s go.” My little man took my hand, and we walked home.
Some might call it a wasted workout, but the psych rotation continues:
When I am 80 years old, will I be glad I spent an hour walking 3 miles with my son? The next time I have cheesecake, will it be as sweet as walking hand-in-hand with my best little dude? When I go to bed tonight, will I know better how to pray because I walked with my son? And if I had to stand before the LORD tomorrow, would I be glad I chose my son over myself?
The run can wait….. These times are fleeting.
NOTE: What’s up with the snake?! My neighbors lose the weirdest animals. Remember the goats? Yes, plural… goatS!
Yes. Walking with your child is priceless. He will remember that walk. :)
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a snake in a tank in my house. We dont know where it went. Really.