EEE: Balance

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Balance

Hey guys!

I hope everyone had as great of a holiday weekend as we did! Kids and parents alike were very ready for a 3-day weekend. Of course that makes it rough on everybody today…but I’m thinking it was worth it;-)

We spent the weekend at our cabin on the river with family and friends. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, with cooler temps and humidity, and nothing but blue skies. It was perfect.

A little taste of fall? Yes, please. The weather was so wonderful, in fact, that I managed to do my longest run EVER outside on Sunday morning. The cool air felt so amazing and I was jamming to my praise and worship music, so I just kept going. I ended up doing 14 miles in 2:19:28! That’s under 10 minute/miles!! Wow. All praise goes to Jesus for the strength and motivation. I was completely floating throughout the rest of the day…it was a runner’s high like none I’ve ever had before.

Sunday afternoon we were joined by friends from STL. You know how sometimes I write about the positives that have come from being diagnosed with breast cancer?? Well, these friends definitely fall into that category. Tim is my oncologist (and the best one in the world at that), and his fabulous wife Heather, along with their children came down to the cabin to play this weekend! And PLAY is the only way to describe the events that took place in the time we were together! I think Heather’s FB status sums it up best:

Armadillo hunting, night bow-fishing, .22-shooting, chicken 'canning,' fireworks flaming, flat-bottom boating, river floating, 4-wheeler riding, 4-mile hiking, kubota driving, volleyball spiking, boys running wild, little girls full of smiles = Best Labor Day EVER!!!

It was SUCH a great weekend! I hope there are many more adventures to follow. A city version of “playtime” is already in the works for later this month! Stay tuned to see what takes place;-)

Yesterday morning, Heather and I headed out for a run. The run turned into a nice 4-mile power walk up and down country roads, with dogs in tow, and included some of the best conversation I’ve had about my diagnosis thus far. We talked about what I had learned from our experience and my thoughts and fears now. And I feel like God laid on my heart through our conversation that in some ways my life is not in balance. That He’s got me, and it is indeed safe for me to look up and embrace life and enjoy it! I love the way God works through others sometimes, and I stand in awe of how He knows exactly what we need, when we need it.

After our walk, I started a new element of balance into my workout life…yoga. Now I’ve done yoga before from Yoga Download but I have never been to a class. So Heather showed me a Sun Salutation on the deck and the stretch and peaceful feeling it left me with was amazing. The walk and yoga left me feeling more in balance and satisfied than “yet another run” would have. And MUCH easier on my body. This is definitely something I am going to continue…and hope to learn more of! So, in keeping my promise...this was after this morning’s run: Awesome.