Tuesday Topics- Bloom Where You’re Planted
On Tuesdays, I often link up with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics. The only problem is, my posts are usually wildly off-topic. This week’s topic is: “You’ve won an all-expenses paid trip to run a race anywhere in the world. What race would it be?” As usual, I’m going to be a little off-topic. But this prompt coincides with something I’ve been thinking about lately. A couple weeks ago I went to a wedding, and met a woman who lives in Utah. Well, Utah is my dream destination for a vacation. I follow Hungry Runner Girl and the photos of the trails she runs are so beautiful. I want to go to Zion National Park, and run in St. George. As I was talking to my new Utah friend, it came up that I love trail running, and she said “We have some amazing trail races in Utah- you should come out and run one!” Yes! That would be incredible! Except for two things- mountains and altitude. I live in South Florida, which is at sea level and 100% flat (except for the sand dunes that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere in my last race.) If I went to Utah to run a trail race, I think I would travel all the way there to have a terrible experience in a beautiful location. On a related subject, lately I’ve been thinking of moving. Yes, moving to… wait. Where would I move to? I need to live in a very sunny location because I have serious SAD (which is how I ended up in Florida- I grew up near Chicago. Shudder.) My daughter is starting high school and all her friends are here. My husband, in addition to teaching school, is a freelance trumpet player and all his contacts and gigs are here. As much as I fantasize about moving, I have to embrace one of my favorite sayings, “Bloom where you’re planted.” Florida isn’t perfect. It’s getting way too hot for me, and the politics are, well… ahem. But I live near the ocean! And the Everglades! As long as we can cope with the heat, we can run outside year-round. And there are beautiful trails not that far from me that I haven’t even begun to explore. It’s not “Utah beautiful” but it’s “Florida beautiful.” So to answer the question, “You’ve won an all-expenses paid trip to run a race anywhere in the world. What race would it be?” My choice is the race I’m running in February, in central Florida. It’s on a “wild and scenic trail” that I’ve never seen before. There won’t be mountains, but there will be some grassy segments and some wet sections- things I can train for right here. It will be beautiful Florida terrain. Maybe someday I’ll run every trail race in Florida (although I doubt it) and want to branch out. And maybe someday I’ll move, but I might end up staying right here. That would be pretty great, too. Do you have a dream race? Or a dream vacation spot? Where would you live if you could live anywhere? Or are you happy right where you are?