Comparison, Guilt, and My New Schedule
Earlier in the week, Birchwood Pie published a post about her decision to quit her mind-numbing, hateful job (hooray!) and possibly not go back to work. I hope this scenario comes to pass (partially because I’m selfishly hoping she’ll start blogging more often) but I have to admit, it made me feel a little bad about myself. I’m 57! Why can’t I stop working? Boy, I’ve really mismanaged my finances. At the same time, I read other blogs where women seem to be working much more than me. Wait a minute! I shouldn’t be thinking about not working- I should be working more! To be clear, I know our goal here is to build each other up. No one is trying to make anyone feel bad- this is all just my own craziness. It reminded me of a podcast episode I listened to last week, where Sally McRae (an incredible ultrarunner) was answering listener questions about training, specifically about building a training program when you have kids. She warned against falling into the trap of thinking “So-and-so has FOUR kids, and she runs 70 miles a week- should I be doing that?” Sally emphasized that every family is unique. And the more kids you have, the more unique your family is (wait- I only have two. Should I have had more? Just kidding.) The specific needs of your family will never match the needs of someone else’s, so no two training plans will look alike. Factor work into the equation, and each family becomes even more unique. This is all a very long way to say, I have a new work schedule and I’m pretty excited about it. As a reminder, I work as a massage therapist, and the place I work is open 9 am-10 pm, so no one works a typical 9-5 schedule. I’ve always revolved my workday around my kids’ school schedules, and my employers are fine with whatever I choose (they just want us to pick a schedule and stick with it.) Now that my daughter is in high school, school starts at 7:30 (ouch.) I’ll drop her off at 7, and then have THREE HOURS to do my workout, eat breakfast and get ready for work. I’ll work 10-3, at which time I’ll leave to pick my daughter up (she’s eligible for a bus, but has to carry her guitar to and from school most days- guitars aren’t allowed on the bus.) Those five hours I’m working will be intense, because I won’t be taking a break. But while I’m excited about this schedule, I also feel guilty about it. I feel guilty that I’m not starting work at 9, because there’s a shortage of therapists willing to work at 9 am (my coworker assured me that is NOT MY PROBLEM. Besides, I work at 9 am on Saturdays, so they’re pretty lucky I’m willing to do that!) But I also feel guilty because I’m prioritizing my workouts so much. I do have a 50 mile race to train for (ACK! Every time I say that, part of my brain goes “You signed up for WHAT???”) but at the end of the day, it’s just a hobby. I’m putting a lot of time and effort into something that I’m not getting paid for. Shouldn’t I be putting that time and effort into my career? I’m not sure there’s a correct answer to that question. Some people will probably say “You do you! Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing!” and some might say “Stop being a lazy bum and work normal hours! Put your daughter on the bus and say, tough luck, missy!” Or, there’s probably a middle ground there somewhere. Anyway, that’s my new schedule, effective today! I’ll see how it goes, and like most things in life… if it’s not working, I can always change it. Do you work a traditional 9-5 schedule? Or do you have unusual hours? Do you work from home? (Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash)
Adventures in Waco
My son is about to start his junior year at Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas. We visited the school in the summer of 2021, and then I’ve gone with him each year (freshman, sophomore, and now junior) to help him settle in. So, this was my fourth trip to Waco! It’s… an odd town. I have a couple friends who attended Baylor (back in the 1980s) and they loved the school- everyone loves Baylor- but said you didn’t leave campus. The town of Waco was very rundown and well, kind of a slum. But… Chip and Joanna Gaines to the rescue! Baylor graduates themselves, they have single-handedly taken it upon themselves to gentrify the town. Their “Fixer Upper” TV show gave people something to talk about other than the Branch Davidian fiasco, and in addition to fixing up houses, they built The Silos, or rather, they built a complex of stores and restaurants around two existing silos in the heart of downtown. (By the way- not everyone is on board with this. I got an earful last year from my Uber driver, who told a funny story about Joanna throwing a diva fit at the DMV- hee hee! Some people, it seems, liked Waco the way it was.) Right now Waco is a weird study in contrasts. Part of the town is still very old and shabby, part of it is old and charming, and part of it is new and shiny. To be honest, it’s not a place I ever would have wanted to visit, but since my son is planted there, I’ve made it a point to get to know the area. Like most places, there are interesting things to do if you just try. Last year I went for an epic trail run, but this year I wanted to run along the river. The river path starts in a park, and you can run (or walk) several miles on either side. *SIDE NOTE: I’ve already mentioned that it was extremely hot while I was there- so I’m just going to say, everything I did would have been ESPECIALLY LOVELY if it had been 30-40 degrees cooler. There’s no need to belabor the point, so now I’ll stop talking about the intense heat. It was what it was.* There’s a zoo in the park where the trail starts, and I assume that’s why there are statues of animals all along the path at that end. This one was my favorite: At the far end of the trail, you come to the Baylor campus. Why is running over bridges so fun? I crossed the river four times, each time on a different bridge. In the afternoon, I went out for Part 2 of my Waco adventure. I had read that Parisian street artist Blek le Rat painted a series of murals on different buildings in downtown Waco, so I went on a mural hunt. These were painted on the walls of various businesses (one of them was on the side of the Waco Running company, a store I was very happy to discover on my visit last year) and after I found a few of them I thought, “Wait a minute! Are these murals?” Not to sound like a philistine, but aren’t murals supposed to be large and colorful? No worries, because it turns out Waco is a city of murals! While I was looking for Blek le Rat’s “murals”, I kept seeing all sorts of things like this: Waconians really like to paint on their buildings! While I was looking for a mural called “1,000 Hopes for Waco” (which, to my disappointment, I never did find because I had the wrong address) I saw this one: It was hard to get a good photo, but far on the right side it shows the Waco Running Company! I’m still bummed I didn’t find “1,000 Hopes for Waco” (next time!) but I had fun on my search, and was surprised to find murals everywhere. I did stop in at The Silos, mainly to use the bathroom and take advantage of the AC for a few minutes. It was fun browsing in the shops, but things are VERY pricey. At one point I picked up a nice-looking notebook- I like notebooks!- and thought about getting it, until I saw the price tag- $42. No, thanks. In addition to the stores, there’s food at the Silos, including The Silos Baking Company. I didn’t go in because I’m pretty sure they don’t sell vegan baked goods. It smelled good, though! The next day, as I was taking the bus out of town (I had to take a Greyhound to the Dallas airport) I was surprised that I knew the streets so well. “Oh, there’s the Waco Running Company, with Blek le Rat’s painting on the side! That means if I look down this street I’ll see the Silos. Now we’re crossing the river, so McLane Stadium will be coming up on my right…” I’m always sad to leave my son, and I was sad to leave this odd little town as well. Have you ever been to Waco? Ever watched Fixer Upper? Have you ever gone on vacation to an odd location?
Weekly Rundown- To Texas and Back Again!
Wow. This week was a whirlwind! On Tuesday my son and I started our (now annual) drive to Texas. We drove his car there, got him all set up in his new living situation, and then I flew back. There were a couple random days off in there, but I did have some runs and workouts! Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown. Let’s get started! Sunday 6 mile run! I did a hot and sunny route near my house. Luckily I had my hydration vest and water bottle. Monday Leg day at the gym! Squats, deadlifts, calf raises, Runner’s Touch, abs and low back. Tuesday Drove from Boca Raton to Mobile, Alabama! I had dreams of doing a quick core workout before getting in the car… hahahahaha. That didn’t happen. Wednesday Okay, I was pretty annoyed. I specifically picked out a hotel WITH A GYM, because I knew I would want to run this morning, and running on the side of the highway just wasn’t appealing. Well… our hotel didn’t have a gym; instead they offered free passes to a nearby Planet Fitness. THAT IS NOT A GYM. I mean, Planet Fitness is a gym, but that’s not the same thing as having a gym in the hotel, as was advertised. There were many reasons why I didn’t want to drive to a gym in the morning- so I ended up running four hot and sweaty miles around the hotel and adjacent parking lots. Thursday We made it to Texas! Funny thing- this hotel did have a gym. It had a treadmill, a bike, an elliptical, and an “extensive” set of dumbbells: This would have been perfect for the day before, when all I wanted was a treadmill. On this day I had been hoping to lift weights though. I did what I could! Lunges, overhead shoulder press (I only use 15 lbs for that anyway) and some core. We spent the rest of the day moving my son into his house, which he’s sharing with three other boys. This involved moving furniture out of another boy’s garage, and making trips to Target and the grocery store. It was actually a fun day. Friday So guess what I realized- Florida isn’t really THAT hot! I thought it was, until this trip to Texas. It got up to 105 every day, and the humidity put the heat index around 110. It was a different kind of heat from Florida- Florida feels muggy and hot. Every time we stepped outside in Texas, it was like stepping into a blast furnace. But I still had to run! I ran early in the morning, and it was around 80 degrees- same as my runs have been in Florida. I had a really nice run along the river. It was so pretty! I ran 6.7 miles (meant to run 6, but there was a slight miscalculation) and it was definitely getting hot by the end. Saturday Travel day! There’s only one thing we don’t like about Baylor- it’s not easy to get there, or back home. There is a tiny airport in Waco, but it just makes more sense to fly out of Dallas or Austin. So travel was an all-day affair, involving a bus to Dallas, Uber from the bus station to the airport, and then a flight to Ft. Lauderdale. When I finally got home I texted my son, “It’s only 90 degrees here!” and he texted back “Lucky!” Sunday Sigh. Back to reality. On tap for today- a quick run, and then work. I don’t normally work Sundays but I figured I would make up some hours that I missed while away. I kind of wish I had taken the extra day off, but you know what? I’m always sad when I have to say goodbye to my son, and the best fix for that is throwing myself back into a routine. Running and then going to work is probably the best thing I can do. How was your week? Was it hot where you are? – I now have a new definition of “hot.” Do you like coming home from a trip? – I’m a little sad my adventure is over.
August Coffee Date- Texas Style!
I’m on the road and not sure if I’ll have wifi tomorrow- so I’m posting the August Coffee Date a day early! I’m hoping to link up with Coco and Deborah– once again, if I have access to wifi. If not, c’est la vie! Of course I’ll be reading everyone’s posts… eventually. For the third year in a row, my son and I have driven from South Florida to Waco, Texas, where he is now a junior at Baylor. It takes almost a full day of driving to just get out of Florida. As we were leaving the state, I thought of Dave Barry’s book, Best. State. Ever: A Florida Man Defends His Homeland. He talks about how, somehow, weird things that happen are always WEIRDER in Florida. When I sent my sister the photo of us leaving Florida, she told me about a fun game. You google “Florida Man” and your birthday- e.g., in my case “Florida man 3/21.” Here’s what came up: And here’s one of my sister’s: Yep, Florida is weird. We drove through Alabama and Louisiana, until we got to what the natives call “the great country of Texas.” Now all we have to do is move my son’s stuff into his new house (most of it is being stored in a friend’s garage over the summer.) And I have a riverside run planned, and a walking tour of Waco. This will all be occurring during a “red flag warning” of excessive heat, but not to worry! Floridians may be weird, but we know how to manage heat. Switching gears abruptly, the day before we left, our new kitchen counters were installed! We want everything to be bright because the kitchen is very small, so we were going to do white subway tiles for the backsplash- but now I’m thinking that may be TOO MUCH white. I’m really bad at stuff like this. Any advice would be appreciated! That’s it for this busy week… What’s your “Florida Man Birthday” headline? White subway tile? Or…???