This past week, we got some bad news. An old friend of my husband’s, one of his best friends, was diagnosed with ALS. I can’t think of any worse news than that- there are plenty of other fatal illnesses, but the progression of ALS is especially devastating.
It’s terrible to think of what this man and his family will be going through over the next couple of years. This situation, combined with ever-present thoughts about the families of the children killed in Texas, threatens to overwhelm me with sadness at times.
But then, in the midst of it all, I’ll experience a moment of… clarity? I become hyperaware of the fact that I’m alive and breathing, that my family is safe and healthy, and how incredibly precarious it all is. It’s a reminder that life is finite- but that’s what makes it all so precious.
So I present to you a Sunday in my life, filled with mundane but also priceless moments… starting at 5:45 am when my alarm went off.
Yep, I got up for an early run from my house to the beach! It’s a run I love but don’t get to do very often. Someone (i.e. my husband) has to pick me up there- it’s nine miles to the beach, but I tack on one extra mile (because why run nine when you could run ten?) One of these days, when my long run is up to 18 miles, I’ll run there and back.
To get to the beach, I leave my house and run straight east, which means directly into the sun. Because I got an early start, my first few miles were relatively “cool.” Around mile five I ate a caffeinated gel, and that really pepped me up. Although it was starting to get super hot, the second half of this run felt better than the first. The whole time I was just so happy I was doing it! This was the run I wanted to do on my birthday, but couldn’t because of my foot. So heat or no heat, I was just happy to be out there.
When I got to the beach I ended the run the way every hot, sweaty run should end- with a swim in the ocean. The water was cool and beautiful! My husband had just finished his run (he drove to the beach and did a short run there) so we swam together and then left. On the way home we stopped at Starbucks.
At home, I drank my favorite Starbucks Earl Grey tea while eating oatmeal and reading blogs. And then… the Great Kitchen Reorganization continued.
In my last post, I shared that my son had bullied us into taking everything out of the kitchen and reorganizing it. This was not fun (I know… shocking surprise.) We tried to keep a sense of humor about it, and laughed at many weird and scary items in the pantry. The clear winner was a bottle of hoisin sauce in the fridge that expired in 2013. Oops.
Getting everything put away and organized took all day (with breaks for eating and napping, obviously) and then it was time to cook! My son had promised to make an Asian “feast” and he was true to his word.
He made fried rice, a mushroom dish (I don’t like mushrooms so I didn’t eat that one) and Kung Pao tofu and broccoli. I was assigned the task of making an Asian slaw, and I think he included that just to appease my desire for more vegetables on the table.
Here’s the difference between a 19-year-old beginning chef and a 56-year-old mom- my main focus is on making things healthy, and his main focus is on making everything as delicious as possible. I get it! When I was 19 I was eating things like Lucky Charms and Twinkies. I certainly wasn’t cooking Asian feasts, so he’s way ahead of where I was. Still… I’d like a little less oil, salt and sugar in my meals. But I’ll admit it was delicious. Then we had dessert!
Steamed buns and fortune cookies, all purchased on our trip to the Chinese grocery store. I didn’t actually eat these because I don’t eat sugar (unless someone insists upon putting it in the Kung Pao tofu) but I did open a fortune cookie.
I was hoping my fortune would be something meaningful that would go with the theme of this post- “Make every moment count” or “Life is precious” but no. My fortune said “Keep mouth shut- the golden rule.”
WHAT?! I don’t want to keep my mouth shut! I feel like that fortune was vaguely insulting. At least it’s better than a fortune my friend got recently: ‘There will be a lot of laundry in your future.” Ha ha… she didn’t appreciate that.
Anyway! My Sunday included an amazing run, a swim in the ocean, an afternoon spent with my son, a delicious meal that the whole family enjoyed together…and oh yeah- a beautifully cleaned kitchen.
Life is so good.
Thanks to Kim and Zenaida! I’m linking this post with their “Tuesday Topics.”
33 Responses
Sorry. I think ALS is the worst. I knew someone who died from it.
Is that the same beach I met you at. I can’t think of anything better than jumping in the ocean after a long run.
I’m hoping in a month to jump
Into a lake after a race.
Yes that’s the beach! I thought about you.
Oof – worst fortune ever. The food looks delicious though.
Every run should end with a dip in the ocean! I know that I complain about the heat so much, but my favorite thing on earth is to run on the beach in FL and then go right into the ocean.
One thing about the beach is it’s usually breezy. So that helps with the heat, plus the thought of jumping in the ocean afterwards is great motivation!
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. It is such devastating news.
I am SO jealous of your beach run and the dip in the ocean. I can’t even remember the last time I was at a beach! I’m so glad you got to have that run – it looks like it was amazing!
It really way. It’s crazy that I live so close to the beach and rarely go. I did go a LOT when my kids were younger, but now I rarely get there. I’ll have to change that!
Aw, that sounds like an awesome Sunday! Sorry to hear about your friend though. That is terrible. It is so important to remember to enjoy the healthy and happy moments we have! Thanks for that reminder!
It was an awesome Sunday! I’m trying to appreciate the awesomeness in every day- some days it’s easier than others though.
Sounds like you embraced the “glass half full” strategy, and doesn’t it work wonderfully! I know a lot of people claim to be realists, and do not believe in sugar-coating their reality. That’s their choice. But, I choose to believe (and I think you do, too), that focusing on the good garners much happier thoughts. I mean, why dwell on the downers? Sorry for the news of your friend’s diagnosis. A military friend of my husbands passed away last year, from complications of ALS. It is a very devastating condition…
I think I’m just hardwired (and you are too) not to be down for long. I definitely experience the sad moments, but after a while my brain is like “okay, time to feel better!” I don’t think it’s anything I can take much credit for- probably mostly genetics.
I love your amazing photo of the ocean! Me? If I went out to run 9 miles, I’d run 9 miles. Although I will admit I went out to run 5-6 Sunday and then ran 7 — because the weather was just so perfect & that doesn’t happen often!
I am really sorry about your husband’s friend. My husband lost an aunt to ALS & it is truly a terrible, terrible disease. Hugs.
Your son’s feast looks amazing! Yes, I do try to make things as healthy as possible (most of the time). My husband may be 60+, but he still tries to make everything as “delicious” as possible, too, and that usually means really unhealthy. Let’s just say finding somewhere to eat on vacation isn’t easy!
Oh, that’s funny- hmm, maybe it’s a women vs. men thing? It does make it hard to eat together.
We recently received bad news about a long time friend of ours. He stood up in our wedding. I went to high school with him; he ended up being a close friend of my hubs in college. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor last week and it’s not a good outcome. Things like this really do make you appreciate what you have. I’m so glad you had such a wonderful Sunday! Savor it.
Ugh, that’s also terrible news. I guess as we get older more and more of the people we know will be facing health issues. You’re right- we have to savor the good times.
Yay for finally getting your birthday run completed. I’m so happy it went well despite the heat. It sounds like you and your husband made the most of your post-run time together.
Your dinner sounds delicious! AND, you got a clean and well organized kitchen in the process!
That’s such devastating news about your husband’s friend. ALS is such a horrible disease.
Yes, I’m still trying to wrap my head around his diagnosis- I can’t imagine how he and his family are coping with the news.
Having the kitchen cleaned up is the best thing ever- now on to the rest of the house!
Oh dear, so sorry about the bad news, Jenny. But you’re right, it does make you appreciate the little things in everyday life even more.
Your Sunday sounds perfect because (i) it really was a nice day and (ii) because you focused on all the good things. There’s so much to be grateful for!
How is your foot holding up these days? Any complaints after the 10 miles?
My foot almost always feels fine while I’m running. It still hurts at other times of the day, especially if I get up after sitting for a while. And getting up in the morning can be painful, but I’ve just adjusted my expectations around that!
I’m sorry about your friend. ALS is an absolutely terrible disease.
It’s so wonderful you can run to the beach! I can’t imagine how lovely that would be!
It really is lovely, and I don’t know why I don’t do it more often.
I am sorry to read about your friend that is a tough diagnosis. Life really is short and it is made for living. Sometimes, it’s okay to eat the high fat and sugar dinner just bc your son made it with love for you all. Can he come reorganize my pantry? I couldn’t even get my son to unpack the bags he brought home from college before we left on our trip
Ha, well my son’s organizational skills are selective. When he came home from college he took everything out of his suitcase IN THE LIVING ROOM and just left it there. And yes- a dinner here and there that’s not quite as healthy is definitely worth it sometimes.
I am so sorry to hear about your friend. That is a horrible diagnosis. And possibly around you/your husband’s age which is extra saddening because he must be young then. 🙁 Of course my definition of “young” has really morphed over the years. I think of my parents as young and they are in their early 70s!
I am so impressed by your son’s cooking! I did not learn to cook until I was out of college! I went from living with my parents to the dorms to a sorority house. I cooked for myself in the summers but I don’t think I made anything very interesting!
Your beach run sounds awesome!! I love jumping in the lake at my parents after runs!
When I was in my 20s my idea of “cooking” was making pasta and adding sauce from a jar. I think young people are interested in cooking nowadays because of all the cooking shows- my son is getting all these ideas from YouTube.
I’m not so sure how young we are… this guy is in his 50s. Definitely too young to be facing this now.
I always love to see “day in the life” posts from people to see similarities and differences!
I’m so sorry to hear about the bad news you received – it really makes you stop and think and appreciate what you do have.
Yes, I always like to hear how people spend their days! This one wasn’t extremely detailed, but I got the big things in.
So sorry to hear about your husband’s friend – life really is so, so fragile. We can’t live with this hanging over us like a cloud, but I like to think of it as a gentle wind at my back, always there reminding me to try to embrace the wonder of life and health while I have it. It’s a delicate balance; paying attention while also feeling genuine gratitude (sometimes focusing on being grateful makes it feel forced). It’s a work in progress for me, but something I think about more and more the older I get.
I had to laugh at this statement about the kitchen reorganization: “This was not fun (I know… shocking surprise.)” I honestly can’t think of something that feels like more fun. I am such a lame person, but decluttering and reorganizing is SUCH a treat. We just got home from vacation today and I was rushing through putting clothes away in my drawers when I actually told myself to slow down and enjoy the process because I genuinely LOVE reorganizing drawers and fridges and cupboards…again, I feel embarrassed to admit it, but to me, that really does actually sound like a lot of fun.
And I am also beyond delighted you did that run to the beach. Go you! A handful of times I’ve managed to end a longer run at the water and it is when I love swimming the most!!! And Starbucks on the way home for tea sounds equally delightful.
Well Elisabeth, you’re welcome to come visit me anytime! I definitely have some projects you can dive into.
I’ll have to do my run to the beach more often this summer. The heat makes it difficult, but the ocean feels so good now- in the winter it can be a little chilly.
I’m so sorry about your friend. That really is hard news.
That fortune was rude! But maybe it means you shouldn’t complain about your son’s cooking. 😉 I’ve learned the hard way that I need to keep my mouth shut about salt and butter useage, or my son won’t cook for me.
I am so sorry about the bad news about your husband’s friend… and yeah, all the other bad news recently. It’s hard to digest it all… but I love that you tried to focus and be grateful for the good things. So awesome you got to run at the beach 🙂
And look at that feast your son cooked up – wow!
I feel like if I don’t focus on the good things, I’ll just get sucked into a pit of despair. And there really is so much good!
That is awful news about your husband’s friend. The news about the school hit me really hard. It is very sad. Yum – the food looks delicious! I never really cooked because my mom did it all. I mean I made basic stuff like spaghetti, eggs, etc., but it’s been in the past 2-3 years that I picked up a few things from her.
As a teacher, I’m sure these school shootings are especially hard for you.
I never cooked when I was younger either- my mom did all the cooking.