Mommy, Are You Stinky??

Usually, I am the one asking Caleb if he's stinky. So I guess it's only fair that he asked me today. Actually, I wasn't even offended. I had just gotten back from running. (Running may be a loose term for what I do, but I'm trying.) Yes, I'm sure I did stink. The last few weeks my friend Clara and I have been trading off kids so we can get our exercise in. What prompted this craziness you ask??? Well, I was reading an article about PCOS (which I have) and it talked about the increased risk for diabetes. That made me worry because I already have a family history of diabetes. So I decided to try to make exercise a bigger priority (again). I have been doing Jillian Michael's workout videos, but I am so tired of them that I actually wanted to run. (I think that qualifies me as clinically insane.) It has been so nice to run away from the noise and kids for a few minutes and enjoy the nature along the river. I have seen lots of falcons, rabbits, squirrels, wild turkeys, geese, and lot of other birds that I can't identify. One day I saw a squirrel hit a bike...I know you'd usually say that the bike hit the squirrel, but really it looked like the poor biker was caught totally off guard as the squirrel ran out across the bike trail and b-lined into his tire. (Don't worry, the squirrel then jumped up and ran off the other direction.) While I'm running I make up metaphors about life. A little strange, but without the kids' distractions or the house, my brain has a little longer range for thought... I've noticed that those who are the best runners aren't thunking their bodies around like I do. The best runners concentrate their energy on just their legs. It isn't a big motion. Most of their body is barely moving. It's small and focused. They expend their energy on the motion they need to go the distance (blowing right past me) without wasting it on unnecessary efforts. Their stride is consistent. I, on the other hand, (desperate to reach my goal and return alive) seem to flail my entire being around. (Actually I don't think I'm doing so poorly until another one passes me and I see, by contrast, all of my out of control movements.) So how is this life, you ask? Well, I think the ones who really have things figured out aren't the ones doing all of the big stuff. Sometimes we try to make things into too big a production. I think the ones who are possibly going the greatest distance aren't burning themselves out. They are conserving their energy for what is most important. I think they are consistent. The have set a nice pace for themselves. They aren't trying to impress anyone, but they seem to inspire us to lengthen our stride just a little. At times I wonder if my body/life is capable of such fluidity. I guess I'll never know if I don't get a little stinky.