As I was running today, I could totally feel my pooch in my bike pants... just bouncing along and hanging out with me... At first, it completely grossed me out... but then, I thought to myself, "Ya know what, that ledge still hanging around is pretty damn amazing. This time last year, I had a baby growing inside me. An entire baby. I did that." Yep, and I kind of came to terms with it. That flab is there, but at the end of the day, it's pretty awesome flab if ya ask me.
Running through my old hood, I passed one of our old homes and all these memories came to me. I thought about how far we have come- Brendan and I... and now our own little family. I thought back to our first little apartment in Oklahoma... You know, the one where the kitchen was about 4X4, had vaulted ceilings,free tanning, and that I thought we had made it big getting our first place- even if Brendan's parent's had to cosign with us since we were both unemployed- HA! Later, I learned that it only had free tanning because it was a college apartment complex and that's a big draw... and no one wanted the second floor with those vaulted ceilings since we lived in Tornado alley. And I couldn't help but laugh about how for two weeks I had the key to the "model" apartment and would have to trudge across the apartment complex to take my shower there since ours was out of use. Oh well, live and learn. Live and learn.
And then I thought about our first home in Richmond, VA... The house where we planted every single flower, bush, etc. with our own hands. We painted, installed a laminate kitchen floor, and replaced our countertops... Ya know- we went from blue laminate to green laminate and my dad made a trip to Richmond to install them for us... Budgets, budgets. I mean when you can't afford anything other than laminate... you go with what will match your rooster wallpaper border. Yep, rooster wallpaper, What was I thinking!?!... But that house was everything to us... We had made it. We were homeowners...
And all the while, Brendan and I would always venture out on walks at night. We'd walk through neighborhoods and dream of one day having certain things in our home... a garage, a patio, a basement... And then I would have typical Shelley moments and put my hands out in front of me and pretend that we were pushing a baby in a stroller and tease Brendan... "One day, we'll be pushing a stroller." Awww- we were so young.:)
So, what's the point of all this? Ya see, as I was running, remembering all of this, my mom's voice kept speaking in my head, "Shelley, you have to walk before you run." In life, I always seem to want more. When we had nothing in Oklahoma and lived off of peanuts with Brendan going to flight school, I dreamed of a new apartment. When we had our first home, I dreamed of something more... and Judy Booty would always remind me, that it would one day come... that I needed to find patience.
She was right... and I'll probably always be a dreamer... We walked, now we're running, and one day I'll want to sprint- Ha! My poor hubby...
As I was huffing and puffing, and wanting to throw in the towel, those words from my Mama are true when it comes to so many things. Sometimes, you just have to realize that you have to walk before you run. So when I couldn't run any more, my running turned to a walk, and I smiled. Life really is all about the journey. And there will come a point when you look back and laugh, smile, and even cry... but if you keep at it... one day, you'll be running. And for me, that triathlon isn't too far away.:)
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