Just before my Saturday morning run, my husband made the proclamation that we would spend the day on a special project. He had already made a list of items we would need and there seemed little option but to go along with the plan.
We decided a few months ago to downsize our home in Atlanta. I have been unwilling to leave the mountains for any length of time and having a home there seemed a waste. That meant we would need to move from there to here with furniture, linens, dishes, clothes…. and shoes.
He had the idea that with a minor adjustment in our closet we could accommodate an additional 100 pairs of shoes and 18″ of hanging space. The plan required that I spray paint a couple of pieces of plywood.
While I was painting the plywood, paint spurting everywhere, I was thinking that its only been a few short years that our address was on N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. After that we had a summer home on E. Walton, just steps from the Drake Hotel where it wasn’t uncommon to see a Bentley or Ferrari any day of the week. Now it wouldn’t be uncommon at all to see a bear or a snake where I stand spray painting plywood. My how life evolves.
I said as much to him as I showed him the black dusting of paint all over my hands and feet. He was surprised, a little disappointed and asked if I wanted to go back to Chicago? Sincerely, I don’t. The life I have now is a higher quality of life. I feel happy. It’s quality versus quantity.
I can chase the dogs out of my flower bed in the mornings while wearing pajamas and bedroom slippers and no one will care or even notice. It’s not unusual for me to run in the morning, garden all day, ride my bike to Kung Fu class at night and dress up for dinner afterwards. The day brims with things I love to do.
I’ve seen this play out in my running, of course. I told my husband just this morning, I’ve decided to cut back my plans for a high mileage peak this year and opt instead for mileage just slightly higher than last summer. I would rather make every run a quality run and have some energy left for riding my bike and gardening than to run lots of miles just for the sake of logging lots of miles into my calendar.
It sounds impressive to follow a big training plan with all its speed, miles and talking points but sometimes less is more.
When we went to dinner Friday night I wore one of my favorite dresses. It’s a white dress that is simple by design but completely covered in white sparkly sequins. It’s the juxtaposition between the simplicity of its design and the lavish sequins that make it so interesting.
Saturday night I sat on the edge of the tub scrubbing the paint from my feet when I noticed one of the beautiful white sequins from my dress on the floor. Just to the right of where I sat was the muddy drool Mr. Boggs left when he rested his chin on the side of the tub to see what I was doing.
And that, my dear, is the juxtaposition of a perfect life.
The Fartlek 