Saturday, February 21, 2009

Friends: What a Wonderful World

A Twitter friend just sent this to me - I had to post it - it's such a gift!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Running – again - again?

I posted about running again last summer...did start then and went for many runs – some with a neighbor. Then it got cold, wet, snowy, slushy and well - all those things I use as excuses. Tried some treadmill running but that was short -lived as well.

So here we are in February and I’ve gotten back to running. The reason? I got a brand new pair of really neat running shoes to test.

Have you ever read Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury? I felt like that 12-year-old with his new sneakers. I remembered when I was a kid and got new sneakers. That feeling of I can do anything...run, jump, play any kind of ball...I was invincible!

Well these new shoes made me feel that way again and made me remember the book – [lost many moves ago as it’s no longer in my possession]

The first day I took dog with me and we did a slow run/jog/walk and I felt like I could go on forever...the shoes had me feel like I was capable of flying. Over the next few days, we [dog and I] added distances and speeds to our morning routine and then one day there was ice on the road.. Yup we are still having grrr winter at times :D

So what did we do? I ran faster on the icy road to see how good the traction was and it was better than other shoes I had worn this year...even though they are all the same brand.

Then yesterday we ran a long distance and we did a lot of it at a fast clip – fast for me is not as fast as for a real runner – but it was or felt like it was faster than I had ever run. In the same afternoon dog and I took a long walk – neither of us was tired..and that was a big wow – running really is a good thing to do...

An aside – on one of our first runs with these new shoes I realized that my dog and I are the same age :D – I’ve had dogs get this old but as I said in my last few posts – this is new for me....

Next I will go for a run without the dog – if I tell you it’s a male dog you might understand why it’s hard to keep up a running pace.

To be continued

Thursday, February 12, 2009

More thoughts on: 69 going on 70.....

I had a birthday almost 3 weeks ago and am still contemplating what this particular age means and why it feels so funny.

Just turned 69 and the day itself was a non-event - except that now, in a 3 week retrospective, it’s made me moody and I have not been particularly sociable since the birthday.

Being introspective – a bit too much at times – I finally figured it was the “being-close-to-70” that was getting to me. I never thought of myself at 70 and what it would be like and now here I almost am THAT! youch!

One of my best friends said she did not feel old til she was 75 so I still had 6 years to go on that but I told her I already felt the oncoming of “old.” There is some oddness to 70 that I still need to think about because it is interfering with my being and enjoying 69.

19, 29, 39, 49, 59 did not have the same “feel” to them – 29 was sort of odd as it was the heyday of “don’t trust anyone over 30” and there I was – turning 30 – and in Berkeley California to boot. At 39 I had a baby to take care of; at 49, I was in law school; and at 59 I was happy to be turning 60 at the same time as the new millennium! [By the way – do you remember all those Y2K fears?]

So here I am at 69 – an age with nothing really special about it for me as with the other “end-in-9-ages” – except that I am still alive, healthy and enjoying what I am doing – that’s special - but there is still that nag...

I look in a mirror and alternate between laughing and getting depressed. Me? Going on 70? How did that ever happen? How did I manage to get so old when I do not feel like I am 70. How did the years go by so fast without my doing all those things I always wanted to do? I stare at the mirror and see “old.” I am old in a chronological sense yet I also feel as if I have many more years to go before I really slow down.

My son laughs with or at me – reminds me that yes 69 years have passed since I was born – just like he reminded me on his last birthday that yes 30 years had had passed since he was born..

He must be lying - I still recall that newborn baby as if it were yesterday and I also recall times in my 20’s and 30’s as if they were yesterday – so maybe it is all a fantasy – I am not really 69 – because I can not really be going on 70 :D

Sunday, February 08, 2009

69 going on 70

I've been mulling over the meaning of being 69 and I will post my thoughts as soon as I have finished thinking them.

In the interim - post comments or pose some questions about what it means to be some particular age[s]...