On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!

Let me start by saying I wasn’t 100% truthful in my last blog post, “Have you seen my waistline?”.  Well, I thought I was when I wrote it but things changed and sometimes we don’t know what we’re capable of doing until the need arises.  So here goes!

We just celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary. Yayyy us! Every year it’s a challenge to travel because it takes place during Spring Break for colleges across the nation. See, we’re beach people, so that’s always our first option for a quick getaway. It’s also the first option for thousands of college kids. I’ve always chosen to travel later in the year, this way we we are not concerned with the beaches being too crowded or being in the mix of hundreds of spring breakers.  But this year was different. Since we were celebrating our 30th, we wanted to start now and still do something later in the year.  We were able to clear our self employed calendars enough to get away for a quick long weekend.  We decided on Miami, FL and so did thousands of college kids.

We stayed on North Beach which was cool. We saw a lot of college students but not enough to hinder our vacation. Since the happenings are always at South Beach, we thought we would drive down and stroll along Ocean Avenue.  As we walked, we noticed the crowds getting thicker and thicker.  More and more college students arriving to enjoy the evening.  This is still cool. They are just congregating in the streets, which are barricaded off for foot traffic. They’re laughing talking and enjoying themselves. We didn’t see anything wrong overall other than some questionable attire.  But that’s not what this blog is about.  So we kept walking and talking.  Keep in mind, this is a tourist area so we were not the only Non Spring Breakers present.

My dear sweet husband decides that we will continue walking through the crowd just to see what was on the other side.   As you see, I’m looking skeptical and he’s looking like… let’s go, everything is good. We continued walking, hand in hand so we wouldn’t lose each other. We saw a guy with a huge snake around his neck and that was enough for us to leave but we rapidly walked around him and kept moving.  Shortly afterwards, we decided to turn around when the aroma of weed/marijuana took over.  I don’t know today’s term but back in my day it was called “smoking a joint”.  I can’t take cigarette smoke, yet along inhaling this.  It’s definitely time to go! So we turned around and headed back towards the car.  Which at this point was at least a half mile away from the crowd.

As we were strolling along, away from the crowd, my husband hears something or someone say something.  I don’t know what he heard but whatever it was, he screamed…RUN!  My thoughts were…Run? Who me?! Certainly not! Maybe he meant speed up! As in walk faster! Maybe power walk! Baby, let’s jog! But not RUN!!! I’m not dressed for running! I’m not even wearing sneakers and having on running shoes would be out of the question!  Is he serious? Let’s not include I just don’t do that anymore!  See way back in the day, I ran track in Middle/Jr. High School.  Certainly you know this was 40+ years ago! I stopped running fast because I determined I didn’t like it anymore. What I do recall is…someone always said, “On your mark, get set, go!”  They still say this at Track Meets,  during the Olympic Track & Field Trials and for the Olympics itself. I’ve even heard it when I completed local 5K Walk/Runs.  And I’m sure they’ll say it at the upcoming Lupus Walk.  It’s what you say, when you need people to start running at the same time…especially fast! For me, it allowed my brain to tell my legs to prepare to move, as fast as possible.  As a child, I was a fast runner! Real fast! I could out run every boy in my neighborhood which is why I was on the track team. But I have no desire to relive that time of my life.  Still then,  no one ever just said “RUN”!  So I wasn’t prepared for this dash!

None of this mattered to my husband as he was running with the masses. I’m trying my best to keep up, stay upright, hang on to my hat, keep my purse on my shoulder, and hold his hand as he’s literally dragging me down Ocean Avenue. I’m asking him why are we running and he couldn’t hear me. I’m thinking…I don’t want to be trampled so I can’t fall! Move legs move! Faster! Faster!  Feet please land on solid ground! Smooth pavement! No curbs! Don’t make me jump over anything!  Muscle memory take over! Where do we stop? Whew! I don’t even know how many people were behind us.  I never had time to turn around. It wasn’t that many people in front of us, but they started running too.  It seems to me that my husband became Usain Bolt and I was his shadow!  Why is this happening?  Seriously! We are 54 and there’s absolutely no need for us to run this fast! Ever! Unless we’re fearing for our lives! And we were, I just didn’t know it!

Thank God we turned around when we did because we were in the front of this stampede (I guess).  So my keeping up was beneficial to myself and those behind me! And I did just that! Finally, we stopped and no one knew why we were running! Somebody said RUN and that’s what everybody did! At this point, I couldn’t speak at all.  No questions to ask! Just inhale through your mouth and exhale through your nose!  Deep breathes! Again! Again! Inhale! Exhale!  Fill up your lungs! Again! Again!  I wanted to just plop on the ground!  Instead I remained standing, Gracefully I might add,  trying to gather myself. I had to fix my clothes, straighten my hat, check my sandals for breakage, pat my face down all while trying to slow down my heart rate.  I finally caught my breath on Sunday! And for some strange reason, my left Big Toe hurt until Monday! It really hurt! Like to the point that I was limping all day Sunday. There were no scrapes or bruises on it.  I didn’t hit anything! But it hurt so bad and I don’t know why!  Aging Gracefully…that’s why! LOL . But what does that really mean? It certainly doesn’t mean running track speeds on Ocean Avenue, fully dressed, in sandals at the ripe age of 54!  I wonder how Graceful I really was!  LOL

Well, this was my “Boot Camp” experience! You know, that thing that I said I could not do anymore. I guess I lied! LOL  I didn’t just start walking or jogging! I did a full sprint, for a long distance, in regular clothes and sandals. LOL  I love it when God shows me what I can do when I’ve told Him what I couldn’t!  I turned in my middle school track shoes many moons ago. And I’m hanging these up too!  My muscles are officially ready for the Lupus Walk next month.

But I won’t stop here! I’ve committed to doing better.  Not just with exercising but with several other things in my life.  Join me as I prepare for a “Do Better Challenge”.  We’ll start Monday, April 2nd.  I’m sure you have at least one area of your life that you can “Do Better” in.  More Details to come!

And don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the High Tea.  A portion of all ticket proceeds will go to the Lupus Foundation.  Tickets will NOT be sold at the door.  Also, register to join our team for the Lupus Walk.  Our Team Walk t-shirt can be purchased on our Shop page. If you can’t make the High Tea or Walk feel free to donate towards our team goal.  No amount is too small.  Both of these events will take place in April.  More information is located on the Events page.

Now…”On Your Mark! Get Set! GO!”

Gracefully Embracing the Grey (and all that comes with it)

Seasoned, Unique and Still Beautiful