Ordinary

I’m back to my life being pretty ordinary. Routine. Simple. Plain.

After a summer of fantastical trips to Utah and California, of family visits and falling in love, I’m back to waking up at the same time, eating the same thing for breakfast, and never feeling like I’m caught up with my work.

Today was the first day of school, and there are many changes for me. I am in two classrooms–one upstairs, one downstairs. I am teaching five classes–one of which I haven’t done for 10 years. I also am trying to balance responsibilities from last year: chairing a subcommittee, writing new curriculum, teaching piano lessons.

It felt good to be back in the building, focused on what I do best. It was wonderful to see my friends and see some former students. And now that I’m home for the day, I am tired. I need a nap. But I also need to “run.” Because I am “running” my first race on Labor Day. My amazing friend Angie said she’ll run it with me (she’s a real runner, though) and she wants to go at my glacial pace–start together, end together. It will be her slowest 5K ever. It will be my first.

I wasn’t going to do it, because I haven’t run much (at all) in the past three weeks. I had hurt my knee, and then I didn’t feel much like running after the boy left. But I feel like if I don’t run this race that I’d been planning on running all summer, it’s giving him more power over me than he deserves to have. So even though I will be slow and probably won’t run most of it, I’m doing it. Just to prove to myself that I can.

But before I run tonight, a nap.