The Happy Gardener

I've thought about writing multiple times over the last 3 weeks and things always got in the way. These 21 days can be easily summarized, though - I have been a happy camper. What have I been up to? - I signed up for a half marathon in Grand Rapids, Michigan and tried to get my running pursuits into a semblance of a training schedule. In this process, I accidentally ran ~9.5 miles one weekend (planned to run 7) and laboriously ran 8 miles the next weekend. Both times, I ran pretty late in the morning and could be pronounced "medium rare" by the end of the run. Oh well - hopefully, I have learnt the lesson and will get my derriere out of zhe bed at an early enough hour. - I managed to not go to bed before 1 am on all days of the weekends. Good, fun times with friends. As a side note, I now believe that you can tell a person's true age based on their opinion of sleep. Mine is a deep, abiding respect and a love, in the full sense of the word. No, seriously - think about

A couple of days ago, I forgot my wallet at work. I discovered this, thankfully, after a very long, traffic-ridden, but otherwise uneventful 35 mile drive back home. And then I discovered how absolutely stuck I was. I couldn't do groceries. I couldn't go out to eat. Hypothetically, if I needed to, I couldn't get gas (for my car, people). I couldn't do any of these 'cause I didn't have any serious money at home. I couldn't withdraw any money 'cause I didn't have any plastic at home either. Also, hypothetically, if I were to go out with friends and someone offered to order some Sangria for me, I wouldn't be able to drink that either, 'cause my ID was also in my wallet. No can do. Anyways, it all ended well with me gaining possession of the said wallet pretty efficiently the next day but this did bring up a discussion with a friend today as to how would I be able to withdraw any money from anywhere if I didn't have my cards or my license on

Ok - so day 2. Another nice day. I actually managed to work, cook a quick meal, win the bestest neighbor award by catching and disposing of a small bug for a highly frightened neighbor ( true fact - this poor 20 something girl was so scared of this tiny bug :-)), have a nice tea-and-chat with a friend, and run 4 miles. What is the fear ? Days of regret for inaction or not being myself What is the hope ? To lead a worthy life - affect at least one life positively and give them something to remember. What is the risk ? Falling, giving up, giving in and losing wonder and hope. What is the prize ? Laughter and warmth - of affection, of love. What is the belief? Goodness - in the world all around us. What is the comfort? People, words, music, the natural world What is the fantasy ? Mr.Tall, Dark, Handsome (TDH) who knows his Lord of The Rings, Airplane and football, has a fondness for cooking and a love of vegetarian recipes will move into the studio across from my apartment and realize th

I am sitting on my couch (tangent : Much to my distress and dismay, I recently found out that the piece of furniture I've owned for more than 4 years now is a loveseat and not a couch(!) How I could have owned a loveseat for 4+ years is beyond me. It probably has something to do with His sense of irony. Anyhoo, I choose to ignore this fact and still call it my couch. Come on. Seriously, how can I ever frame a serious sentence with "I am sitting on my loveseat ..." ?? : end of tangent) after a late dinner - perfectly happy with life, people and the world at large. The late dinner was preceded by a late run. I had a super long drive back home this evening but since then, things improved significantly. AJ unexpectedly joined me on my run - I don't usually run with a buddy 'cause I am much better off with my ipod or my own thoughts but this turned out to be quite fun. We managed to run ~ 6 miles and had a very pleasant conversation as we most often do. And now the b