I Was Running ...

Sometimes I feel like Forrest Gump. No, not because I am running for exercise or running across the country, but it seems like to juggle all of the things that I want to do I end up running. A lot. Running to my car in the parking garage in high heels. Running from the pool in my flip flops. Running back to the gym at my office to take a shower before they close.

Take today for instance. For some reason, I ended up staying up past midnight and I had to be up at 4:45 a.m. to get to the pool. I did my pool workout from 5:30 a.m. – 6:50 a.m. or so, at which point I ran to the car so that I could get home to pick up Andrew to take him to school (Doug was taking Tyler to the doctor, otherwise he would have taken the both boys to school today). Well, I forgot my fins at the pool so I had to run back inside and then run back to my car. In an attempt to have a “serenity now” moment, I turned the stereo way up and rocked out to Bowling For Soup’s “Greatest Day”. I must have listened to the song at least 4 times on my way home. It has sort of become my personal anthem on how to look at each day because the song says, “This will be my greatest day!” Take a listen.

Well, when I got home I realized that I was missing the earrings that I was wearing, the ones that I never take out of my ears – my diamond studs – talk about an “Oh Crap” moment. So much for My Greatest Day! However, miraculously, I managed to remain very calm and tried to be very pragmatic about the whole thing. I thought for sure there was no way I would ever see them again. I was just trying to be thankful for all of the blessings in my life and not get upset about something material. Well, by some Miracle of God, I got them back!

I called the gym to tell them my dilemma. Well, the nice lady that swims next to me heard the man at the front desk talking to the pool people about my earrings and she got back in the pool to look for them and after some searching (as they were not visible right away), she found them! I got the call as I was on my way back to the pool, with Andrew in tow, to search for them myself. I saw her when I went to pick them up and she told me it made her day to find them – wow! The kindness of strangers can truly be amazing. I told her that she didn’t just make my day, she made my year! I will be writing a thank you note and giving a gift card of some sort as a small token of my appreciation. So, my public service announcement is this – don’t wear your favorite earrings to the pool! Even if you never take them out, one day they may fall out all on their own.

This all serves as a reminder of the juggling act we face every day. I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, an employee, an athlete, and photographer (am I missing something?) and each day I try to do the best I can do excel at all of those things. Some days I am not so great in any given category (although I try to make sure it is rarely the employee category as I do need my job after all), but I am still a believer that you can “have it all.” Having it all - a family, a career, hobbies, a life – everything that you want as long as you can find balance.

Lately, I do not feel as organized as I once was, perhaps because there are more “balls in the air” than there once was, but I hope that I am a good example to my boys that you can achieve any goal you set your mind and heart to – all with a little balance. Oh, and apparently, you need to be able to run and juggle too. Just don’t do it in your best heels (lest you scratch the heel)!