Earthmovers and Sandcastles

Ugh and oof. I really do prefer to come home from a vacation/trip to an at least somewhat tidy house, and there is nothing quite like returning home to a house that was apparently bombed with Christmas and then hastily abandoned for a couple of weeks. I sort of want to cover my head and hide until gnomes appear and fix everything – much in the way they really, really didn’t while we were away. Failing that, I want to go for a very, very long run out in the comparatively neat world and regain my mental peace…but now we’re back in The Frozen Tundra, and it is COLD out there. Oh, is it cold! I’m planning to give it until midday, I think, when the wind chills will finally peak at around zero degrees Fahrenheit, before venturing out. I have that luxury on a Sunday, thank God, By tomorrow, when a schedule will poke its nasty head into things, the weather will be back into the teens, which is a bit more hospitable.

So, now that I’m back at my own desk, I can take a moment to think about the past year and the coming one. A recap!
January: The recession comes to roost, and we weather worries about Eric’s job stability. Luckily, he remains employed, though many of our nearest and dearest do not.
February: Like every other February in these parts, it was all about the snow and ice. I ran a lot, trying to keep the SAD away. Also, Sam got his first crush at school.
March: Eric’s dad had quadruple bypass heart surgery, but came through okay. I hit my peak training for my first marathon.
April: Apparently, my mind was on my marathon taper, as that’s just about all I wrote about.
May: I ran a marathon! We went to Chicago for our 12th wedding anniversary! I had the start of my dental badness, but overall, a good month!
June: The start of summer. Did the Lighthouse Run in a heat wave that kicked everybody’s butt, but I came in 2nd in my age group anyway. Sam turned eight, and we learned that low-key parties are the best.
July: Hit a weird emotional low, but my parents’ visit up here resurrected me. More dental badness.
August: Eric’s dad came to visit! Went on a mostly successful family vacation to Green Bay! A good month, all around.
September: School started for both kids, and Gabe loved his new school. Training peaked for my running. Even more dental badness.
October: Ran another marathon, which included a trip back east to enjoy my family. My baby turned five, which made me feel antique.
November: Had a sort-of impromptu trip back to Ohio for Thanksgiving, and I ran a 5K with Alysia, which was phenomenally great.
December: Oh, the holidays! And they felt crammed into a short time this year, with the last week feeling the longest, encompassing the travel and family love.

Nobody died this year, which was a huge thing! A few downs, plenty of ups; it wasn’t what I’d call a “stable” year, but it wasn’t catastrophic, either. I’d love to see 2010 be a slow rise upward, and I’d sacrifice a couple of the elated spikes to avoid the stomach-dropping lows. Not all of them, though. Life needs excitement, even at the price of some scariness. The big theme of the year seems to have been seeing and taking more opportunities to be with our loved ones, which was wonderful.

This morning, I hit upon a good theme for myself over the next year. In honor of the late awesome Urban Couch, 2010 will be the year of “Do you really believe that?” Asking myself that whenever I catch myself falling into assumptions or ruts will help shake me out of dangerous comfort zones and redefine my limits. We want to grab hold of our budget with both hands, for example, and I’ve not got a good history with that. But do I really believe that I just can’t handle money? Do I really believe that it’s beyond me, honestly? No. No more than I believe that 50 kilometers is beyond me, as I’ll prove this summer.

Here we go! Happy New Year!

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