Running For My Life

These past few weeks, my focus has been on diet, exercise and lowering my blood pressure.  I've sloughed off some bad habits and I'm trying to adopt new, healthier ones.  When my blood pressure reached the 160's over low 100's back in June, my doctors were very concerned.  They even uttered the words silent killer to me and that really freaked me out.  I've been working to correct my BP with medications, diet and exercise.  It hasn't been easy for this gal.

Middle Road sunrise during my two mile runs
The light is so golden and beautiful right now

Putting 10 mile Sunday hike dates on my calendar has really helped me start the week off right.  Once that's logged, I plan meals and future exercise dates with myself on my calendar.  I have to do this or I would just skip it.  I'm beginning week three and this is where I usually lose steam, but I've joined a private fitness group on Facebook (with friends that I know locally) and it's been a nice, encouraging little nudge throughout the week to help keep me focused and accountable.

My blood pressure is 129/87 as of last Friday and I've lost .3 pounds.  The BP news was fantastic and I feel relieved that something is working to lower it (even if it's that damned medication!).

Much Ado About Sebastopol :: Renaissance Faire
Up-close falcons - sword fighting lessons - leather necklace making :: win, win, win

My boy has been totally in love with the 5th grade.  Oh, I remember my 5th grade year and I, too, was smitten with growing up, fashion and new playground dynamics.  He's quite in love with looking at himself in the mirror and asking me is this cool, mom? as it relates to his hair, clothing, accessories and shoe choices.  

Gearing up to be goalie for his very 1st time!  

Sports.  I most definitely have a love-hate relationship with sports, personally and as it relates to my son.  I think it all stems from my childhood (as these things do) and the hours upon hours that our t.v. was turned ON and tuned in to professional sports.  With all of those hours logged in front of Wimbledon tennis, NFL football and the never-ending baseball season, I feel it left me a little burnt out.  Add in the hours I spent on the drill team and cheer leading for these type of sports and you've got yourself a little sports overload syndrome (S.O.S. - I made this up, obviously).

We've been cable-free for five years and that has eliminated Sportscenter and sporting event broadcasts from our home.  That has been a double-edged sword.  On one hand, it would be nice for my hard working husband to actually relax and watch a game every once in a while after a long day.  It would also be helpful for Grady to join his father in the act of hanging out together, bonding over yelling at their favorite team(s) and mastering the art of the remote control.  I also think it would help Grady understand many of the sports he has dabbled in (soccer, basketball, golf, tennis and baseball).  On the other hand, I love that we don't have all that junky influence of pop culture and advertising campaigns infiltrating our brainwaves.  We have done just fine without it.

But if I'm being honest, sports are not my son's thing.  They just aren't.  And I've been wrestling with where I stand on this.  I think I've rallied behind him and tried to be encouraging, but he still lacks any drive or motivation for team sports.  He has no hustle or energy on any field or court, except tennis.  And while tennis is great, it's not a team sport.  Originally, we thought it was important for our only child to be part of something bigger than himself.  We were intentional with his sporting endeavors, but not overbearing.  We asked him if he wanted to play, we listened to his answers and signed him up accordingly on a team.  But my thoughts are changing and I think he should give tennis a try.  He likes solitary activities like drawing, reading and looking at himself in the mirror.  Perhaps he can work on his tennis form while gazing at himself.  Oh, my only child.

I read this article yesterday morning and couldn't get those six words out of my head :: I love to watch you play.  Six powerful words to say to your child post-game in the car ride home.  No questions about the game and no loaded phrases fraught with judgment.  Just those six words.  I tried it out and it felt good.  Grady seemed content and probably relieved not to discuss the game.  The writer of that article said that it's a signal that sends the simplest, most powerful signal:  this is about you.  I am your parent, not your coach or judge.  You make me really, really happy.  I really needed to read this yesterday because my son does make me really, really happy and he should get to know and feel that after 60 minutes of running around a field with his teammates.

Happiest kid on the block (or hillside, as the case may be)

On the musical front, we recently attended a Local Natives concert in Oakland at the Fox Theatre.  We grabbed dinner beforehand and stayed out until midnight and it actually resembled a date.  The band was phenomenal live and they had the coolest light show going on behind them.  The weirdest thing about the show was that all the younger hipsters were constantly on their iPhones either filming, snapping photos or checking social media while the band was playing!  I refused to snap a photo inside the venue and be like them (see my judgment is coming out again) because it looked absolutely ridiculous.  It made me think about how much we are on our little devices and how it looks to our peers, children and public at large.  For 90 minutes I just thoroughly enjoyed the band and time nestled close to my man.  I didn't need to record it, I was living it.

Grady has been coveting these Coloud brand headphones for weeks (pictured above).  We came to a happy compromise on the electronics front.  He was posturing for an iTouch or iPhone (keep in mind he just purchased a regular iPod nano with his own birthday money this past April), which are out of the question for at least a few more years.  He was deflated and disappointed, but I slowly figured out (after mild interrogation) that what he really wanted was to look cool.  A-ha!  This mama can most definitely understand how that feels and I think 5th grade is when it starts to matter, or at least it did for me.  We took the opportunity to teach him about researching headphones, working within his budget of $30 and going to test out the headphones in person.  Target did not have the color headphones that he wanted, so we ordered online and they were shipped via FedEx from Sweden (an added bonus for the cool factor!).  The by-product of this online transaction was the additional lesson of delayed gratification.  A perfect combination in my book.  He counted down the days until their arrival and I don't think I've seen him this happy in a long, long time. Hopefully, this will stave off his yearning for more handheld electronics.  The jury is still out on that, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

Lunch Notes, Quotes + Reminders
A very busy poster in English + Spanish

Last week was back to school night and I helped paint signage and assisted with serving dinner to a good percentage of our entire school family population.  It was a wonderful night and I'm looking forward to all of the new teachers and classes offered this year at Tomales Elementary School.

The chess club has started up again and will continue for six weeks.  I love that the principal finally let me organize this after school club last year.  The kids are so excited...to play chess!  It sounds funny, but it's true.

Pecan-mini chocolate chip scones adapted from the Angry Chicken blog

I'm trying to reduce the amount of meat we consume.  It's been easier than I thought and dinner time has been creative, to say the least.  I'm reading Gwyneth Paltrow's new book It's All Good and trying to find the balance between healthy and totally over-the-top.  Starting the day with breakfast and 24 ounces of water has helped catapult me into a day of eating mindfully and feeling full (because of all that damned water!).  My husband and son are along for the ride and are such good sports.

Middle Road, Valley Ford (left)
Arch Rock, Pt. Reyes National Seashore (right)

These days of September have melted into weeks and it's been hard to come back here and write in this space.  I put so much pressure on myself to write here, but sometimes that just paralyzes me and I get overwhelmed with how many images I want to share and if my thoughts will translate easily into words and flow here in this space.

I got up at 3:30 am this morning and knew I needed to peruse my recent pics, dig deep and share what has been bubbling up inside of me.

Thanks little blog.  I needed to run to you and jot this down, so that I can get out there and run for my health today.  I feel depleted and restored at the same time at the end of this post.

I feel ready to take on this day.