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stop and smell the flowers

life gets in the way. this was my run on thursday: a trip to the post office and back… i chose a different branch just for a change of pace. the one on balboa i go to too often. isn’t it nice to look at the map and see all this blue? so even though i had a backpack full of books (on the way there), it was a very enjoyable run. it also included “ramp repeats” over pacific coast highway, so i got my “hill” training in. (yeah, right). quick stop at the atm on the way back and i was good to go. it was a short run, but all i could get in that day. on a couple of days this week (like tuesday and friday) i didn’t run at all. and the running days were filled with short runs only. my mileage has been drastically reduced these past two weeks. am i injured? no. i’m back to work. it’s a great thing, but my training has suffered.

after not working for two months it was just too easy to get used to having all that free time to run! and it’s two jobs, so i really have to juggle time to get my runs in, especially with daylight saving time ending. time to dust off those headlamps and reflective vest and start running at dawn, i guess. (if i run at night it takes me hours to fall asleep). so, the jobs. one is easy and pretty much stress-free: substitute teaching for the santa ana unified school district. i hold a california math teaching credential, so i might as well use it while looking for work on my “real” field (computer science). the other is not so easy, and not so stress-free, although it’s done from home: writing preparation material for the california high school exit exam for the orange county department of education. it is interesting and challenging, but the hours have been WAY more than i had planned. it is not rare to find me working at 3am. no, i don’t stay up that late. this is when i’m already up for the day.

digressing a little bit. a few days ago i was sitting on my patio, looking at my husband’s little “garden”. he “rescues” plants. from the trash on sunday evenings, from the ground when they’ve been cut off and hurt, plants that friends and colleagues don’t want anymore. we have a large amount of plants on our patio that would otherwise be dead. sometimes we get little surprises, or gifts, if you will. this picture shows what became of an ugly pot of weeds that my husband rescued from a dumpster. about a month of tlc and we had many (many) buds. a couple of weeks later… pretty white flowers all over! i need to do more of that. stop. and smell the flowers.

so, back to working, here are some resolutions. to work smarter, not harder. to get more sleep. to fall into a nice routine. possibly attend a time management workshop. to run early in the day before the “must do’s” start to get in the way. i’m leaving between 6:30 and 7:00 for the subbing job, so i can sleep till 4:00 and run then. plus i know that once i fall in a groove, things will become easier. i like routine. work will soon become a routine, the consulting job for the department of education will soon be done, and i will soon have more time on my hands. sounds good to me!

{ 3 comments… add one }
  • Chris October 29, 2006, 2:35 pm

    That was an interesting tidbit about your hubby’s hobby. I am sure the flowers appreciate it…from the dumpster to the garden, good upgrade.

    You certainly have a lot of irons in the fire, don’y you?

    Chris

  • Jessica Deline October 30, 2006, 4:09 am

    aww… I love how your husband rescues flowers. That’s so great!! I hope the back to work thing goes well for you and you are able to work smarter not harder. That’s a good thing 🙂

  • Sarah November 1, 2006, 12:13 am

    You must be a morning person to be able to get up at 4 am! : ) I’m not naturally, but have forced myself to become one. I’d much rather run in the peacefulness of the morning.

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