Five Things

Day Five is "list five things that make you happiest right now".

1.  Good Food.  I love food.  Good food.  If I had more money I would classify myself as a 'foodie'.  I think about food all of the time.  During breakfast I think about what I am going to eat for lunch.  I love different food, new food, fine food, food in a box and with a fox and all of that.  My friend's birthday was yesterday.  We met at the park for lunch.  She bought lunch for everyone.  So did I.  We easily had $60-$70 worth of food at the park for 3 adult women (we brought snacks for the kids but the taragon shrimp, sweet potato and grapefruit salad was all ours! )  and we ate it all.  Seriously.  It started raining and gusty gales blew through freezing us and threatening our styrofoam encased treasures, but we stayed.  We stayed until the food was gone.  It wasn't even a question.

It was my favorite birthday of all time.  And it wasn't even mine.


2.  Kids.  My typical day consists of waking up early, being tired, not wanting to clean up for preschool, battling through, then during preschool finding this surge of energy and elation and calm all at the same time.  Those kids save me.  Yes, I spend a lot of nights watching reruns of Scrubs while cutting cardboard in my bed.  Yes, I always have paint under my fingernails.  Yes, the ratio of carpet to glitter has shifted to the latter.  But, I love it.  I love those kids.  I love babies.  I love my kids.  My babies.  They make me laugh everyday and cry a lot of them too.  Now that the weather is warm I love that the neighborhood kids congregate in my front yard while the mom's chat.  I love that they all call me Miss Meg.  I love that people call me to watch their kids.  I am grateful that they trust me.  Kids make me happy.
There is a little kindergarten boy with bright red hair who is not even in Lily's class who says 'hi' to me every morning "Hi Lily's mom!" he shouts.  If I don't answer right away he says "It's me, PRESTON!"  I have no idea who this kid is or how he knows me or my daughter but I love seeing him every morning.

3.  Running.
I realize that living in Utah it is a little cliche to love running.  Everyone is doing it.  Ragnar blah blah and all that.  But for me, it is a miracle.  I remember only 5 years ago not being able to walk down to my mailbox.  I remember laying around all day in intense pain.  I remember taking a stroller into church to use like a walker.  I laid in bed writing in pain, freezing because even the pressure of a sheet on my skin sent me through the roof.  I know I am not the only one with chronic pain.  I know that there are many, many people with far worse situations than mine.  But I also know that fact doesn't lessen my own experience.  To have come from cortisone and knee draining and vicodin to two weeks away from completing a marathon?  That is huge for me.  It is a miracle.  I owe my current life and well-being to many but mostly to Dr. Vonk.  He didn't think I was crazy, he didn't write me off with a scrip for narcotics.  He took the time (hours on the phone and in the office) and he figured it out.  I know I am not healed.  I still have pain.  I may have a flare again that is just as bad as before.  I know this.  But the question was 'what makes you happy right now' and the answer to that is 'I can run'.  I am not fast or pretty but I can do it and it feels good and that makes me so so happy (even at 4 am, which is often the only time I can go!)

I tried not to make my marathon too big of a deal.  I haven't even told too many people 'in my real life' that i am doing it.  But if I was to be honest.  It is a big deal.  Not in the grand scheme.  Tons of people have run marathons and longer distances and have done it much better than I ever could.  But to  me, in my life,  it is huge.  I had written off exercise completely.  Now I will run a freaking marathon and I am not ashamed to say I will be an emotional wreck at the end.  Probably because I had peed on myself and thrown up and my thighs had ignited a small fire between them, but also because of what the whole thing means.

4.  TV time.  I realize this makes me sound like a slob.  I am just being honest.  I look forward everyday to that time when I climb into bed to cuddle, cut construction paper houses, or even close my eyes and put on one of my favorite TV shows.  I live a full life.  I am busy.  I wake up at 4 am more often than not and go steady all day long.  At the end of the day (which is earlier for me than most.  I am NOT a night owl) I don't feel guilty about vegging a little to the sounds of a funny or interesting show.

5.  I know I already mentioned food but I really love it so much that I am using number five as a subcategory.
What makes me happy right now?  New cafes opening in my town.  We have had several open up in the past few months with the refab of main street.  None have been ones I would frequent (gluten heavy) but it still makes me happy to have food available to the masses.  Seriously, I am obsessed.  But then, last week, I noticed a little cafe tucked between a quilting shop and a gift shop.  I crept in with Noli to do a recon.  Gluten-free tamales?  check.  Flourless chocolate cake?  Yes.  Live music venue for local musicians?  WHAT!  FINALLY!  Ever since moving here Chris and I have lamented that there is no live music/cafe in town.  I gushed and gushed at the owner (young peruvian guy who probably thought I was hitting on him) and then yesterday (birthday picnic) I called and ordered almost everything off of the menu.  When I went to pick it up the owner says "Oh!  I remember you!" but he was smiling and I had a huge order so I think it was in a good way.

Adding a sixth. . .

Noli getting herself dressed right now.  She just came out of her room (I should write these at night) wearing (i am not exaggerating):  shorts with jammy pants ON TOP, two t-shirts topped with a sundress on backwards.  Nice.  That makes me happy.



This is a picture of me training for my marathon (in my mind's eye. . .with long hair. . .when I am black).