You know that feeling you get when you indulge in something you haven't indulged in in a while?
That first bite of a soft, chewy brownie. The first minutes of a Sex and the City rerun. The first minutes of a date with the bathroom without your husband or kids needing you the very minute you step foot on to the tiled floor.
It all equals pure bliss. You live in that moment, drowning in chocolate, Carrie's Manolos, and a full roll of toilet paper, taking in the sights, the sounds, the absolute deliciousness of it all.
You cherish each bite, each scene, each square of t.p. as though it were your last because, frankly, it might be your last, at least for a while.
Well, that's pretty much how I've been living life lately. You may have noticed that I've been doing less running, less blogging, less social media-ing these days (because I know you all stalk me, c'mon).
Since every blogger despises when other bloggers say "I'm sorry for not blogging", I won't be doing that. Instead, I'll tell you what I'm not sorry for: I've been out living life.
Lately, living life has included:
- My sister's 31st birthday
- Charlotte rolling over from front to back
- Analyzing and reanalyzing every episode of Mad Men
So, yeah. Life's been different lately, but something interesting occurred to me recently amid all of these differences: I'm doing less, but enjoying more.
Translation: It'll never be possible to do 100% of life. Instead, I'm trying to concentrate on what's most important for that day or week or moment and doing that. And, when I actually indulge in something, it feels all the more amazing and lovely and wonderful.
Example One: Last weekend's first post-baby double digit run. Megan and I met in the park on Saturday to knock out 10 miles. I haven't been keeping up with my Seattle RnR training very well, but Saturday long runs are like brownies to me, so I laced up and headed out.
The run turned out to be awesome. Our pace was steady, the conversation solid (Time magazine cover to college classes to plans for an August race together). Taking two hours out of morning to get some miles in and visit with my friend was fantastic.
Example Two: This weekend, I have a date lined up with a certain someone. Someone I haven't seen in over a year. Someone who's name is... Trek.
Since it's such an amazing ride, Kevin and I decided to join our friends Matt and Kara for this year's Zoo-de-Mack cycling tour. This will be the fourth year we've done the ride (2011 recap and 2010 recap). Usually we complete/drink our way through the full 51 miles, but with C in tow this year, we're going to divide and conquer. C will ride along with Kara and one of us (while the other bikes half the course), and they will drive and meet us at various points throughout it.
Riding this weekend means that I probably won't get to a long run, but I'm okay with that. Having not been on my bike in forever means that I'm about due for a bad case of "my crotch hurts from sitting in the saddle for so long", and at least I'll be exercising.
So I'm picking my indulgences carefully, selecting those that I know will bring immense satisfaction. Do I want to become a better runner? Would I like to PR in Seattle? Do I want to blog more, interact more? Would I like to get paid to write at some point in my life?
Sure. Yes. Definitely.
But for now, I'll keep celebrating that brownie, those Manolos, the bathroom breaks, the friendly long runs, and the crotch hurts. These are what're making me a better person for now.