Thankful Friday

It’s hard to believe another week has passed and that May is well underway now (and May Gray with it!). It’s hard to believe that this is my second Thankful Friday already! Time certainly does fly!!

Keeping with my theme of Team In Training this week (as shall probably be the sole focus of this blog over the next few months), today I am thankful for donations. I’m thankful for the amazing individuals who have already taken the time and given of themselves to help me reach my goal of $4500. It is no small task and I would not be able to do it without them. I understand that not everyone will be able to donate; I have been there. However, it makes those donations which are possible that much more miraculous.

I have so much more to do before September, but I know that with faith and trust… and a lot of hard work and the support of others, I can do this. It is possible.

Meanwhile, I called my grandma today (hi Grandma! if you come and read this) and told her that I signed up to do a triathlon. She laughed, paused, and laughed some more. This continued for possibly five minutes straight. “Your grandpa and I were just talking about your first day of soccer,” she said, “and you had to run from one end of the field to the other… halfway there you decided to go back because you didn’t want to do it.” I assured her that this time I wouldn’t stop halfway; I was only 7 or 8 years old then after all. She told me she was going to start saying the rosary for me because, “you aren’t very athletic.”

She’s not wrong. I danced my entire life, I did cheer, but when it came to “real sports”… well, I wasn’t so into it. I did play a fantastic game of powderpuff football though. The amazing thing about Team In Training though is that I don’t have to be the world’s greatest athlete, I’m going to be partnered up with someone at my level and together we will reach the finish line. I don’t have to be the fastest or the strongest, I just need to have the determination to persevere when the going gets tough. I might not be the most athletic, but just about anyone that knows me can tell you I’m stubborn and strong-willed. I’ve set my mind to completely this triathlon and raising the money I committed to raise, there’s no turning back now.

I was and am thankful for my grandma’s laughter though… and no doubt my grandpa’s laughter when my grandma told him what I was doing. It reminds me that maybe I am a little crazy, but also that it is my passion that is driving me. It also made it that much more meaningful when she told me that she was proud of me. I hope that I can make others proud too… I hope that I can make Courtney, the other angels, and all those that are on this journey NOT by choice proud.

Tonight, I am thankful for the blessing of laughter, the blessing of donations, and the blessing of support.

I cannot do this without you, so thank you.

 

TGIF: Thankful Fridays

In the spirit of TGIF, Fridays have been deemed “Thankful Fridays” (for the month of May at least). And just as I was stumped yesterday, despite having a theme, I found myself stumped yet again. I mean, I’m thankful for a lot of things and I try to be aware of that thankfulness as well as share that thankfulness regularly. So, how does decide which to write about? Does choosing to write about our thankfulness devalue other things we are thankful for? These questions scurried through my mind as I tried to pick something.

My inspiration today came not from a phone that hit me like a ton of bricks… but from a slab of concrete that hit me like a… slab of concrete. Let me back track a moment for you.

On Tuesday, I had the good fortune of an afternoon off. For that I was and am thankful as it afforded me the opportunity (and money necessary) to get the air filter and oil changed in my car and the tubes changed on my bike tires. My bike is several years old. I don’t remember how old I was when I got it, but it was while I lived in Santa Paula. As such, it is at least 10 years old and could be up to 13 years old. The tubes were the original tubes. They were dead. They did not hold air anymore. These new tubes in my tires… tires that were actual FULL of air… THEY were a blessing! Now I can ride my bike to work again… now I can go on bike rides JUST BECAUSE. For that I was and am thankful.

Today, I woke up late and did not get ready quickly enough to ride my bike to work. I was sad and felt incredibly lazy as a result. So, I planned and mapped out a route that totaled 4 miles (distance to and from work) that included Whole Foods (a store I needed to visit) on the route. Simple enough, right? Right. I came home, changed out of my work clothes, and set off on my bike ride. I stopped into Whole Foods and continued on my journey. As I neared the end, I couldn’t remember which street I needed to turn on next per my 4.0 mile route… so I pulled out the paper for a quick glance at the street names.

This is where I went wrong. Apparently, I altered my weight just enough to completely throw off the balance and I started zooming toward the curb (better than into the cars, right? RIGHT.). I tried to correct the problem. I tried desperately to avoid hitting the curb, but there was no hope. I was doomed and I braced myself.

That’s when my inspiration hit me like a slab of concrete… cold, hard sidewalk concrete. I caught myself on my hands mostly and my left wrist is a little sore. My knees are a little red and probably bruised, but nothing too terrible. An older gentleman pulled over to check and see if I was alright; I thanked him and assured him I was just fine. I was just fine. I could have hit my head. I could have broken a bone (and without health insurance that would certainly be a tragedy). I could have thrown off my balance in the other direction and hit a car instead of a curb. Yes, it could have been much worse.

I am thankful that I can ride my bike again; I’m more thankful tonight that even though I felt like a seven year old who crashed her bike… or possibly the five year old me who ripped out her stitches when she fell on her bike… I was okay. No, I didn’t finish my bike ride though. I decided against the last half mile and rode home instead (as I crashed only around the corner from my apartment). My injuries were minimal and my bike was fine. I’m also thankful that my roommates gave me a hard time about considering not wearing my helmet because I didn’t want to change my hairstyle.

Tonight, I am thankful. Very thankful.