Race to Remember

We ran a 5k this weekend. Jared, Claire, and I - and some other friends.

We were running to support the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep organization and in honor of sweet Abigail (the daughter of some friends who passed away after only being with us for a day) and Moira Dulce (my sister-in-law's baby who was lost through a miscarriage).

Normally the thought of running three miles on a hot July morning would make me throw up a little and cry, but this was for a really good cause and it turned out to be a really nice run. The majority of the trail was shaded and we ran early enough that it wasn't way too hot yet.

My goal was to get finished in 45 minutes. I know that sounds pathetic, but I hadn't done any prep for this run and I haven't run more than a mile or two consecutively since college - I am not much of a runner.

We (Jared stayed with me even at my incredibly slow pace) finished at 41.08. I beat my goal by 4 minutes. Yes I had to walk some, but I jogged for more of it than I thought I would be able too.

I have decided that I need to participate in races like this more often and get back into shape. I am about to have a big birthday and with it a slow-down of my metabolism. So that is my goal...we'll see if it pans out.

I am so glad we got to participate in this run and support our friends. It was a great experience.

Writing

Writing is so therapeutic for me. I wish I had time to sit and sort out my feelings and thoughts and write about them all the time. I could probably write a lot more often than I do.

Writing requires effort though and sometimes I am just so worn out that I want to sit and stare blankly at the TV or computer -- rather than really organizing a train of thought and putting it down on paper (or typing it out).

It is funny to me that I am not more enthusiastic about writing more of the time. It was my minor in college. In fact I would go so far as to say that my writing classes in college were my very favorite classes. I liked attending them/participating in them much, much more than the classes for my major. Should that have told me something? Did I pick the wrong major? I would have to say that I probably did not. I have LOVED teaching biology.

However, I am really thankful to have had those writing classes as a cathartic release.

What was the point of this post? I am not sure I had one. I think just to say that I have been feeling drawn back to my poetry/writing roots with a few of my recent posts (Heavy On My Heart and The Chasm).

I kind of feel weird about sharing poetry, that I have written, with other people. Poetry is so much more personal (to me) than other types of writing.

Also, there are a ton of really stringent guidelines for certain types - Haiku, Limericks, Sonnets, etc. - and then there are absolutely no guidelines for other types - free verse, found poetry, etc. Plus, I feel like my poetry is really amateur, so please don't be all critical/judgmental (at least not where I can hear/see it). 

Anyway, I hope that in the future I will find more time and energy to cultivate my writing, but if not at least I have had the chance for a therapy session today.  : )

The Chasm.

It's clear your wish is to avoid conversing with me.
It has been hard, but I am trying just to let it be.

I feel this deep chasm where friendship used to be.
I cannot tell if it is my perception or just reality.


I wish I knew where we stood, but all I know for sure
is that this distance is more than I want to endure.

You used to lean on my shoulder and confide in me.
We used to laugh and relish in some sort of solidarity.

I thought I had a friend for life because family cannot leave,
but your presence only reminds me of the loss that I now grieve.

You are a stranger to me now - does it feel the same to you somehow?

Am I unrecognizable to you as well?
Or am I the same at my core? I cannot tell.

Life has given us different paths -- divergent from our common past.
I always thought, no matter what, our friendship would last.

I have been so wrong about so many things...
I'll just add this to the list. The slap of reality stings.

It is not a physical distance, although that does exist,
but a distance between our souls that does persist.

I wish there was a way to find some common ground--
where it seems that none can be found.


I am at a loss for how to get us there.
Is this a pain you also bear?

I do not know which way to hope - finding myself unprepared.
Do I hope that you have somehow been spared?


I am selfish.
I know -- it is my secret wish.

I wish that you would feel it too - as much as I do.
I cannot deny it or make it untrue.

No matter how much I wish I could hide it.
This void is tearing me apart...bit by bit.

Ireland

We have been back for two weeks. Two weeks. That is how long it has taken me to recuperate from this trip. Don't get me wrong; we had a blast. However, I am tired. I am tired of laundry, tired of trying to get Claire back on schedule, tired of trying to get our house back in order and suitcases put away. Any way, I got most of that stuff done the first week we were back, but I just didn't have the energy to do anything extra.

So today I decided that I am taking the time to sit down and write something about our trip. We had a really great time. I probably over prepared and over packed, but we didn't run out of anything or not have something we needed.

Claire got a lot of green shirts to wear over the next year or two.

For the first week we were in a town called Ballycumber, in county Offaly. It is located about an hour and a half outside of Dublin and is a pretty central location to the rest of southern Ireland. We took several day trips to see:

The Manse we stayed in. It was HUGE!

1. Athlone, a town with Europe's oldest pub:

 

 

 

  2. The Cliffs of Moher:

3. Clonmacnoise:

4. Shannon Bridge:

5. The Glendeer Farms Petting Zoo:

6. Blarney Castle:

Then we traveled back to Dublin and stayed there a couple of nights.

Half of our group flew home from Dublin on Sunday and the rest of us (Jared, Claire, and I included) made our way to Northern Ireland. On the way we saw:

7. Newgrange (a passage tomb thought to have been built sometime between 4000 and 3000 BC; so it is pretty old):

 

8. Some of the northeast coast of Northern Ireland - which I did not get pictures of because I was super car-sick; but I did glance up and out of the window a couple of times and it was really beautiful.

Once we arrived in Ballintoy - which is just outside of Ballycastle - we found our next accomodations. The McShane Glen Leisure Homes.

 

 They were these really cute, little cottages with a view of sheep pastures and the Northern Atlantic ocean. It was picturesque and beautiful. While in Northern Ireland we went to see:

9. The Giant's Causeway:

10. Portrush, Co Antrim; home of the 2012 Irish Open

I don't think I have any pictures of this stop, but we ate lunch and shopped here for a while. I also bought a "Personalized Cd" for Claire that was supposed to have her name in all of the songs, but instead the songs use the name Jade.

They lied...Claire is pronounced Jade in this cd.

1. The Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge:

 

12. Bushmills; home of the oldest whiskey distillery:

We saw some really amazing sights, some really old sights, and some really beautiful and scenic countryside. Plus there were a bunch of sheep and cows. Claire is really good at saying "moo" and "baa" now. I am so glad that we got to go on this adventure with the Allen family - even if it did take me two weeks to recover.