Kerri On Down The Road

I know that I am not alone in the last-minute holiday frenzy that takes over as we near Christmas morning.  I remember it all too well when the boys were younger - the sense of accomplishment that I would feel by beating the clock and managing to get those last minute items on Christmas Eve, before the stores shut their doors.  And although managing to cross off those last items on my to-do list felt great, what felt even better was the sense of peace that came with the knowledge that no matter what, I could literally do no more.  Once the stores had closed, that was that.  Unless there was something that I was going to pick up at a gas station or corner store left to do, I was basically done. As the kids have gotten older, and my need to be out shopping for them has decreased, I still find the same sense of ease washes over me on Christmas Eve as everyone winds down for a couple of days to spend time with friends and family for the holidays.  The sense of the w...

 I don't remember what year it was, or my age.  What I do remember is that it was summertime and my parents and I were at the annual carnival held in the large parking lot of the main shopping mall in my hometown, and I had convinced them that it was a good idea for my dad and me to take a turn on the Scrambler.  The Scrambler was a somewhat suspect attraction that subjected its riders to being shuttled around in jagged circles, to and fro, for what seemed like an eternity but was likely only five or so minutes.  Whatever case I had managed to plead had led to my dad and me being held captive on this torture device.  The adventure started out okay, with the first few twists and turns feeling quite exciting and exhilarating.  These good feelings were quickly replaced by a growing sense of nausea in the pit of my belly.  I was a kid who tended towards motion sickness on hilly roads so can only imagine what my body was trying to make of this experience....

 I remember first learning about compasses in grade school.  We were shown how they work and then came the exercise of actually trying to use one to find our way somewhere.  I have never felt so lost in my life!  Not being someone who is naturally inclined with a good sense of direction, this fact is not shocking at all.  Even when I have a map in hand (or on my phone), I consistently make wrong turns.  This became evident in Chicago, where I ate up most of my roaming data consulting and re-consulting Google Maps as I attempted to navigate the city. With all this in mind, you can imagine how using maps and compasses resonated with me when thinking about following directions as they relate to our life's path.  I was listening to a podcast when the speaker suggested that instead of trying to plan and plot out every step of our journey, we would be well-served to think of navigating with a compass instead.  Inviting in a practice of moving in a gener...

 I don't know when I made the decision to do things differently.  All I knew was that as I lined up for my final race of the season, I was going to push my limits and see what happened.  All year I have been training for marathons, which has required a lot of long, slow-distance training.  I have enjoyed this type of work as it feels good in my body.  I am not a fast-twitch sort of gal.  Endurance feels like it comes naturally to me, and although I can lean into speed work, I often feel a sense of mental discomfort that trumps the physical push required.  With all of the slow, steady work I have been doing, I find myself approaching all runs with that mentality.  Taking it easy and leaving gas in the tank for the end.  As I approached this final 10k I started to wonder what would happen if I stopped playing safe?  I knew that my worst-case scenario would be blowing myself up and needing to walk the course, which I could manage.  My ...