Keeping Focus

I am very thankful that today is Friday. This week has been one of those weeks that has seemed to last forever and I am very happy to be laying on my couch under blankets zoning out into my computer screen with just my thoughts.

This past weekend we went camping with my brother and sister-in-law and though it was a fun trip we didn't get the best nights sleep both nights. One of the many contributing factors to our sleep deprivation was a train that came screeching through every couple of hours and rumbled so loud it felt like my brain was rattling.This of course continued through the night. Needless to say the trains, a neighboring couples domestic dispute in the middle of the night, and a powerful thunderstorm pretty much left me in a zombie-like state for my entire work week.

While we were dashing to pack up our sopping wet gear after the thunderstorm had passedm, a man who was camping near us came over to ask us if we were okay and if we needed anything. After we'd chatted with him a bit about the storm and thanked him for checking on us he turned to walk away and threw in one last "Hey, it's these kinds of trips that make the best stories to tell later!" I liked his optimistic attitude. I'll stick with saying even though there were a few mishaps, for the most part, it was a good trip.

Aside from being a bit on the exhausted side this week I was also in a bit of a funk. I had about every little thing I could possibly think of on my mind and those thoughts seemed to be holding my mind captive for the majority of the time. I'll confess I am a worry wart. And I realize that I worry for others even more than anything especially ones I care about. Whether it's someone I know who is sick or going through a rough time, I can't stop thinking about it until I feel like it's better.

So today I was sitting at my desk feeling overwhelmed with all these thoughts that were bouncing around in my mind. I stopped and took a minute to pray for some clarity on what exactly was bothering me and what/who exactly did I need to be praying for. A little bit later I went on my Facebook page (which is a normal part of everyone's workdays now it seems) and my pastor had posted a status that said "We need to stop worrying about where others are on the journey, and make sure our steps are being guided by the Lord." He had a link attached to his blog explaining this more. Wow was it exactly what I needed to hear. There's nothing I can do to solve any problem and of course in the back of my mind I know that. But human nature comes in and we like to think we can fix problems on our own or at least feel like we have some sort of control over them. But the truth is God is in control and we can't sit around worrying about everthing and everyone else, we need to focus on our own journey and pray for the others. So, it was clear that yes I can continue to prayer for others but I also need to focus on praying for myself and keeping my attention on Him and His calling in My life.

Okay on a less heavy note, after work Kyle and I went to dinner and stopped by my favorite local coffee shop. And to make it cooler, it's Christian run and tonight they just so happened to have a live band playing worship music. It was a nice relaxing ending to a long week.

(Their frozen Hot Chocolates are so GOOD)

I'm off to another busy weekend celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday and helping my aunt move. Now it's time to catch up on some much needed sleep!

S.

Running

(Not my feet just a random running picture :0)

When I was a little girl I always loved to run. Whether it was running around chasing my brother or having races in our yard to see who was faster, I really enjoyed doing it. I felt confident when I would run and in my head I thought I was the fastest girl in the world. But, of course, the older I got I quickly realized I was not the fastest girl in the world (I know, I was suprised as well) and there were other kids who were faster than me.  Once little 9 year old me didn't see it as being as much of a fun actvity and more of a competitive one, I stopped enjoying it as much. But I've never lost my interest for it.

Looking back, I realize a big part of where my interest for running came from was watching my father. All throughout my childhood he would always go for runs around our neighborhood and seemed to really enjoy doing it. He enjoyed it so much that one day he just decided he was going to run the Pittsburgh marathon. Without training or any sort of preparation he did it, all 26 miles of it. Needless to say I was pretty impressed.

Now that I am in my 20's and I am far beyond caring if little Suzie is faster than me in a gym class relay race, I've come back to the enjoyment running is to me. I love the fact that it's something that I am fully capable of doing it on my own, being my own coach, challenging myself mentally and physically. One of my goals has been to finish some sort of race whether it be a 5k or a marathon (definitely starting out with a 5k unlike my dad who went straight for the 26 mile marathon). I want to know the feeling of accomplishing a race and knowing that it was all me that did it.

(One day I want to get a pair of these running shoes)

So last week I began my first of 9 weeks of training to prepare myself for a 5k and I just finished my second week of training this evening (woohoo!).  It's never too late to start something we enjoy doing. There is a reason those things are important to us. It's time to lace up those running shoes and get your legs going!

I'm off to camping with my brother and sister-in-law tomorrow. Posts on our weekend adventures to come!

Have a fun and safe weekend!

S.

**I do not recommend doing a marathon without training like my story of my dad, although he finished it he was sick as a dog when it was over. Just a warning :)**