Fall and Rise

Last night I got home from work late and rather tired. We haven’t done this week’s grocery shopping, so my elderly aunt had not eaten yet. She asked what there was she could eat, and I listed several things. “You’re going to kill me,” she said in acknowledgement that I was tired, “but would you be willing to cook pasta?” I sighed and asked, “Do you think you could do it.” She said no, she felt it “had been too long.” This was the first time she has admitted to me that the reason she likes me to buy frozen dinners for when I am not home, and leaves it to me to do all the cooking when I am is that she doesn’t feel she remembers enough about how to cook. While I feel relieved of having been annoyed that she doesn’t help out in this way any more, it is a bit sad to realize in such a simple way that she is losing her sharpness. So I boiled some water, heated some sauce, and ruminated on this small but significant transition in our lives.

If you had met me in high school and told me that later in life I would enjoy running in my spare time I would never have believed you. In high school I did all that I could to avoid running; I didn’t need to run and I certainly didn’t enjoy going on a run. Yet here I am today, a runner. Over the last few years I have entered (and finished) a 10k and, much to my surprise, a marathon. For reasons I can’t fully explain, I really enjoy running. It seems to be a great way to spend my free time. I get a physical benefit from the exercise as well as the mental enjoyment. My wife and I are able to run with each other, so the runs provide a way for us to spend time with one another. I have to say, I never expected that I would like running but now it is one of my favorite things to do.