December Joy and New Beginnings

Some things that have been bringing me joy this past month.

Christmas break has come and gone. There’s not much to say, but I found a lot of joy in watching my boys go sledding. Snow doesn’t stick around all winter here in Maryland, so those moments feel extra special. A big bowl of poutine while visiting the CN Tower in Toronto probably brought me the most joy that week.

They’ve also discovered a love for hockey. We went to a Saginaw Spirit game in Michigan, and since I’ve only ever seen the Flint team play, it was a fun change.

Simple things, like coming back from break and getting organized for the New Year, always make me feel good. Eating the food I missed while away and baking simple things to make the boys happy makes me feel happy to be home. We let the stay home on the first day back to school since they didn’t really get to play with any of their Christmas gifts. We left for Canada on Christmas Day to avoid bad weather on the 26th.

The biggest joy of all: As of today, I can finally start my journey back to running… or at least that’s the hope. I got a cortisone shot after being diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma. At first, I was really upset because this was exactly what the very first doctor told me when the pain started. He basically said, “That’s what it is, good luck,” and sent me on my way. Of course, I found another doctor, eventually had an MRI, and discovered it was actually a stress fracture. After months of pain and months of trying to find other activities to keep me sane, I can finally say I’m beginning my way back to running. Hopefully I’ll get a half marathon in this year. I don’t care how slow it is. I just need to do it.

In mid-December, I went to New York to watch our favorite Zeta cow. I had never been there around Christmas, so I decided to check out the Rockefeller tree and immediately regretted it. The crowds were unreal. I quickly found myself back at Matt and Andrew’s apartment for the rest of the trip, watching TV shows and movies and barely moving. Honestly, it ended up being a really nice solo trip.

I’ve also been really enjoying helping coach track. I missed a few meets because of Christmas break and traveling to see Zeta, but I’ve loved getting to know the girls and finally putting faces to names. It’s so fun to watch them compete. I will say, it can be exhausting talking to them after races that didn’t go as planned. It’s hard to find the balance between staying positive and encouraging while still giving honest, helpful feedback without sounding too harsh. Overall, though, they do a great job taking it all in.