a balancing act

i find that i am constantly trying to find balance in my life and my perspective of the world around me. while i may feel balanced in my home life, i might feel an unbalance in...say...our countries view of health care for it's people. then again, if i am feeling rather balanced at work, i have piles of laundry and a dusty floor waiting for me when i get home. i find that attaining balance is not cut and dry. it is a constant battle. and a battle i gear up for every morning and work on everyday.

one thing that really helps me in this endeavor is running. i wake up, don the running attire, drink a cup of coffee, get the boy breakfast, pack his lunch, see him off and then i hit the road. i usually do not run with music...for it is the outdoors and the sounds it brings that keep me going. i feel like it is my time to order things, to think about things while clearing out the cobwebs. it has brought me great joy for many years and will for many years to come.

so...it thrills me that avery is showing an interest in running. he joined the cross country team last year and wanted to run again with the team this year. he is not the fastest runner, but he has heart and determination. that he is developing a love for this activity is, in my mind, the most important aspect of the program. it is something he will be able to do for the rest of his life. i love talking to him about the things that go through his head while he is running...like me he is making sense of the world around him while he pushes his body through nature.

yesterday was his first "official" cross country meet. he did have a run last saturday...the brookhaven run...a run that donates all the money from registration to the norman high school cross country team. it turned out to be quite a meet...

when we arrived at the meet, this is what the sky looked like...yikes!...is what i was thinking.

not too long after our arrival and that previous photo...this is what the field looked like...yuck!...is now what i was thinking.

kind of blurry...i was worried about my camera in the down pour...even the wrist strap got in the way. the jersey avery is wearing is sized for a high school runner...norman does not have a program specifically for middle school kids...out of the kindness of his heart, the high school coach makes it possible for them to run in meets throughout oklahoma. he was very tired...i think each shoe weighed ten pounds. he had been out in the down pour for over an hour at this point.

and...back to balance...i found this guy (or girl...didn't get a good look at the rear) munching grass just paces away from the run...the balance it took to deal with this load was very obvious. i couldn't get over this...i have seen texas long horns before, but this is like no other "long horn" i have ever seen!

and to see what ripley did during this escapade...see the next post...the little rascal always seems to take the easy way out...or shuts it all out, anyway.