Several factors contributed to my decision to skip our weekly ritual. Bill and I went out Friday night with some friends to see “Phantom” at the Candlelight Dinner Theater in Johnstown. We didn’t get home until 11:30, more than two hours past my normal bedtime. Bill wanted me to help out at the Fairview High School set construction day on Saturday morning, as there was a huge push to get as much help and as much accomplished as possible. (We’re building the set for the musical “42nd Street”, set to open November 10th, and we’re one week away from tech rehearsals.)  And finally, we were supposed to go to my nephew’s 3rd birthday party late in the afternoon for a family dinner. Thus, I decided to not sap my energies any further by running 8 miles when I was already sleep deprived.

Things didn’t go exactly as we had planned, though. My kids had a sleep over at their cousin’s house. When I called over at 8 AM to find out how things had gone, I got the news that my nephew had a fever and drippy nose. With all the illnesses and flu’s going around, Bill and I decided that leaving the kids there for the day was not a good idea. After we finished our lumber run to Home Depot, Bill dropped me back at the house so I could drive an hour over to my brother’s house to pick up the kids. Obviously, the birthday party was off.

Sophie, my (almost) 10 year old, said she was tired and had a sore throat. I decided to take her to my Mom’s house, a few minutes from the school, to rest and relax. Connor, my 7 year old, was very excited to join us for the set construction again. He adores the snacks I provide the work crew (bagels, cream cheese, hummus, fruit, veggies and such) and likes to carry a tape measure around “just in case”.

We got to the school by 11 AM, a full two hours later than expected. I was blown away by how many people had shown up for the work day. Parents and students were creating a bustle of activity that almost made me think I was not needed. However, I did manage to find something to do, and worked steadily for two hours before taking Connor to my Mom’s for the rest of the afternoon. I zipped back to the school for another two hours of construction before my sleep-deprived state kicked in full force. By that point a lot of the crew had left for the day. Bill felt like he needed to stay (he’s in charge of the set construction, did I mention that?) as long as there were people willing to work. So I boogied on home to take a nap.

By 6:00, Bill and the kids were home. Mom had brought in some grilled KFC chicken and side dishes, so everyone had eaten. I had no appetite, so just got some tea and started the bedtime proceedings. After reading books in the big bed, the four of us snuggled in and went to sleep. I think it was 8:00.

After a good ten hours of sleep, I felt moderately refreshed. I toyed with the idea of running, but kept getting distracted by cleaning. After three hours of bustling around I decided to head to the gym and get a good core workout with 45 minutes of cardio. It was snowing, so I took my time at the gym, hit the grocery store, and thankfully managed to miss most of the Steelers/Minnesota game.

So, I didn’t get to run on Saturday. I missed the camaraderie, exercise, coffee and beauty of the morning. Sometimes, life gets in the way like that and I figure it’s better to roll with the changes than try to be militant about routine.

Next Saturday, October 31, a group of us will run the Eerie Erie 10K Halloween race in Erie, CO. We’re planning on dressing up, so I need to find a good, pink wig that won’t fly off my head while I’m running. I’ll take my camera so you can see what the gang is up to.

Have a good week,

Lara

I wake up in the morning more exhausted than when I went to bed.  A sound sleep is a distant memory and energy is something I can only imagine.  All the “joie de vive” has left me for another woman and I’m a crumpled shell of my former self, just waiting for the moment when I can shut my eyes and lose consciousness.  Tired….tired….so tired.

What’s a girl to do when she get’s this way?  Call a friend?  Go to the YMCA for a quick yoga class?  Indulge in a hot bath?  I don’t know what other girls do when they’re worn down but I don’t do any of the above.  My recipe for tiredness: shut the door, pull the shades and crawl into bed.  Repeat for as many days as it takes until finally, the energy returns. 

A few nights ago I announced to my husband I was going to bed.  It was eight o’clock.  He said “What can I do for you?”  I told him in a voice too tired to whine, “You can tuck me in, sing me a lullaby and let me go to sleep.” 

He cleared off the bed while I brushed my teeth and changed into jammies.  As soon as I crawled between the sheets he turned off the light, sat next to me and took my hand in his.  With his other hand he brushed the hair from my forehead and gently started crooning our old standby; “A Better Place to Be” by Harry Chapin.  When we first started dating we would lay in bed singing gently to each other.  That night, as he sang the entire eight minute song, I was transported to a time when love was new and I didn’t know what it was to be bone-weary.  He finished the song, kissed me good-night and let me drift away to my happy place.

It’s Saturday.  I didn’t meet the ladies to go running.  I slept ten hours and didn’t get up until eight this morning.  I’m re-learning how to sleep in.  I haven’t set the alarm clock all week and I’m not doing anything but resting.

Running is a lot of fun.  So is gardening in the summer, riding bikes, playing at the park, having friends over for barbeques, going to the pool and wandering the mountains on impromptu hikes.  All these things require energy that only comes from being rested.  I did a bang-up job of using up every last reserve of energy I possess and now I’m paying the price.  I don’t even want a vacation; that would take too much thought and preparation.  I just want to putz around my house, nibble a little when I get hungry, and sleep. 

Here’s to tired people everywhere.  Cheers.