My alarm went off at 4:45 this morning and I was so not motivated to get up for a ride. I laid their contemplating just sleeping in and then getting my ride in after church, even though I knew I would be less motivated once my day got started. I'm good working out at the very beginning and the very end of my day but in the middle I struggle with my motivation and energy. After much deliberation and a couple of rounds of the snooze button I unfortunately relented and went back to sleep for a couple more hours.
Once I woke back up I was informed that we weren't going to church this morning, apparently it had been a rough night for my wife. Due to the thunderstorms our dog spent the night pacing back and forth which on hardwood floors can be quite annoying for a light sleeper and I know both boys were up as well since they had joined us in bed at some point in the middle of the night. Upside, I was able to get my ride in after enjoying a cup of coffee and a couple handfuls of frosted mini wheat's.
My legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday's 18 mile run, in fact during my earlier debate I had thought about just sleeping in another hour and then going for an easy run, but that didn't happen. I had very little stiffness and soreness, normally after a long run my joints will be sore and my calves will be really tight and cramped, but not so this morning. I started off my ride nice and easy in a low gear for a long warm up just to work out what little tightness in my legs I had. Even though my legs felt pretty decent they did not feel fresh and the first 10-20 minutes were a bit of a struggle. After a got warmed up and got into a nice groove it was pretty much smooth sailing. I watched a couple of episodes of Deadliest Catch, good show to watch while pedaling away on a bike trainer, watching those guys work 18-22 hour days on little to no sleep hauling all that gear in horrible conditions makes riding my bike trainer in my basement seem like child's play.
Towards the end of my ride Deanna came downstairs crying and visibly shaken, my first thought was that either her sister or her sister in law whom are both pregnant had lost a baby. She couldn't form words to tell me what was the matter right away and then I started thinking maybe something happened to my Grandfather who is currently going through treatment for cancer and I yelled at her to tell me what was going on. In hindsight I wish I hadn't done that but when I saw her and how upset she was it scared me and I reacted poorly. When she finally was able to speak she told me that Gretchen, a friend of hers from high school had passed away last night. Apparently she had an asthma attack and her husband went to get her rescue inhaler and when he came back she was gone. The worst part is she leaves behind a young child and as a parent that really hits home. They weren't really close anymore, we had gone to her wedding a few years back but still it really shook her up and I feel awful for her. I couldn't even give her a proper comforting hug cause I was all sweaty from my bike ride.
Today's event's just remind me how precious life is and how fragile our existence here can be, one day you're going along everything is on course and the next some freak occurrence can derail your life. I can't even imagine what her husband is going through today, knowing that his wife is gone forever and having a child who will never get to know their mommy. It's heart breaking and my prayers go out to their family. Hearing news like that this morning, really puts my horrible last week in perspective; yeah I got a speeding ticket, my car broke down and I had a series of crappy things happen, but you know what I'm alive and my wife and kids are safe and healthy and all that other garbage that happened will just be a funny story 6 months down the road. Gretchen's husband, child and the rest of her family will miss her forever, the way I miss my mother everyday. It's sad and it just proves that we should live each day to it's fullest because you never know when it may be your last.
Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.
Very sorry for your loss. I have the same reaction when I get news like that about those I knew when I was younger. Whether I was close to them or not it always hits me in a visceral way.
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