Sometimes, it's just all a little overwhelming, which really is a nice effect of actually feeling emotions, instead of sacking them away somewhere in a pool of booze. The non-stop media coverage, the social media feeds, and the photos are simultaneously horrifying and comforting. It's fucked beyond words how hurt someone must be to hurt innocent people; yet it's also comforting to see the humanity in people helping out others.
Last week at this time, I was watching the finals of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. This is always a big deal at my house. I remembered fairly quickly that Louisville won, but I really had to stretch to remember that they played Michigan, which is funny because I was cheering for Michigan. It seemed really exciting and important a week ago.
The Bitches woke me up early last Tuesday morning, whining to go outside. Since it was still very dark out, I was barely awake, until I opened the back door and the icy wind and rain hit me. I was instantly awake and slightly confused at the "spring" weather. It was so cold and crappy, the Bitches did quick business and were ready to go back in the house. So when I finally made a permanent move out of bed a couple hours later, the thick layer of ice coating the trees was not completely surprising, but entirely upsetting.
It was entirely upsetting because I love to run. I love to run outside, attached to my Bitches. I love to run down our sidewalks and around our bike trails. The Bitches are probably what has ultimately saved me from myself, but running is a close second and putting the two together eliminates anxiety and depression better than anything a lab could come up with. The other beautiful part of running is exploring the town in which I live in a way that someone buzzing around in a car could never appreciate. What's great about my 'hood, our parks, and our trails?
Our trees.
I literally want to hug the trees.
Because the layer of ice that started the branches snapping and falling, well, fall was the operative word, because then the snow started falling. Several inches of wet, heavy snow that our trees just couldn't hold. The metaphor is just too obvious, the trees are just like us... they stand as strong as they can, but anything, when weighted down enough, eventually breaks.
So this is what I woke up to on Wednesday morning:
My backyard, with huge limbs and branches strewn all about, a broken fence, a cable line buried somewhere, and a power line soon to follow, looked like quite a disaster. As soon as the snow stopped falling, Man Friend started chopping up the big ones. The biggest one is still propped up on the garage as I type.
Yes, my neighborhood looks like a war zone. Thanks to the hard work of the linemen and the street crews, the lights are now on and the streets are now passable. Yes, there are still branches blocking some sidewalks. And yes, our trees took a beating from the storm. But we'll be out running again soon, like tomorrow soon. I saw a man out running on 18th Street after dark on Saturday night, dodging fallen branches, and I just had to smile, because that's how runners are. They just want to get out and run.
So my little world was shaken up last week and I prayed for it to return to normal. I try to always find reasons to be grateful and thankful for all the blessings in my life. After all, compared to many in my city, we didn't lose power for very long, and thanks to some wonderful local electricians, the mast that had been ripped off the house was replaced and we were safe.
When I woke up this morning, I was excited for the Boston Marathon. I don't know that I will ever be able to qualify, but for runners, it's the premier marathon, with thousands and thousands of spectators lining every foot of the course and cheering the runners on. It's our World Series, it's Christmas, you get the idea. Several people I know have run it and had an absolutely fantastic experience. My friend, Ed, ran it today and set a PR, and my understanding was that less than an hour later was when the terror happened. Thankfully, he is safe.
I would say that I can't wrap my head around this yet, but I don't know that this is something I will ever be able to wrap my head around. That I was so upset about tree limbs laying in my yard seems ridiculous when I think about human limbs laying near the finish line. The line where a runner leaves it all behind.
I know we will all keep thinking about this throughout the coming days and weeks, especially for those of us who run. So I don't quite know what to say yet, but came across this on the Book earlier and I think it says it best.
<3 <3 <3
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