Stress reducing run

                 Friday was hell day. Well, not so much. It was just one of those days that you had to get emotionally ready for days before. I had to get up early that day and drive to my mechanic's 45 minutes away and get some work done on my car. I had no idea how long they'd take or how expensive they'd be, so that alone is enough to stress anyone out. Immediately after I had to go to the DC inspection station and get my car inspected for the year and immediately after THAT I had to run over my daughter's class and help create their art project for their yearly auction project. So you see, this was a big day. Not one thing was allowed to take too long, or the rest of the day would be ruined. The most stressful part was waiting at the inspection station with 45 minutes to spare and wondering if I'd get to my daughter's class on time AND wanting to use the bathroom for the past hour as I sat in my car waiting. When I finally got home that day after all the activities, I was absolutely and positively spent. Every bone in my body hurt and my bed never looked better. I took a small nap, took a hot bath and ate some food. I knew I had to get some energy back in me in order to be able to do my night run. This was not an "I have to" kind if run, or an "I must" kind of run. This was a run I NEEDED to do for my sanity, to save my very soul!! As the evening progressed my hubby and my kids began to bug me more and more, so this was a sure cue I needed a mental break. About this time I also knew not to believe my thoughts about how just horribly messy my apartment was, or the thoughts about 'how come my 2 kids are constantly fighting?"....as I started slipping into fighting-the-small-stuff territory I knew it was time to fix things myself. This was a slow run, but it was mine. I was so happy the entire run. The cold air felt liberating and fresh and clean and every accepting. I drifted from one thought to the next without a care in the world.