Holding hands with my boy.

Wednesday was That Kind of Morning.

I woke after sleeping poorly, achy and uncomfortable from the combination of Tuesday morning kickboxing and Tuesday evening strength circuits (3 miles of running plus strength training at the track) with Team in Training. Work was weighing on my mind. Just getting the boy up, fed, dressed and off to school seemed unreasonably challenging. Every fiber of my being was directed at getting him into the car and off to school.

“But Mom,” he whined. “You promised that we could walk to my new school today. You promised.”

I promised. I did.

I looked at the clock. Ok, the walk to the new school would still probably take less time than the crosstown roundtrip to the old school. Fine. Let’s do it.

I’d just read Dimity’s post about being here now, living in the present and appreciating what’s happening now instead of always dwelling on the future, the to-do lists, the endless array of things that Must Be Done. But I wasn’t thinking of it until midway through the walk.

The Tiny Kitchen Assistant skipped along in his bright orange going-on-a-field-trip shirt. After months of rain, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, the sun warm and soothing. And then his soft, perfect little hand reached up and held mine. And suddenly I realized that no matter what else was going on in life, this was where I was supposed to be right now. It took everything I had in me not to scoop him up and tell him that this day, this walk, this moment was the most perfect of all because I was here with him.

And then, of course, because I’ve been thinking so much about cancer with Team in Training, I thought about all of the parents who couldn’t be with their kids, all of the missed moments due to treatments or side effects or god forbid, death. And I realized just how lucky I am.

My involvement with Team in Training isn’t about my running. Sure I’ll get faster and stronger (I hope), but what really matters at the end of the day is that I’m raising money in the hope that someone else, some complete stranger will have the chance for a moment like this on a perfect morning. And the funds that we raise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society can help to fund drugs and treatments that otherwise wouldn’t have seen the light of day.

I need your help to make that happen.

Please donate what you can to my fundraising efforts and make a difference in someone’s life.

And in case you were wondering about the week’s calendar:

• Monday: Yoga at home
• Tuesday: AM kickboxing, PM Team strength circuits
• Wednesday: Walking and Pilates
• Thursday: Walking and gym (abs and arms)
• Friday: Walking
• Saturday: 4.20 mile run with the Team
• Sunday: Household cross-training (yard work, cleaning, laundry)

Tags: blood cancer, circuit training, drug development, kickboxing, leukemia, lymphoma, parenting, running, strength training, team in training, tnt, treatment

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