Simple Pleasures

As I type this I am sitting on my deck on a beautiful Minnesota summer evening sipping a glass of wine and I have been reading Harry Potter for the past hour and a half.  Seriously it doesn't get much better than this.

This summer has been really great for me so far.  I've had a lot of great accomplishments at work and I'm happy with the work/life balance that I have this summer.  The past 5 years I worked at a summer camp where my schedule was handed to me and I was around kids 24/7.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVED that job, but it's also nice having an adult summer for the first time.  I control what I do and when I do it.  I choose who I spend time with.  I have time to do the things I want to accomplish.  It's such a nice change of pace from the camp lifestyle.  I miss camp a ton, but at the same time, this was definitely the right choice for me this summer.

Tonight I met a friend for happy hour who I hadn't seen in forever.  We sat on a patio and drank martinis and caught up on life.  I got home and I came straight out to my deck with my book.  As I sit here I hear kids playing on a swing set nearby, I've seen many happy dogs and people walking or running by, and the air temperature is pretty close to perfect.  I'm on the 3rd floor so mosquitoes (the Minnesota state bird so it seems) aren't bothering me.  This is what it's about.  Enjoying every breath, every sight, every sound.

My main hobbies this summer have been reading and running.  I'm taking up running slowly but surely and I am now able to run more than 20 minutes straight without stopping!  For me that is a pretty significant feat.  I'm running the Color Run on Sunday and my hope is this will be the start of a healthy lifestyle.  I want to become a runner.  I want to tackle those 5k's, and maybe 10k's.  When I'm on my runs I get in a zone.  I tune everything out and I just focus on one foot right in front of the other.  I focus on my breathing and matching the cadence of my steps with the beat of the music.  I won't lie, running is difficult for me.  I often sweat through my shirt completely and I'm huffing and puffing much of the way.  But I'm doing it.  I'm conquering something that I didn't think I could do.  It's a process, but the simplicity of it all makes me so happy.  One foot in front of the other.

The feeling when I get home after a run like that is impossible to describe.  Many times I'm exhausted, but I feel so accomplished.  The best part is when I realize I ran faster and farther than before.  At that point I realize I want to run even farther and I want to do even more.

Here's to joyous, simple summers.