Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Embrace the mood, then MOVE ON!

Have you ever noticed how some days are just Great! You wake up on the right side of bed, the coffee tastes especially delicious, traffic is great, co-workers are out of your hair, your kids/pets are on their best behavior, Mr. Speedo in the lane next to you at swim practiced decided NOT to race you for a change, food is not destroyed in the kitchen, You are a model-of-excellent behavior, you stop for old ladies crossing the street just because you can, because you've left the house plenty early and allowed yourself those extra few minutes, your run feels oddly fast and your heart rate is below where it should be, your favorite author just published another book, your new favorite tv show is having a marathon, and yadda yadda yadda.

And then there are days where you simply wonder what the heck?

I, unfortunately, had the latter.

And why? It's so silly, it's so stupid! And I know better! I recognize the signs that my body is sending me, realize that eating fat-free cheese slices while watching a re-run of CSI:Miami (gotta love the color palate!) probably isn't what I should be doing...

But you know what? That's life.

We all have good days, we all have bad.

My bad day started yesterday afternoon and proceeded into today. I'm sure it was a combination of several factors: fatigue from training, not enough sleep a few nights ago, stress from workouts, and stress about Nathaniel and our next move, being depressed about the state of the world, mean people, murder, violence, you-get-the-point, politics... and a few other factors that I won't bore you with.

But I also realized, things could be a lot worse.

So what's the big deal? Honestly?

I've got a roof over my head, people who love me, I get to participate in a sport that I adore, I've got an attack cat who won't leave my side, and plenty of peanut butter in the house. Things could be worse.

When I read Bree's entry about life, moving on, changes, and the struggles of people worldwide, it put things into persepctive.

So while today I'm going to hang oround in my pjs and be in a bad mood, tommorow I'll return back to my usual, sunny self. I'll do my workouts, run the errands that I neglected to do today, stop off at the bike shop, and be thankful that I have the opportunity to actually have good days. Because not everyone does.

And now a message to my bad mood: Dude, lighten up. I know that you're in there, know that you're in control right now. But listen up - you've got a few hours left to sulk, and then Marit is off to bed. And when she wakes up tommorow morning at 6 am to head to the track for her 3 X 12 min run in heart rate zone 4, you will be gone. And if any amount, ANY amount of the "bad mood" is left, it'll be squashed out after :30 seconds holding a 175 heart rate. Because that's what it takes to make Marit smile, to make Marit return to herself. And besides, she won't let you win.

I know I've got a choice - sometimes you just need to have a good cry or be unhappy. Today/tonight was that time. Tommorow, I'm back to my old self. And it makes me excited just thinking about it.

8 comments:

BreeWee said...

This is going to sound really bad, mean, and kinda snotty... BUT I enjoyed this blog so much! It made me feel better to know that happy-smiling girls like you (like I try to be) also have bad days! I read this post word for word and felt refreshed to see that life is hard sometimes and that's okay, I was encouraged to read how you are dealing with your life with all that is happening to you... thanks for sharing. I am still grumpy so I am not posting till I smile rather than mope...BUT I had to read you and Kellye's blog, they always make me feel better!
SMILE tomorrow, let's race to see who snaps out of our grumpy day first! ha...ready set go....

Beth said...

I liked this post too - mostly because I (like everyone else) can identify! Although I'm usually a pretty happy, positive person there will always be THOSE days! And I think it's good to have THOSE days every once in a while. Makes the next day seem that much easier. Regardless, I hope today is much better for you Marit - in fact I know it will be! Nail that running workout with a big smile! :)

Pedergraham said...

Everyone has days like that--at least women!!! Sometimes you just have to give in, in whatever way is yours--CSI Miami and fat-free cheese slices sounds like a good one. I stayed with a family in Nairobi for a month when I was studying in Kenya, and my homestay mother used to always say to me, "A change is as good as a rest," and I NEVER got that. Changes, new homes, new jobs seem to be very unrestful to me. I think it is doubly hard when the change that you are going through is the same one as your spouse--as much as it is nice to go through these changes together, it's hard when your "big supporter in life" is in need of the same support as you are.

Mary Eggers said...

I can absolutley identify, know you are not alone! Where are you moving?

Marit C-L said...

Hi guys - thanks for your comments! Bree - totally NOT MEAN at all - I think we can all relate. And I want to keep my blog as "real" as possible... in the past when I've felt bad, I've usually put up poetry - but that doesen't make it seem so "real" does it? So I figured it was better just to get it out. And then move on. Beth - I woke up to Thunderstorms.. can you believe it? So...as I don't want to get struck by lightning, the treadmill it is. Danielle - your homestay Mom sounds great, a bit kooky, because I don't quite get that either..but yeah, Nate definitely needs support as his school stuff is getting pretty intenese (even though he's great at it!) - but he still has to work hard. He can't always be there for me the way that I'm there for him. And I'm totally okay with that - because that's where we are at this time in our life. If I was learning to fly a helicopter, there's little else that I COULD do... And Mary - we'll be moving in 4, 5, 6, or 7 months from now. Great! Actually, we'll be moving to one of four places: San Diego, CA; New River, NC; Hawaii; or Okinawa - depending on what he gets selected for and what "coast" he's sent to. So the move isn't immediate - it's just on my mind... 4 - 7 months doesen't seem like a lot of time... Anyway - thanks for all of your support, I really feel lucky to have blogger-friends like this! Yea!

Kellye Mills said...

My friends will laugh at me because when I'm having a bad day, I feel the need to watch dramatic shows like The O.C. or Sex in the City so I can live my dramatic mood out through the lives of fake characters!! Other people's drama always makes us realize that at least we're not bailing our alcoholic mom out of jail while we're trying to conceal the fact that we're secretly having an affair with her boyfriend who unbenost to us is our Step-brother!! :)

Mel said...

This post is AWESOME and one that I am so glad I read TODAY, as I am also feeling down in the dumps....My 9 year old daughter, when she is angry or sad she will draw a picture of a sad face or a whole scene of why she is angry and she will wait until I am in the bathroom or in my bedroom and she will slip this little piece of art under my door...I really think it is "HEY MOM I WANT TO TALK TO YOU"...A very smart idea..one that maybe I should try sometime to my husband ....just so he will ask me "hey is everything OK with you"!!!
Thank you for this post and I hoped it helped you in the process of writing it :)

Melissa

Anonymous said...

YES, Marit! We ALL do have days like this AND I am glad you posted about it. Life and Triathlon is NOT all about FAST, EASY and GOOD .... HA! So, this is the reality....Hope today was better and the email I sent you about later in FEB helped! :) xoxo JenH.