Things I forget...

At the beginning of every school year I remember that I forget things.    For instance, I forget that 4th grade students know almost nothing about playing an instrument.  You'd think that I would remember that, but it's always hard to come back to a fresh class after the previous year's students have progressed a lot!

And I forget how to run slow.  Last night I did an easy 2 mile run.  I was supposed to keep the pace at around 9:45, which for me, is REALLY slow.  I didn't mind going slow, as it was the first run back after the half.  But it was hard - my GPS kept telling me to slow down.

I guess the same idea could be applied to both situations - I want to go fast, even if I need to go slow.  Training takes time, and there will be days when I need to go faster than others.  Tomorrow I will be doing a speed workout.  Something I haven't really done before.  We'll see how it goes.

Other things I forget - to put the child locks on the cabinet doors, to close the medicine cabinet, and to put the seat down (you know what I'm talking about).

There are definitely other things I won't forget, both good and bad - breaking a toilet seat when I weighed 300 pounds, my first half-marathon, the birth of my son, and my wedding day.  There are lots of other little things I remember, like when I was swinging on the weeping willow tree growing up, and the branch broke and I fell - no injuries, but whenever I see a weeping willow tree, I think about it.

I remember when my entire family was together to see my dad before he died.  Coincidence, I think not.

I remember graduating from high school, and it was the first year the orchestra was playing instead of the band, and me and my band friends laughed because we couldn't hear the orchestra until we were almost to the seats - our graduation at that time was always outside, unless it rained.  I remember bringing the little sound module from a graduation card that played Pomp and Circumstance, just so I had some music to walk to.  Sorry, string players.

It's funny the little things you remember - and it's not facts, or numbers.  It's the experiences that stick with you.  That's part of what slowing down is about, I guess.  Taking the time to stop and enjoy what's happening around us.

Yet, still, there are times when training for the race, and improving for the sake of improving, is what we need to do.

Hmmm...