Bring on the rain

I think I've forgotten how to relax.

I've been so busy for so long, on such a "tight schedule," as my daughter would say, that my new-found freedom, and the flexibility that comes with it, is proving to be a challenge for me.

Maybe I'm more type-A than I thought I was, but apparently I need a schedule in order to function properly. That, and a cup of coffee.

I still run a tight ship when the girls are home--our school mornings are planned to the minute--but as soon as they're on the bus, the day is mostly mine and I often find myself wondering what to do first. Run now, work later? Shower, run errands, then run? But then I'll have to shower again. Work first, drink some coffee and wait for the caffeine to jolt me out the door?

I know, I know. It really is a privilege to have such worries. But it's still stressful to the uninitiated.

This morning it was raining and cold. The forecast predicted lighter rain and slightly warmer temps in the afternoon, so I decided errands first, run later.

While I was out and about, I treated myself to a Caribou Coffee Caramel High Rise and did my best imitation of a writer sitting in a cafe, outlining ideas for a new project. I'm not sure I was very convincing with my pen and pad of paper, magazine at the ready should I lose my writing mojo. But the coffee part was effective. By the time I got home I felt like I was going to have a heart attack! Despite the fact that I wimped out at the last minute and only ordered a half caf (I know, not very hard core creative type), that 16 oz drink still had a full shot of leaded and it sent me over the moon.

Rain? What rain? I love running in the rain! Not one to let a good java buzz go to waste, I dashed into the nearest phone both and came charging back out with my cape flying behind me. Faster than a speeding bullet I ran those 4.5 miles, loving every splashing step. Seriously, the rain felt amazing. After running from the rain all day, if felt liberating to be running in it.

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's triathlon mom! On caffeine. So, bring on the rain! I'll schedule some time to relax later.