I Felt So Good Like Anything Was Possible
Over the course of the last few months I’ve found myself with some extra time on my hands. Quite a bit of time actually being that it’s summer. Summer time brings to my house freedom from things like school, homework, two childcare locations and network television. In addition to all those things I’ve also found myself unencumbered with a significant other this year which has left me twiddling my thumbs on occasion so I finally got proactive.
In addition to reading library books like a fiend, cooking more “real” meals for my kids and spending more quality time at the park I’ve added a couple other hobbies to my list. Back in good old BC (Before Children) I used to enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles and running so I thought now would be an excellent time to re-engage in those past-times. Unfortunately it turns out that neither of them is good for my health.
To most people running sounds like a healthy activity but there are some who would call it something akin to self-inflicted agony and pure torture. I tend to lean towards the healthy side except for one thing. I have asthma. So what the hell am I doing running? The long and the short is that it’s a challenge. A coworker sent out an email about a race he’s doing in September and invited anyone who was willing to join him then insinuated that the whole office was a bunch of wussies because no one jumped at the opportunity. He might as well have just looked me in the eye and said “I double dog dare you” because two minutes later I was signed on. Now I’m supposed to be doing the Muddy Buddy with my pal Mikey on September 10th and I’m gasping all the way there.
Fine, so running is bad for my asthmatic lungs but what on earth could be wrong with jigsaw puzzles? They are made from cheap cardboard. Due to my allergies to all manor of plants and trees, alive or dead, I am also allergic to materials like newspaper and cardboard. The cheaper the material (ie. the closer it is to resembling compacted sawdust) the more it makes me sneeze. The bad news is that within minutes of leaning over my puzzles my nose resembles a leaky faucet so much that I buy a new box of kleenex every time I purchase a puzzle. The good news is that my itchy eyes are a great motivator and I finished my last 1000 piece puzzle in 3 days.
Tonight I ran 2.4 miles and though I’m wheezing like emphysemic chain-smoker I’m getting just enough oxygen to my brain to register that the puzzle I finished the other night looks really trippy when viewed through watery eyes. I’m killing myself but at least I’m not bored.
