Life Past 30

Normally, I am a happy-go-lucky person who is balanced with serious and comedic qualities.  My mood swings are usually mild and last for short periods of time, however, since Monday, I have been in a less-than-happy mood.  I am not sure if it was due to the end of the Thanksgiving holiday and coming back to work, hearing/watching the depressing news, or something else altogether.  Since Monday, the traffic has gotten under my skin more than usual and the multiple conversations on the bus have really gotten on my nerves.  However, I am happy to report this episode of intermittent irritation has finally come to an end.  I feel wonderful today and all feelings of wanting to be alone in a quiet place are gone.  Well, not completely, I still need my few hours to myself on the weekends.  I know that everyone goes through periods like or similar to this, but for me, it does not happen too often.  Perhaps I just need an extended break from the rat race to regroup or I need to run more since that relieves stress.  I am just glad to be feeling like myself again and am looking forward to the Christmas holiday and New Year’s Eve. 

For the past two days, I have been on a roll with crocheting some small, wearable crocheted items.  The first one, completed on Wednesday, is a white scarf trimmed in yarn that alternates from off-white to black.  The second is a belt that can be worn with almost anything casual or business-related.  It seems my desire for crocheting has increased as the temperatures have dropped in the area.  It is obviously the result of me having to brave the brisk, cold winds of my commute.  This weekend shall bring to fruition a warm and fuzzy afghan.

The weather this morning was cold, yet mild because the wind gusts were mild.  Luckily, I have not been in pain, even with the cold temps and that is good thing.  Osteo Bi-Flex is proving to be a wonderful supplement.  As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, the happier I become because the time for regular training is also drawing near.  I will have four days off next week (!!) and plan on training and crocheting as much as possible.  I doubt I will overeat, but I will have a second helping of turkey.  I love those birds!  The road is calling me and my feet cannot wait to pound the pavement.  I feel great and look forward to loading lots of fresh air into my lungs.

Here are the pictures of what I made:

I must rescind the “Worst Morning” award given to yesterday’s morning rush hour.  THIS morning was the worst, but crocheting helped me deal with it.  As I progressed in making the scarf I plan on wearing out of here this evening, I stopped caring about the traffic and was happy to have the seat beside me remain empty all the way to the downtown area.  Not one person interrupted me while I crocheted and my ears were not assailed by the screaming of young children.  Don’t get me wrong, I love children, but I cannot tolerate uncontrolled outbursts and fits.  That is just one reason why I do not go to Chuck E. Cheese’s.  Overall, the bus was very quiet and that is always a great thing.   

I woke up in a great mood this morning because, for the first time in a long time, I was able to snag 9 hours of sleep last night.  I honestly cannot recall the last time I was able to do that.  I stayed away from the computer when I got home and was not tempted in the least to log on.  Feeling good as I write this post, my mind is racing with thoughts of running again.  December 1st will be here before I know it and the prospect of hitting the pavement and clearing my head is so welcoming.  I have been perusing a few sites that sell workout clothing and found a few items that will be perfect for running in the cold.  The shoes I wore during the marathon still have a lot of miles on them, but I plan on buying another pair soon.  With the number of miles I plan on running, the new shoes will come in handy.  Now, if only I could find a way to fast forward through the next couple of weeks. 

As I have written before, the bus is the mode of transportation I use to get to and from work during the week.  Normally, the ride is uneventful and relatively quick, however, this morning was the worst of all.  Sure, it could get worse, but since I cannot see into the future, it holds the record for the worst morning on the bus.  First, I had to stand in the cold among many other people who were waiting to get on the bus.  After boarding and finding a seat, I, along with everyone else, had the displeasure of having to sit in traffic for 20 minutes before finally being able to get across the bridge.  I would not normally get upset over this, but I left the house a little earlier than usual and feel my time was wasted.  Reaching the bridge has become somewhat of a problem in recent days due to the increased amount of traffic.  The lower gas prices have been luring people back into their cars and since they have hit road, morning rush hour has been a nightmare. 

Learning to be patient is a daily battle for me and some days are worse than others.  However, I do not see a logical reason for drivers to take so long to press the gas pedal when the light turns green.  How hard is it for someone to accelerate their car when they see a green light.  There is nothing mesmerizing about a green light, but I could be wrong.  Were it not for those “slow ones”, the traffic flow just might improve a bit.  I think that is asking too much of them, especially since most of them are preoccupied with something else when they should be watching the road…and the lights.  I will be crocheting on the bus tomorrow, you know, just in case there’s a 30 minute delay in traffic.  Now I wish the gas prices were above $3 a gallon.   

Since April of this year, I had run almost non-stop with activity ranging from work, parenting, training for the marathon, and attending social gatherings.  Now, one week after the marathon, I’m finally getting a break from training and socializing.  My muscles are no longer sore, my knees feel great, and my body feels good.  I have slept better in the past week than I have in the past two months!  Everyone needs a break every now and then to regroup, physically and mentally.  I’m taking that opportunity now.  Taking a break allows one to rebuild energy and get back in touch with themselves without having to carve out inadequate bits of time.  Now that I’m not training and won’t be for at least another three weeks, I can take the extra time to complete crochet projects I was not able to get to before.  The key is to enjoy each day and all it has to offer.

Crocheting has been a main hobby of mine since the age of 11.  I can’t say what made me interested in it, but I do remember how I learned to do it.  It was the middle of the fifth grade for me and a fellow classmate of mine used to bring yarn and crochet hooks to school with her every day.  I had never seen anything like the hooks before and I became curious about their use.

One day at recess, I spotted her sitting alone on the playground behind our school crocheting, although I didn’t know what it was at the time.  I walked over to her and asked what she doing and she replied, without looking up, “I’m crocheting.”  She was going so fast, it was difficult to keep up with the movement of the hook as she made the yarn dance around it.  When I asked if she could teach me, she said she couldn’t, that she had learned from her grandmother, but I could watch if I liked.  Well, always being up for a challenge, I accepted the offer to watch.

Every day, for a month, I made it a point to watch her crochet during recess because I was determined to learn this oh-so-cool craft.  Guess what?  It worked!  When I felt confident enough in my ability to crochet, I asked my parents if they could buy some yarn and a crochet hook for me.  Of course, my mom looked surprised, but my dad just chuckled a little and told me he would take me to the store.  When I got the yarn and the hook, I played around with it until I had duplicated the hook movements of my classmate.  Eventually, I made a pink and white doily that my grandmother still has to this day.

Since that first project, I have crocheted everything from potholders to clothing.  It is a passion for me and one the few things I love to do.  When time permits, I will sit in a comfortable spot for 8 hours or more working on a single project.  Words cannot express how elated I am when I finish.  I love to crochet!