Life’s morsels

So January has been quite a personal ride so far!

Let’s have this blog post be the same… between going to a Book Club for strong, independent ladies to running my first half marathon of the year the morning after a Roaring Twenties Party to volunteering with Team Rubicon at the Calverton National Cemetery, it’s been a busy few weeks. Not to mention that full time job and full time workout schedule I work diligently to maintain!

To clarify, I’m not complaining. I am truly blessed in my life by wonderful friends, a challenging and rewarding job, having my mom close by and so much more. Sometimes I look at my calendar and wonder where the energy comes from to do all this stuff, but mostly, it’s because I’ve been given one life, and gosh darn-it, I’m going to enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, I also very much enjoy my own time too. Is there anything better than a cup of tea, a burning candle and a soft, cozy blanket? Ask my cat and she’ll tell you that nothing could be better, at all, ever.

The Roaring Twenties Party at the National Historical Society in Manhattan was so much fun. Talk about an evening where a large group of people got gussied up to listen to live music and sip champagne. My friends and I had an absolute blast! There is something about spending time with those people who accept you and love you just as you are with no shame and no issue that brings so much light to my heart. From feather boas to the Charleston, I really do love me a themed party. The next morning, I crawled out of a warm bed to go run 13.1 miles in weather a little colder than I like. For those of you that don’t know Central Park, there are a few hills that have names, and honestly, if a hill has a name, it means that it is no joke. There is the Great Hill on the north side of the Park, which I can only describe as large and in charge. We did that one three times. There is Cat Hill, so named for the cat statue that is forever preparing for a pounce which we did twice and finally the Rolling Hills on the west side of the park that we did twice as well. Basically the two plus loops of the park were situated perfectly to create the ultimate hilly experience. I’m not going to lie, it was hard, but I loved it and I loved my time. My Garmin said 2:07:42, but NYRR said 2:09:58. Either way, it felt amazing!

Towards the end of the month, I was lucky enough to be able to do my second event with Team Rubicon. Out at the Calverton National Cemetery, the wreaths placed for Wreaths Across America needed to be picked up. I earned my shirt that day by picking up more wreaths than I can count in the rain alongside my fellow volunteers. Every once in a while, I would take a second to read the names of the service men, women and their families, and honestly, that gave me chills.

There have been more than these memorable moments this month from the Book Club to cooking pickle chicken sandwiches, eating cheesy fries at Josie’s and dancing my face off at an Afro-Carribean live music concert, and through all these experiences in the start of this, a new decade, I have found myself to be filled with a sense of joy and love that I need to more frequently acknowledge. Because life, you guys, is what you make it, and I intend to soak in every morsel that I can!