healing stages: keep on movin'
politics is such crazy stuff--so personal and touchy, as evidenced by the countless emotionally-charged diary entries i read last week. many were by writers who usually don't discuss politics. so many thoughts swam through my head last week, too, yet i didn't know where to begin or what to say. now, don't laugh at the silly pop-psychology analogy, but i think a lot of people are now experiencing something similar to Kubler-Ross's "Five Stages of Grief": Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. wounds--esp. angry wounds--take time to heal, and a divided country is no exception.
some happy news: i did the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE)'s Run For Shelter 5K to end domestic violence! BUT...i walked the whole thing! WHY? well i'd toyed w/ the idea of registering for the run, but didn't do so after a recent flare-up. then, last wednesday, my co-worker, faye, came by my office to ask if i'd join her since she'd never done a 5K and was curious about trying one. but she said she didn't run, and wondered if i minded walking it w/ her so she wouldn't have to do it alone. i knew my painful joints/legs could handle walking's impact, and i knew it'd still be fun, so i instantly agreed to it, and we had a blast! (even if we came in towards the end, as most participants ran). yesterday was a perfect, crisp autumn day, our brisk power-walk was invigorating, and the route wound through downtown and a beautiful surrounding neighborhood.
and faye is a good conversationalist who is warm and fun to be around. she has an adopted korean-american daughter and an adopted korean-american step-daughter, both of whom she wants me to meet! like my other co-worker, ellen, who did the four-miler in sept, faye is also a breast-cancer survivor. yesterday it was so cute: at the finish, she gave me a huge hug and thanked me for joining her. then, she proudly pointed to her hard-earned long-sleeve t-shirt and bib number, and announced plans to frame the bib and show it off to her husband. i felt energized afterwards, too. while i can't change some things about my stamina/pain levels, staying on the move whenever possible totally cheers me. so hot damn if my saturday wasn't awesome!
