Celebrating Me

Ryan with a sleeping tiger

Using my birthday as a good excuse to travel, we headed to Chicago this past weekend. Ryan and I have each been there once, but separately. I love that we can get there so easily from Ann Arbor, so this was a good excuse to take advantage of our proximity. 

Lion and I 

We lucked out and had beautiful weather all weekend. After the winter we've had, it was perfect (because yes, 40 degrees and sunny is now considered "perfect"). I wasn't even bothered when the sun shining through the window woke me up yesterday morning. I was just glad to see it. We stayed in Lincoln Park, so I was excited to incorporate both the (free!) zoo and the lake into our run yesterday. While we did end up having time to return to the zoo today (because now that I'm 28, apparently I can't sleep past 7am), it was neat to be able to run through a pretty unusual backdrop. Being able to run through it made me appreciate the ability to pack in extra sights of a new place.

Lake Michigan

The run, and really, the whole weekend, was a perfect reminder of why I love spring. Each year, before this beautiful weather becomes the norm, people allow something that was just recently a (literal) cloud over our lives to become something we appreciate. I recently thought about the concept of "spring cleaning," and it makes sense. Spring feels like a new beginning, a chance to realign or reset. Similar to the start of the school year and Rosh Hashanah, or January 1 and New Year's, the arrival of spring feels like an opportunity to appreciate, celebrate, and reflect. Of course it's all I've ever known, but I like having my birthday this time of year for that reason. There have been years when it's still felt like winter and years I even remember some snow, but when the weather is what it's been this weekend, I can't help but use my birthday and the return of nice weather to slow down and be grateful.

Cheering on the Phils in
Chicago!

To me, running is the more consistent reminder of the chance we have reset, each day, without a formal occasion or big milestone. It's a self-given opportunity to slow down and process. My friends and family know that I am very reflective, sometimes to the point of a fault, so perhaps I don't rely on runs to do that as much as I do to appreciate. It can be easy to get caught up in wanting to go farther and faster, but I am still in a place where I can pat myself on the back for simply putting on my sneakers, going out, and running. Birthdays are the day of the year when everyone around you celebrates you, but what about the other 364 days?  Of course there are days when I feel frustrated with where I'm at versus where I'd like to be in my running, but overall, my runs have managed to remain a place where I continue to celebrate what I am doing, rather than criticize what I'm not. It's a chance to start over, even if just mentally, if it feels like things aren't going my way, and birthday or not, that is a gift I can always give myself. 

My new favorite animal, featuring interesting audio