Superficial Joy

I love running. My former husband taught me how to run when we were first married. I was not athletic to begin with and got my P.E. credit in high school from band [I know, I know. We did arm circles]. We started by hiking a 2.5 mile loop at a park in San Antonio over and over again, each time running for a little bit longer. Next thing you know I am signed up for a 5 mile race (which I thought was a 5K, but that's a different story) and I ran the entire time! Now I've done some marathons, a bunch of half-marathons and get to run with an awesome bunch of people on Ragnar trail relays around the West. There are so many reasons I like it. Nothing makes your legs look good like running. Some of my closest friends I met through running. I love how I feel when I am  finished  with a run (this may account for up to 87% of my running). I cannot overemphasize how great it feels when I reach my goal distance and I get to walk. If I go in the morning, I get to bask in the knowledge

I had a brief interlude in Dallas, my unofficial port of entry and exit in the United States. Aside from lounging in front of the tv in "soft clothes", playing games and eating pork, here are the highlights: I was collected in my aunt's new car! A year ago I left Dallas around the same time but utterly paralyzed with fear. The drive to DFW was amazingly anxious. We took a selfie, said our goodbyes and I went on my merry [read: terrifying] way. I felt that fear of going off the high dive when you don't really want to mixed with a fear of being forgotten, seasoned with a little worry about being laughed at. The economy seat I was in was so claustrophobic I asked for an upgrade to Business Class. I would have gladly paid the $2000, but there were no seats available. The terror continued as I walked down a tunneled,  air conditioned stairway to exit the plane and when the humid, hot air hit me I wondered what I had done to myself. A completely cavernous feelin