For Better or for Worse

Can you imagine going on a 30 year long journey? This is how I feel about my life with Jan. It is as if we have been traveling together for 30 years.

I kept thinking of what to write about us and our marriage and found it surprisingly difficult. Our marriage has not always been easy. I can't even say that after all these years we have learned to be a better couple. We have had probably as many good as bad moments, as many ups as down. Whenever we learned  something about each other, over the years it often became irrelevant as we changed with the times. But despite all those changes,  every day we are choosing to be with each other on this amazing journey. And what a journey it's been through happiness and sorrow, laughter and cries, excitement and sometimes boredom, though not too much of that. But I know that one needs contrast to see  things so I appreciate the good and the not so good in our relationship. I know that without storms there wouldn't be any rainbows. 

So to celebrate 30 years of our journey of learning, we left our kid at home (he would not tell us why it made him so happy) and went away for a couple of days to be alone and to revisit our years together. This was the first anniversary when we actually went back the memory lane.

We started dating in freshman year in high school, got married while still in college, left Poland before we could graduate (that is if the communist government there would allow us to graduate anyway), came to the States and went back to college as soon as our English was good enough, worked, had a kid whom we decided to homeschool so I quit a paying job  and  worked at home for free. That is a very concise version of our lives together. The long version would take volumes so I will spare you. Trust me, 30 years is a very long time.

There is one thing I have to say about my husband; he has never ever stood in the way of my dreams. In all those years together he has never told me I was not allowed to do something I wanted. If ever he had doubts about my choices he would mention them but never in a way that would make me think he disapproved. I have always been absolutely free to make my own decisions and I treasure this freedom because I know how many women in this world can't even dream about it. 

So the journey continues and I am happy I have such a good traveling companion. Today again I choose to explore life with him and I am very happy he chooses me even though I am far from being a saint. But I am working on it.

This and That

50 e-friends
I just love how we can all connect through the internet. Sure, would have been so much nicer if we all could meet in person, but isn't it great that even though we are spread all over the world, we can still exchange ideas, share concerns, offer support? This is really fantastic. Big e-hugs to all 50 of you.

What Does It Mean?
I just noticed how many times I used some labels and I wonder what it tells about me. Achilles - 19, barefoot - 17, hike - 15, cancer - 11, ...., will power - 1. Now maybe I haven't been very diligent about labeling my posts but still I think this trend has to change. And does it mean my will power does not need more attention? I know myself well enough to think the opposite is true. And what about happiness, gratitude and joy? It seems I have some major attitude work ahead of me.

A New Kind of Training
I don't get to go backpacking often enough to develop backpacking fitness and since we are planning on doing John Muir Trail next year I thought we should train accordingly. Over 200 miles with a heavy pack will not be fun unless we are fit. So I added something new to my fitness regimen (regimen - that sounds really professional). I hit my hilly neighborhood streets with a loaded backpack. I usually go very early in the morning so my neighbors don't get to see a barefoot backpacker rushing around. I am noticing that while running on certain surfaces my feet are perfectly fine adding 35-40lbs and my soles really feel  how rough those surfaces  are. One more reason not to gain weight. For this exercise though I will probably start wearing VFF's. It is not like I am going to do JMT barefoot, I just could not get ready for that in those few months we have left.

Barefoot running

As days get colder, I am noticing that my feet get more sensitive. Now they seem to feel every little stone or twig. Acorns make me jump up with pain. Well, a bit of exaggeration here but still, what just a few days ago, when it was hot, was a trail I could run with my eyes closed, now seems like an obstacle course. I have to watch very carefully where I step to avoid pain. I was reading somewhere that if I keep my core warmer the feet will keep warmer too and thus won't be complaining so much. Since I sweat buckets I am not looking forward to wearing a jacket on my runs.


Biking with My Son...
...sucks! He takes a class at Stanford University and since they charge arm and a leg for parking and I am cheap, we park outside of the campus and bike. Usually he bikes by himself but last Friday the class was moved across the campus because they closed many buildings for the visit of Dalai Lama. It was late and since neither of us knows the campus very well so we decided to bike together. It has been a long time since I biked with him. To make a long story short, I had a very hard time keeping up with him. Can it be that his aging and my aging have different effects on our bodies? And being a teen he grinned and said that he wasn't really rushing. At times he makes me feel old. I am wondering though, if I trained really hard, could I still beat him? Just so you know, I keep telling everybody I am not competitive, not at all.