It's funny as I get older, the music is coming back. In my teenage years, I played everything with strings.  Piano, organ (hated it), viola, violin, bass (ack!), and guitar. I could hear a song played, and see my fingers on the piano, or violin, but especially guitar. An unusual sequence of auditory and visual. I could play by ear, and was pretty OK at sight reading on violin and piano.  Mostly, because I was a perfectionist and maybe a leeetle cause I was too lazy to pratice violin. I couldn't put the guitar down, though, my parents would come in at night and tell me to stop.  I would quit picking the strings, and just hold my left fingers to the neck. Tapping the strings lightly with my right hand, I could still hear the notes. I gave it up for a while. After a series of traumatic events--my marriage then my divorce, the death of my mother...I thought it was gone.  I had named my guitar Fred, and poor Fred sat in his case for years.
  Recently, it started coming back. The same compulsion.  Any musical instrument, I would have to touch and play.  Usually when people weren't around. (that sounds a little creepy) The piano, my guitar, the violin in the closet that only had three strings left. Then, as I became more addicted, I would play Mikey's toy keyboard, or the slide whistle from a kid's meal. Picking out Mary, had a Little Lamb, Twinkle Twinkle (actually Mozart). Even showing him how you could really play a tune on the guitar he made out of a shoe box and rubber bands.  I tuned it, stretching the bands to go in fifths. Finally, I gave in and started playing Fred.  Fred is my friend that has always listened to me, and talked for me. When you hear a great lyric, you say, "that's just what I was thinking, if only I could have phrased it in that way".  That's Fred! I think we can make beautiful music together. :) We'll see what happens.

Yesterday, I started my day bleary eyed and shivering in the 43 degree dawn. Mikey and I had a race. This one, they had a girl on stage warming everybody up with some little stretches and yoga type things that Mikey loved. Then, Star Spangled Banner, and off we went. It was so darn cold, my legs were a little numb for the first mile. This was good actually, I kept telling myself that the faster I ran, the sooner I would get warm. I finished, then waited a bit with Mikey until it was time for his run. They had smoked sausage hot dogs and oranges for post race, and there is always tons of water and usually beer. Mikey had been hanging around with Jacy and Jadyn. then, he ran like hell, did a 1K in 5 minutes, and we went home. Why am I so hooked on running?  Other than that great feeling after I stop?  I scope out places to run, check distances with my odometer, and think about the next run. Mikey loves it, too.  I need to download the picture of him starting at the Eye run, in the photo, he is literally flying.  Neither of his feet seem to have contact with the ground.  Even Jadyn is getting in on it, she does the 1K with Charity.
 
  After a hot bath and some more coffee, we set out to the children's museum, met Charity and Jadyn. Played for a while, then had a late lunch with them, and headed home. He watched a movie while I did notes a bit, and the wash, then I took another shower, and he went to Charity's while i met Helen and Charlene at Collina's for dinner. 
 
  I picked up a happy Mikey at Charity's, headed home, and we are getting ready for some serious snoozing. Mikey said, "How did it get dark so fast?" and I just said, "I know, it seems like we were just heading out in the sunrise to get to our run!" And I got to explain how time goes by faster when you're having fun. Hopefully, he will get many, many chances to remark on that in his life. 
 

Imagine people cheering you on from the sidelines, a perfect day, running like crazy, and a personal best.  I ran 5 miles from Discovery Green to Hermann Park.  Charity made it in 45 minutes, Jacy in right at an hour, I was there in 1 hour and 6 minutes, I think.  But I made it.  Not bad for an old woman who had only gone running 6 times since her resolution after watching the Chevron Marathon.  I didn't puke, that was my biggest goal, as the only other time I had run 5 miles, there was imminent danger of puking.  I decided to run the whole way, and if the issue came up, so to speak, Hermann Park has lots of bushes. 

  I had to stop 3 times, once for an ambulance to go through an intersection, once for traffic, and once to chug some water without pouring it on my face.  It slowed me down a little.  My left ankle throbbed a bit, and old injury makes me pronate my left foot quite a lot, and it strains my ankle.  I saw Charity waving me in just as I ran towards the finish line, still wearing her sweater...barely broke a sweat.  She looks pretty serious in the race photos online, though.  Jacy made it through just after her.  when I first staggered up...some young volunteer approached me with scissors, and I stumbled about a bit until I saw he was trying to cut off the chip timer I had tied in my shoelace. 

  Mikey ran the 1K fun run, then went back into the bounce house provided for the kids, and jumped up and down another 20 minutes. 

  He knew what I was going through, when he saw my picture online, he noted, "mom, look, there are still plenty of people behind you!"  He had heard me swear I didn't care if I came in dead last, as long as I ran it all.

  *I edited that--Charity made 5 miles in 45 minutes.  I was still sucking air in mile 4 at 45 minutes. :)