May 24, 2011 - Striking a Balance

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty sore when I walked out the front door this evening to take my run.  My legs loosened up pretty quickly, but the every day grind is taking its toll.  Got me thinking about what I would do when May comes to its close in a week.  I don't want to stop running, but I think scaling it back a bit would be the right thing to do for my legs...perhaps every other day with some other form of exercise on the odd day.  I don't want to let this end with the end of 2011's Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month - it won't for Noah - and so it won't for me either.  A similar thought actually helped me finish the run strong this evening...was really sucking wind, but thought about what I would ask of Noah in a similar situation...one more exercise, one more stretch, one more exertion of effort that could potentially make a big difference in his quality of life.  How could you ever stop running with that thought in mind?!

But, should I feel guilty?  Should I feel guilty about not running every day once May ends?  Should I feel guilty about thinking about ending my run a block or two early tonight?  I think the answer has to be no - I just need to convince myself of that.  Susan and I often talk about trying to help Noah strike that balance between working and exercises that will only help him in the long run with also allowing him to just be a normal 7-month old boy.  It's easy to get carried away with the work aspect as you know every little bit will ultimately help him.  But, he is a baby and he needs to have the chance to do normal baby stuff too.  It's a difficult tightrope to walk, and we do it every day.  There is no right answer and there's no manual or playbook to go by. 

Eight months ago, our most important decision was between blue and green for his room.  Eight years ago my most important decision was between Bud Light and Coors Light on Thursday nights.  Today, things are a little different.  Trying to strike that balance today has become slightly different to say the least.  Life can certainly change in an instant....or 8 months...or 8 years.  And that's okay - just need to somehow find that balance.