Intertwined

As some of you know, I’m currently training for the Seattle Half Marathon. And as some you might have heard, I’ve recently misplaced my motivation.

At first I was an overachiever with my running plan – carefully planning each run, the route, hydration, stretches, and rest days. At the moment, I’m only mildly concerned when I look at my training log and notice I haven’t run in five days….. (Oops). In search of a strong shot of ambition to keep going, I perused RunnersWorld.com, and came upon this post from Kristen Armstrong. In it, she mulls over why our running mojo waxes and wanes, and concludes that it often coincides with what is going on in our lives at the time and how we feel about it. She is so right! For instance, a few years ago I was planning a wedding and in the midst of a job change; at that time I ran to work things out in my head. I ran consistently and hard.

(I promise this is a Left Loosey Righty Tighty post, just hang in there with me!)

Currently? I don’t have any major stresses to work out in my life right now (thank you!), and I’m generally at peace (double thank you!!). And quite frankly, I’ve been finding it far more interesting to comb the aisles of Home Depot than run the trail around Greenlake. No wonder I can’t seem to lace up and hit the pavement…..

As I sat on the floor of our guest bathroom last night, putting the finishing touches on the newly painted cabinets and trying to decipher what exactly was overshadowing my running goals, I thought of how the same is true in so many parts of our lives, how everything is intertwined. It’s true even in how I’ve styled our house: the colors, the concepts, have all been based on a snapshot within my life, and the emotions that accompanied it.

Here are a few examples:

Our master bathroom: Painted a light frothy brown with crisp white trim and ceilings, I wanted a spa-like feel in this room, a place where I could breathe easy and relax. Clean, tidy, and perhaps even a bit sparse, I wanted to feel free in this space. At the time, my life was in a bit of turmoil and nothing seemed for sure; the economy, finances, the future, it all seemed too messy, and this was my attempt to create a safe haven.

Guest Bathroom: When I chose this rich brown-gray-purple color, I was looking for a touch of glamour and warmth. Sparkly shower curtain rings, fresh, cushy white towels, champagne colored bubble bath and candlelight -- I was feeling confident and passionate. Things were calmer in life by this time, and I was ready to reclaim some fun. (note the sparkly shower curtain hooks)

I do think it’s pretty cool though to have these times in life sort of documented throughout our home. And over the next few months, I will start priming and painting the rest of the interior, starting with the upstairs hallway and working my way down. The colors we are considering are warm, neutral, with a touch of sophistication but not stuffiness; kind of a clean slate that we can build on. And that’s kind of like life, right? You start with what you’re given, you touch it up with putty, caulk and primer, and then it’s up to you to chose the colors, create the accent walls and determine the artwork you want to display.

In her blog post, Kristen quotes author John Eldredge: "We have to be intentional about the joy." And on my fridge hangs a magnet that says “Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself.” Either way, I think living with intention and creating the life you’ve always wanted should be at the top of our to-do lists, with the knowledge that we’ll have to putty up a few nail holes (for me, this = running) and perhaps go through gallons of primer (literally!) before we get it “just so.”

Yours in primer, paint and Nikes,
Shanti