It is Sunday morning, and I am sitting at the airport enjoying a strong cup of coffee. I like strong coffee, this cup of joe exceeds my own liking for strong coffee. My flight to Calgary boards in about 30 minutes. Last night, I finished my week by reflecting on the past week. Today, beginning my week, by thinking about the week ahead.
The first week of March is always a tough one. Tomorrow, marks the 11 year anniversary of my Mother’s death. I try not to think about it. I try to remember her birthday, Mother’s Day, Christmases, the happy memories. I am good had focusing my heart and my mind on the positive, but there is something about March 2nd. The dark memories of her last days of unbearable pain and suffering often sink me.
Last year on March 2nd, I found myself on track to set a record place at the Woodlands half marathon. I thought that I would run my heart out for her. Somehow, the memories snuck into my head, and I could not stop myself from crying. I went from a potential record run, to limping to the finish line.
March 2nd is my least favorite day of the year. Tomorrow’s March 2nd is going to be even more difficult as we begin parallel for the new trading system that I am working on at work. This always makes for a chaotic workday. It will be even more chaotic, as we are going to be without our strongest resource tomorrow.
I will cry myself to sleep tomorrow night, and then I will wake up in the morning, and it will be March 3rd. I just have to get through 24 difficult hours. March 3rd marks the two year anniversary of Potatoe coming to live with us. I just re-read his doggie adoption profile from the rescue shelter where we got him, and my heart is smiling. The description of Potatoe in his profile is spot on. If only on line dating profiles were as honest as doggie adoption profiles.
On March 7th, I will be running in the Woodlands half marathon again. This is my worst run every year. I do not know what it is about this run, maybe simply the fact that it is the first week of March. This year, I am treating it has a training run. The ultimate goal is to be a top 10 finisher in my age group in the Vintage Park half marathon. I love the Vintage Park half. Maybe the course is not the most beautiful thing ever, but the race takes place very close to where I live, and lots of my friends run or volunteer for the race. I love my community, and the people in my community.
My goal for the Vintage Park half means that I need to get all of my training runs in this week, and the weeks that follow in March. My other big goals for this week are getting the next phases of both of my projects fully scoped out, setting my annual goals for work, developing a design for improvement of some internal processes, planning the summer for the boys, and taking the time to pray and plan at the start of each day and taking the time to reflect and pray at the end of each day. A great deal of happiness and success in life is all about mindset.