That's right....we've all had them and they come at the most inopportune times when all else is falling apart and they usually culminate with crying, yelling, prayers, and feelings of hopelessness. Other characteristics of these days are the reaction we have looking back at them and how too often we remember overreacting and laughing at how the day worked itself out. Often we hear ourselves saying "if only I had known, I wouldn't have said _______ (whatever that was that we undoubtable regret). Yep....we've all had them.......our recent episode was not one day but 2!
Day 1:
We wake up early say 7am to go on a run at a trail near our apartment complex. This is something we do quite often when the days are nice. It started like every other morning with birds singing and the sun beaming in with a brisk, but delightful breeze. We get in the car (which has been acting a bit funny the last week) and as it grumbles at the start we turn and say once again to each other "we really do need to get this looked at." CLUE #1
The run began....brisk....but like most others ---- both of us getting in the runners groove. Adam began to push the pace.....it is normally me that does that....but today he thought he would be bold. I must preface this by saying that I (Kristin) run all year round so by the spring my endurance is good and Adam doesn't like to run all year, really only from mid-spring to mid-fall and not a moment later! That being said, the fact that he was pushing the pace was unusual CLUE #2. We continued and then his lack of endurance hit him....the pace slowed and by the time we hit our turn-around point we were both feeling a bit uneasy......that's when it happened!
There is a chain at our turn-around point that we always jump over....yep....you guessed it......we didn't make it over the chain.....not even a little! With one unison jump we caught our feet and both of us plowed the gravel. As we lay there wondering what the heck just happened I felt the undeniable urge to laugh as I replay the event in my mind with the coupling urge to weep as I felt my left leg begin to swell and throb! Not a feeling you want to feel half-way through a long run!
So we dusted ourselves off and began to head back.........about half-way back Adam gives a big exhale and frantically grabs at his shorts pocket....yep....the car key....where is it? Yep....that's right...likely at the turn-around point of the major blow-out!
So back we go, exhausted already and knowing we needed to have a fast run because Adam had to get to work! So after a VERY long run back to the blow-out point we head back for the now last 1/2 of the run......o boy! After about 2 minutes our bodies, exhausted, bruised, and frustrated stop! The rest of the run was now a walk and one full of admittance that our high hopes for a good run have now been shot down and ended in a very bad feeling run.
So after deciding that God intended us to walk in his creation instead of run we finally made it back to the car to find that she won't run. She won't even start. A lot of good the car key did....she won't even run!
After many attempts, a look under the hood (like we know what we are looking for), a few tears, a few angry words at the car and the day...we head up the HUGE hill, across the highway, through the neighborhood and finally arrive back at the house where we had YES.....left our phones!
So...we call AAA and Adam calls work to let them know he will be....a little late! We call a local autoshop and Adam takes a VERY fast shower, gets dressed for work, heads back through the neighborhood....forgets the car keys again and has to come back and get them.....heads back through the neighborhood (Take 2), across the highways, down the huge hill, and back through the park to get to the car.
Turns out the battery was dead along with quite a few other things......$600+ later and she runs like a dream!
Day 2:
This is the day we look back and.....while still being in pain and bruised from the blow-out, we recall the day before with that...."how did we ever make it through that day with our minds still intact?" The answer is.....we have no idea.....truly it must have been a God thing that we didn't pull our own hair out in the process of the day.
Today ended this 2 day saga perfectly. Pappa Veteto was able to come to Columbia for the evening and we spent the night fellowshipping, walking downtown Columbia, and enjoyed a wonderful meal at a local joint called Addisons! It was the perfect ending to a very long, sore, roller coaster of emotions 2 day journey!
In the end...it all works out just as most unexpected days do!
