So…I’m on day 2 of being extremely ill. I’ve had the stomach flu every few years over the course of my life but it’s never lasted more than 24 hours. When I woke up this morning still feeling as sick as day 1, I was not happy. I feel weak and can barely stand up without seeing stars. What is going on? I’m drinking lots of water, sleeping and trying to just will myself better. I am just praying that by the time I wake up tomorrow, I’ll be better.

I have a lot going on at work this week and it’s really screwing up my jam to miss. I cannot focus on things that require real thinking right now so work is pretty much abandoned even though I can do it from my computer.

LIFE

That being said, a few things put my mind in perspective this morning as I was browsing the Internet. It seems like everyday, I come across something so tragic that throws reality in my face. The first was this piece, “A Life Told Through Twitter,” which surfaced on Jezebel. There isn’t much I can say about it except, watch it and then be glad you are alive:

The second was the story of a runner — a mother of 3 little kids — who was hit and killed by a drunk driver on Monday morning when she was out for a run. Doesn’t that just give you chills? How many early mornings have you been out running — not even imagining that this could happen to you? Years ago, in college, the daughter of one of my professors was a local elementary school teacher and was hit by a drunk driver as she drove to work in the morning — on  Monday. I’ve never forgotten that.

You never think of drunk drivers on Monday mornings, do you? This woman — Meg Menzies — happened to be training for the Boston Marathon and was an active member of her local Road Runners, in Richmond, VA.

So while I’m pretty sad about not running marathons in the foreseeable future, feel guilty about missing work due to my sickness and wondering how exactly I’m going to come up with enough money to buy a home, have kids and maybe travel again someday, I think it’s time to just be here now, thank God for this breath and realize that for me, life has been and continues to be beautiful.

That last paragraph sounds cliche to me. I hate cliche  — and maybe my brain just can’t work correctly right now — but sometimes cliche is the only you can use because it’s true so many times over.