The Little Moments

Sorry to resort to the bullet-point format once again, but these are just a few things I wanted to share:

• The other day I was running a little late to get to my soccer game. I was at the bottom of the stairs to catch the train when I heard the buzz signaling that the train was about to leave the station. I started running, taking the stairs three at a time. A man who was at the bottom of the stairs with me said, "Ha! You'll never catch it," as he proceeded to walk leisurely up the stairs. It was extremely gratifying to smile and wave at him through the window of the train I had just barely caught. He smiled back and gave me a thumbs up.

• My friend Sharon and I spent quite some time shopping for rock climbing shoes on Saturday. If you know anything about rock climbing, you are probably aware that the shoes should fit extremely tightly, causing your toes to curl so they can grip as if they were fingers. The more advanced a climber you are, the smaller and tighter the shoes you buy become. I've never been shoe shopping in such a way as this. Every time Sharon tried on a pair of shoes, she said, "They're uncomfortable, I'm just not sure if they're uncomfortable enough." Meanwhile, I was moving around the store in a pair of shoes so tight that I was waddling on the outside of my foot instead of walking upright.
  

• I have just recently gotten back into working out regularly after a two-month hiatus. Today, I had my ass kicked by a peppy woman named Terry who does a rebounding class on Monday nights. She's happily yelling out, "Work it, work it, work it," in a high-pitched helium-ish voice, then, "Smile. It's not that bad!" And there I am on the rebounder, counting the minutes as my feet barely leave the ground each time she yells "Jump!" and wondering how I got so out of shape in a mere two months. Her voice is still ringing in my head. "Work it, work it, work it, harder, harder, harder! Come on, you can do better than that." (Was it my imagine, or was that last sentence directed at me?)

• And finally, I've been having some intensely strange dreams recently, that I believe have been prompted by the book I've been reading: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation. This is not a book I would recommend to everyone, but I have come to think of it as Nancy Drew for adults. (I'm not sure if the author would take that as a compliment, but I mean it as one.) Nancy Drew was one of my all time favorite characters as a kid, and it's nice to be drawn back into the world of an extremely intelligent, creative, and independent woman who's passionate about getting to the root of a mystery.

So that's it for tonight. I always feel a little guilty doing the little bullet-point format, but sometimes it's simply unavoidable. Now, instead of hearing the evil Terry's voice in my head ("Come on, you can do better than that,) I'm hearing my high school English teachers working as a group. "Where's your introduction? Conclusion? Supporting details? What is going to make someone want to read this!?"