Why do we stop playing?

It's 5:00 on a crisp fall afternoon. I find myself wandering through Lincoln Park, walking from log to log. Hopping as far down the beach as I can, and hoping I and my recently replaced crackberry are not going to end up in the drink. I pause for a while on a log made smooth as silk by the waves, driftwood I can't help but run my hands over. Racing to the swing set at the end of the park, trying not to catch my toes in the dirt. My legs are somehow longer than I remember. The snap of the chain as I stretch higher towards the sky. Throwing a tennis ball for a stranger's overweight but enthusiastic chocolate lab.

8:30 on a Thursday night, loving my new knee high boots, on a high from a tap class earlier in the day. Peeking around corners, no one is there. Bouncing down the halls at work, cardigan floating behind me like a cape. Really SITTING on those back falaps. Dancing down the stairs like Ginger Rogers and praying the cleaning lady doesn't catch me.

I love to play. I'm 28, but I would gladly play tag with you if you asked. The other night as I was walking towards my car after a long day at work, the crackle in the air had me craving night games in the worst way. Did you ever play those as a kid? We would gather in someones back yard and play 1 o'clock 2 o'clock (a much more elaborate version of hide and go seek in the dark) or ghost in the graveyard. Bike rides around "the loop" seemed so much more dangerous and thrilling when the entire neighborhood was bathed in the black of night. The headlights of cars out on the "big road" always seemed so much more sinister, like ever driver was out to get us. The cornfield behind the house made for the most epic maze adventures.

Why does this have to stop? Who says we must grow out of the silly adventures of our younger days? I know as adults we have more "grown up" ways to play, but these usually involve more money and gear than I'm willing to invest it. I'd love to get a group together and chase around the neighborhood in the dark. And maybe supplement the night with an adult beverage or two when we're all too tired to run anymore.

I was on the swing at the park not too long ago, and a little girl grabbed the swing next to me. She couldn't have been more than 4 or 5. As I slowed my swing to make sure I wasn't going to run into her, she looked at me and said "Are you a kid too?" I had to laugh. Am I a kid too? Yes sweetie, most days, I definitely am.

It's all about the small stuff

Borrowing a post from the lovely Polly over at Yoga is Yummy, it's all about the little things that make you smile. Here are a few that have made my list lately

1. Driving with the windows rolled down. I'm notorious for rolling down my windows, hair whipping in the wind without a car....in February. So long as it's not snowing and anywhere near 60 degrees, down go the windows. This usually means driving with the heat on full blast at the same time, but I just can't help myself. I love the feel of the breeze and my left hand resting outside the door, usually thumping on the blue metal in time to the music. Yes, I'm that crazy person in the car ahead of you on I-90 or the 520 bridge. I've also discovered that Washington smells absolutely glorious at this time of year. When you can inhale the scent of pine and lake water while driving 65 miles an hour, that says something about the air quality here, methinks.

2. Random trivia. Case in point, this evening while watching Nightly News with Brian Williams, there was a story on about Princes William and Harry. The report mentioned the word Shropshire, which Brian then repeated, chuckling spit out the "foreign" word. Something deep in my brain twisted around, and I blurted "THE SHROPSHIRE SLASHER!!!!!" in crazy cartoon intonation. My co-worker turned around, wondering if I had again lost my mind. Nope. It's from a Looney Tunes episode that I probably saw some Saturday morning 15 years ago. I explained the premise of the cartoon to him, and he didn't believe me. Ha! Behold, the beauty that is youtube! Deduce, you say? Vindicated by the glorious interwebs once again! I love that while I may not remember where I left my crackberry 30 seconds after I walk in the door, my brain somehow manages to dig up something completely obscure from childhood.

3. Words. Written, spoken, sung, I can't seem to get enough of them lately. I've been on an NPR bender, the likes of which I haven't done in at least a year. I've been reading anything I can get my hands on. I'm fascinated with what's happening in Iran right now, and have been trying to learn as much as I can about that part of the world. I also recently finished this book that talks about the Israel/Palestine conflict. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I was so struck by the author's quiet strength and insight.

That's just a handful of what's crossed my mind lately. It's a loud, messy place in there, and I love it!

Wondering on a Wednesday

Hello hello. Once again I've been neglecting my little space. I have no excuse really, other than to say I'm lacking a little focus. I've made a promise to myself that this will change. Stay tuned.

I'm wondering on a Wednesday, holed up in my lovely new workspace. They finally finished the renovations and moved us from the broom closet we were crammed into for six months to the new and improved newsroom. It has its quirks, but the lighting is wonderful and I really enjoy having my own desk again. Perched on one corner is a small framed picture of waves crashing at Point Judith, Rhode Island. One of the engineers picked the photo up with a smirk the other day, asking if that was my boyfriend. I laughed, saying it was merely my own little patch of workplace zen. As he walked away, I considered his query for a moment. The beach may as well be my significant other, in that I don't think I've loved anything else quite so unconditionally. Not even my family. I can say that because the beach has never attempted to ground me, or stolen my favorite sweatshirt. The beach is always there when I need it, its rolling voice at turns calming and driving. Encouraging me to relax, take action, or simply be. Often times when I find myself wrapped in anxiety, thoughts buzzing too quickly to sort, I picture myself body surfing in Newport or being tossed about like a pebble in Cabo. If I close my eyes tightly enough I can almost feel the cool soothing weightlessness of the water, wrapping me up and pushing everything else away. Saltwater washes clean the parts of my day, the parts of ME that refuse to be quieted by anything else.

Here in Seattle, the sound is generally too cold to swim in. I've grudgingly accepted this for now, and am gradually willing my easily-chilled skin to get used to it. I will go wading, and the days when I come home with dried salt on my legs and sand covering my feet are by far my favorites. I've planned a vacation to Little Rhody in July that I'm so excited for I almost don't know how I'm going to make it through the next month. Those perfect summer days, the salty memories that will last a lifetime. This summer is going to be all about building on that, whether I'm on the left coast or the right. A beach nearby is what makes a place home for me. Someday when I'm rich and famous, I would love to live where I can walk out the door in the morning with my coffee, and good book, a beach blanket, plant myself in the sand and watch the waves roll by as my body adapts again to being awake. Someday, this is my dream.

What about you? What makes a place home?

My one true love....

Too quiet

 It's been ages since I've had much to contribute here, which is frustrating to say the least. I'm not sure if it's the work I do that's causing it, but most days I find my head is spinning too much by the time I get home to put decent thoughts together, let alone anything that's worth sharing. I listen to the news for 8 hours, 3 of those hours at least are made up of yelling talk shows, and to call that draining is a bit of an understatement.

 That said, here I am. Have you ever noticed that sometimes making a phone call can be the hardest part of a challenge? I had an important call that I knew I needed to make, but kept putting it off. The fear of being judged by the person on the other end overrides the relief that you know will come as soon as you hang up, call completed. I'm one of those people who even refuses to call and order pizza, let alone make a call for something I'm not really comfortable talking about. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say this. Yesterday I finally summoned all my courage and made the call. Wheels have been set in motion, and while I'm still a little nervous, I'm happy I'm finally taking charge of something. Which just goes to show, maybe I really don't need to be so scared of that blasted piece of red and black plastic.

  Spring is tentatively showing it's face here in WS. My backyard is gorgeous right now. Lush green grass and flowers that are bolting their beds. I have tulips, hundreds of little purple flowers, a spray of white flowers that are so thick they look like a patch of melting snow. The rose bush is thinking about blooming, and many other bushes I can't identify are covered in pinks and reds and whites. If I were to buy a house here, this would be it. Unfortunately, we'll most likely be moving again at the end of August because of landlord issues. But for now I'm content to enjoy my little rain forest.

 The running is not going so well at the moment. I screwed up my hip and knee on a long run a few weeks ago, and I'm trying to take a week off to let it heal up somewhat. I'm beyond frustrated right now, but I'm hoping things will get back to normal soon. 

 So that's what's new in my little corner of the world. Now the next question....to go to ballet this morning or not.

Here's hoping our allies can help

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

More white death falls from the sky

details at 11...

In my past life working in television, I can't tell you how many times I had wanted to write scripts that are totally inappropriate for air but would have been almost worth getting fired over. If I was employed in Seattle television news, I think this is how my lead story would have gone this evening.

Widespread panic ensued across the greater Seattle metro area today as more mysterious white death fell from the sky. People became alarmed when the cold white substance began clinging to grass and tree branches. Fearing the worst, most drivers fled the safety of their office buildings for the highways and byways, taking comfort in knowing they were going nowhere fast. Though the flakes failed to accumulate on the pavement, the general consensus of 'better safe than sorry' kept traffic moving at a risky 5 miles an hour. If you don't need to drive this evening, please stay in your homes. We all know the dangers presented by slightly damp roadways, and encourage you to avoid them at all costs.

Seriously folks. It's just a little snow. In all my snark, I admit I'm a touch concerned about icing on the gigantic hill I live on, but in the grand scheme of things it's no big deal. As soon as the snow started sticking, around 3:00 p.m. I think, I watched as most other employees on campus freaked and started heading for home. There was a rather large stream of snail's pace vehicles for quite some time. The picture I snapped with my crackberry just doesn't do it justice. I had a good laugh and wandered back to my office. The snow stopped maybe half an hour later.

In other news....it seems the news all around us is frightfully bad these days. News and information is a passion of mine, but even I have reached my breaking point of ENOUGH already. When you find yourself watching Sesame Street instead of Good Morning America or Today, knowing full well that you need to know what's going on to do well at your job later, you know you're burnt out. So if need a good news break here's something for a laugh: Click here for Good News

Or, do you know anyone who's good work is improving the lives of others? Then share it with NBC Nightly News. All this week, they will be doing a "Making a Difference" segment every night (usually this is just Fridays) to showcase the good news that's out there. See here for details. This is in response to an overwhelming amount of viewer e-mails that also expressed enough already. If you don't believe your media is serving you, TELL THEM. News is still a public service....and it still relies on viewer and reader input to make the decisions of what to cover. Make yourself heard...you may be surprised at the response you get.

And in other more personal news: I did it. I signed up for the Seattle RNR half. I paid the money, I'm dedicated to it now, and I'm really excited about it.

May you all have some good news in your life!

Beautiful morning and a ponder too

I set out this morning for a run at Lincoln Park. Lately, on my way out the door I've been playing a little mind game with myself. This mental manipulation is necessary because I tend to get frustrated and talk myself out of things easily. The deal is always "just start out easy, one foot in front of the other, and if you're just not feeling it, it's OK to slow down and walk more." I logged 3.2 miles along the shore of the Sound this morning, and I've been smiling ever since. How could I not be? Crisp, clear blue skies, 45 degrees, sunshine so bright you can almost taste spring lurking around the corner. After snow and icy roads yesterday, today was that much sweeter. I watched ducks splash into the water and grinned to myself when a shaggy dog dashed away from his owner. I laugh so much when I'm having a good run, I have a sneaking suspicion those who pass me want to know what I'm smoking. Seeing as this is Seattle, they're probably wondering if I have any to share! (God, I love this city!) Call it running endorphins, call it high on life, call it whatever you want. What I do know is that one foot in front of another, that permission to just be "OK" if great isn't in today's cards seems to be working. Today's run was one of the strongest yet. I've been running four days a week for almost two months now.

And now to the ponder. A poster on some message boards I frequent mentioned that she's thinking about running the Seattle Rock 'n Roll marathon in June. Ever since she mentioned it, I can't stop thinking about the half marathon that goes along with it. I really want to try it, but a few nagging fears are holding me back. What if I get injured and then have to lay off physical activity for a while? What if I completely bonk and make an ass of myself? Mostly, I think I'm just afraid of failing. I'm afraid of getting bored and quitting again, like I have many times with running over the years. But maybe this is the goal I need to really be a "real" runner. So what do you think, dear readers? I get paid on the 7th, which would be as good a day as any to sign up. I'm just afraid it will be a waste of money. Almost 3 years ago there was a half that I signed up for in Massachusetts that I got a month into training for and quit, so there's that hanging over my head. To sign up, or not to sign up, that is most definitely the question!