They Just Shouldn't Let Some Folks Drive

I almost let the car roll into the intersection today with my soon-to-be 7 year old inside of it. Forgot to put it in park as I got out to open the door for the neighbor girl. I was almost to the other side of the vehicle when I saw the car moving; thank God I made it back in time to stop the car just yards from the intersection.

On Tuesday I left the keys in the car (in the ignition to be more specific) for an hour and a half while the kids were getting their teeth cleaned. When we got back into the car I turned the key and was shocked to hear the scream. I'd not only left the keys in the car, I'd left it running too.

No doubt I'm getting older. With my 39th birthday just a week or so away, I am profoundly aware of what parts of me are changing--both in body and mind. I'm tired. I'm sore. I'm bloated. And now evidently, I'm an airhead too.

I was thinking about this tonight as I was finishing up my run. I was about a mile from home when a car came within inches of hitting me. A young twenty-something ran a red light, looked me in the eye and said something sarcastic and dim-whitted. I, of course, had something very profound to say back. It was accompanied by a certain gesture that I executed perfectly. Moments later it occurred to me that maybe I'm not getting old. Maybe I'm not really losing my edge. Perhaps it's not my age, but something else. Heck if that young guy can be so absent minded (am I giving him too much credit?), it might not be an age thing. Maybe I'm just getting into a pattern (ok, a rutt) in life and letting it lull me to sleep a little bit.

So my new goal is to wake up and here's how I intend to do it... run new routes, get back on my bike, crosstrain, stretch. I'm going to write more fun stuff, journal, blog. I'll try to sit for a few minutes each day. Any other ideas? I'm all ears...