Diamonds

It was another one of those ridiculous early mornings. It all began with Ben at 2:20am. He pulled along side my bed and ordered; “go in my bed with me”. Ben, at 5, is irresistible even in the middle of the night. He was back to sleep within 10 minutes and I wasn’t.

I rolled out and hauled into my running gear. Ella got up with me and we wandered downtown to the bank machine. There’s a certain stillness that is only available in the dead centre of night. It was cold at -11 C / 12 F. The moon was high - nearly complete over the river. I envisioned a spawn of a zillion migrating herring. I couldn’t help but croak out Bruce Cockburn's “All The Diamonds” from 1973.

All the diamonds in this world
That mean anything to me
Are conjured up by wind and sunlight
Sparkling on the sea

I ran aground in a harbour town
Lost the taste for being free
Thank God He sent some gull-chased ship
To carry me to sea

Two thousand years and half a world away
Dying trees still grow greener when you pray

Silver scales flash bright and fade
In reeds along the shore
Like a pearl in sea of liquid jade
His ship comes shining
Like a crystal swan in a sky of suns
His ship comes shining.

Back At It

The north wind was cranky and bitter at 4am. It was not the coldest of mornings, somewhere around -7 C or about 20 F without the wind chill factored in. My hands never did warm up. It was one of those runs where the best part was finishing up. Only one barking dog and a bunch of log trucks headed to the Oakhill sawmill.



I’m stiff because it’s been a couple of months since I cranked out a decent 10K run. This has been a rough winter and I just could not string together much inspiration. Boy, looking back over the past few years, this has been the worst winter for running yet. I don’t understand how Victoria managed to run 6 days a week. How did she do that?

I am here to say that I’m ready to start again and so I will. Life is one beginning after another so I will recommit and go at it…again. Curses! I was in decent shape last year at this time!

I heard a great quote today: “Hope is to the soul as breath is to the body…too many of us have been holding our breath far too long!” John Eldredge

Life is a Highway

I relate well to the imagery of the open road. One of my new favourite expressions is “For every mile of road there’s a mile of ditch”. Plain, simple, yet sprinkled with a breath of caution. One day I know I'll use this one when my kids tell me they’re heading out on some crazy adventure. Every highway is like an open invitation. Every stretch is different: rough, wide, narrow, hilly, snow-packed, fog- shrouded, dark, lonesome, winding, forgotten, treacherous or all of the aforementioned. Faith will get you through. Step forward. What will you discover?

The Seahorse

Halifax is one of the most vibrant cities in North America. It’s a salty old place founded in 1749 by the British. The rich history of the place nips at your heels in old Halifax. It’s just a plain cool place to be.

“Why’s it so dark in here?” quizzed Jonny. “People over 19”, I replied, “like listening to music in the dark”. The kids were relaxed as usual and cranked out a quick 10 minute medley. Jon pulled off the under-the-leg fiddle trick again and drew a roar of approval. Sadly, we couldn’t stay long due to provincial regs regarding under-age performers in Nova Scotia. Obviously, the rules are there for good reason. There will be other times down the line. Music Nova Scotia people were excellent. I am glad we are part.
A highlight for me was connecting with fellow bloggers and Blue Nose Marathoners MamaScarlet and Riceman. Guys, I know you understand that we had to bail but I wish we could have sat and hung a little longer. Mama is a busy homeschooling mom who was there with a girlfriend sharing a huge plate of nachos…I stole one off the plate and can now claim to have had dinner with MamaScarlet. Thanks for showing up and for your support. Great to finally meet you!

Rice, same thing buddy. I know I’ll see you again soon.

Nothing Is Mundane

There is always something going on so my life is never dull. Honestly, I never have time to think about whether I’m bored or not. There is too much to see and do. Some may argue with me.

Tuesday night, Chris & Jon will play the The Seahorse Tavern in Halifax. It’s a Music Nova Scotia event – an open mic meet/greet that is sure to be anything but mundane. Normally, I do not drag my young children off to a tavern or pub but this is sort of an exceptional opportunity. I’ve had to sign a waiver as they are underage.

They’ll play a couple of medleys and that will be that. A little taste of stage and lights tends to buoy them up for weeks. It’s “March Break” so the timing couldn’t be better as Chris is off school this week. I’ll take my camera along and see if I can snap a couple pics to post here.

So It Goes

I felt cornered like a mouse in a drawer so I tore it all down. Yup. Down came the blog that I hosted for 3 years and with it bits and pieces of my training log, photos of my children and anecdotes of life and of lessons learned on the fly. Life can slip away just as quickly you know. I didn’t save any of those old posts (mind you, I have photos on my computer and on www.flickr.com). I’m okay with that. Best part is that, through the old blog, I made dozens of terrific friends. Thanks guys…for all the encouraging email.

So, I’m back. I’m different and I am excited because I feel that the breaking down of the old will give rise to something fun and new. And, so it goes.

And, it’s like deciding on a baby name. It is. I picked Legs & Wings because I’m a runner and I can’t help but write about my 4 growing boys as they test their wings in the world.

Welcome. I hope you like it here.