"In vacant or in pensive mood..." I am: Bekah; 24; Law Student / Favorite Things: Carbs (so there!), Johnny Damon, Smiling at babies, Grilled cheese, Comfortable silence / Favorite Supreme Court Justice: Brennan / Favorite Wilson: Owen by an inch / Today's Special: Song: Elliott Smith, "Bled White"; Quote: "You know, there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bowstaff." Please love me: mmbekah@yahoo.com

 
Guilty Conscience

Sometimes I really think I have a Jewish grandmother for a conscience. You know that little angel or devil who's supposed to appear on your shoulder to influence you to do good or evil? I don't get those. I get a Jewish grandmother who manipulates and nags until she gets her way. (I also have a real Bubby who is wonderful and doesn't fit the stereotype at all; unfortunately, she's not the one constantly screaming and kvetching inside my brain). My alarm went off at 6:15 this morning for my run, at which time I promptly turned it off and reset it for 7:45. Happy at the prospect of continuing my dream, I lay back down and curled up under the sheets. This lasted about 30 seconds, until I heard my little Jewish grandmother saying "Bekalah. You know you will feel guilty all day if you go back to sleep. How could you do this to us? You want you should get a few measly minutes of sleep? And for what? To become a liar and a hypocrite? Your body is a temple, Bekalah. Now get up and run or there will be no matzo ball soup for you!" How can you argue with that, I ask you? You can't. So I got my ass up and ran 7 miles. She's a stern taskmaster, but that lady gets results!

To be fair, my Jewish grandmother of a conscience only gets me out of bed and out the door. Fulfillment of the actual run depends on a variety of factors, including heat, my shins, my toenail, nausea, the amount of poop stink in the air, and my general level of mental and physical comfort on any given day. But as I realized today, it also depends on who I'm with and where I am. I'm definitely a loop runner, as opposed to a there-and-back runner. On there and back runs, I usually get bored, punk out, and turn around early. I also run much better and easier if I'm running with someone. I ran into my friend Michelle today as I was finishing my fourth mile, and seeing her gave me the energy to do the next three with her. I wasn't tired at all, and the conversation kept me from getting bored. If I'd done that run by myself, I would have been miserable. Or I wouldn't have done it at all. Yay for running friends and imaginary Bubbies!

posted by Bekah at 10:17 AM :: |