As I was out running this morning from my parents’ house, two ladies were outside their houses directly across the street from one another. Running by, I overheard one lady give an open invitation to her neighbor, “I’m having supper at 6:00, if you wanna come over…”
I didn’t get to hear the rest of the conversation, but it brought back a lot of nostalgia for me… being that it’s Thanksgiving Day, and that I’m back “home” in Drexel, North Carolina, running a route through a neighborhood that I used to run at least 4 to 5 times a week.
It made me think about when I lived here. How hearing those kinds of conversations were normal… simple southern hospitality.
When I started thinking about the past, it’s really interesting to relate my past to who I am now… and also to see how it’s shaped who I am now.
10 years ago: Thanksgiving 1998
I was fresh off of winning my first state championship in cross country at East Burke High School. Thanksgiving Day I ran 3 miles easy in the morning from my house to downtown Drexel with my dogs Symba (my little brown dog) and Max (my brother’s lab). I was getting ready to run Footlocker, the big cross country race that would qualify me for high school cross country nationals in Orlando. Symba was a year and a half old. He ran with me all the time, even when I ran 60 miles a week. My relatives all came to my parents’ house to eat Thanksgiving dinner. We ate around 11am, and then sat around and talked the rest of the day. I was full of anticipation to run Footlocker that weekend, and my relatives all asked about how much I ran and stuff. I was not married, obviously, since I was still in high school. I hadn’t even met Joe yet.
4 years ago: Thanksgiving 2004
I was a newly-wed. Joe and I had been married for just about a month, and I was finished with my first season on the US pro-road cycling circuit. I was set to race with the Ford-Basis women’s professional cycling team for the next season, and Joe had just started his first job at Infineon. I had no responsibilities except for to ride my bike and “keep house.” I was very focused on being the “perfect wife.” I loved house-making, and anything to do with being a domesticated goddess of the home. We had Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle’s house in Fuquay-Varina, just down the road from our the first house we owned together in Holly Springs. I woke up really early that morning (at like 5:30am) to be out on the road bike by at least 6:00am so I could cover 3 to 4 hours before we needed to go over to my relatives’ for Thanksgiving. It was really cold, and I rode alone. I wasn’t running any at all, only riding. Symba was with us at our house in Holy Springs, although since I wasn’t running anymore he didn’t run very much either, but he still loved being outside.
Present day: Thanksgiving 2008
I went for a 10 mile run by myself from my parents’ house. I covered a lot of the same grounds I used to cover running with my dad when I was in high school training for cross country and track. We went over to have Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house, where we met up with several other families that I grew up with. Joe and I have been married for 4 years now, and he is in Florida visiting his grandparents. I no longer focus completely on being a home-maker. I like the balance of working, training, and being a wife. I teach at Athens Drive High School, and I am coaching a cross country runner who is getting ready to run the same Footlocker race I was going to run 10 years ago this weekend. I’m still biking… but now it’s all about the mountain bike, not the road bike. I’m running again, but Symba no longer runs with me. He’s 11 now, and a little too old to run. I now have another dog, Sheldon, who looks very much like Symba and has a ton of energy.
It’s interesting to see how I’ve come full circle, how I’ve ended up where I am now… and it makes me wonder where I’ll be in 10 more years. Really though… things have changed over the years, but are still very much the same.
A short list of some things I’m thankful for this year:
1. My parents- both of them are in good health and have always provided the support and love I need to succeed.
2. My brother, Greg- he used to just drive me crazy, but now he’s really matured and we actually think a lot alike.
3. My husband, Joe (of course!)- he loves me, no matter what. And I him. What else can I say?
4. My friends- you all know who you are, and I appreciate you more than you know!
5. My health- I’m so thankful that I’m healthy, no injuries or diseases… and I’m able to live life to the fullest every day.
6. The mountains- I feel at home anytime I’m in the woods. It’s peaceful and solitary. Being in the mountains is part of what makes me happy I’m alive.
I’m normally not so sentimental, but ’tis the season, right?? I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, and take time to remember what you’re thankful for.