Awesomely Ditzy Disorder (A.D.D.)

Last night I volunteered to help a friend run a quick Craigslist errand. As we were driving back we began discussing ADD. She was saying that she must have ADD because she will be in her room digging in her purse one minute, and then in the next minute she is standing in her kitchen wondering where her purse is! I said that she has definitely exhibited her ability to focus when given a task, so she is probably not ADD... I explained that ditzy is not the same thing as attention-deficit, but the acronym still applies, hence my blog post title :)
Speaking of ADD, that is exactly what this blog post is going to be. Bear with me, I have lots of random thoughts to get out.
First, a foot update: I hemmed and hawed about it, but I've decided that I am going to have surgery on my foot to fix my plantar fascitius. I am sick of wasting my time and money to try and manage it, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I still can't run without pain, and it seems to be my final "injury" hurdle to overcome before I feel confident that I can give IM training a good go. So, I go under the knife on August 19th. It's a quick surgery with fairly minor recovery times. I will be on crutches for two weeks, in a walking boot for two weeks and then back to good in a total of 4-6 weeks. Seems reasonable to me.
Next, a swim update: I have started swimming. I still suck, but now I'm sucking twice a week at the Hopkins West Junior High pool Masters Swim, and occasionally I'm sucking on Friday mornings out in Lake Minnetonka with some friends (who do not suck!)
Next, random thought # 1: It's been pretty hot here in MN the past couple of weeks. Unusually hot, and because of that everyone seems to be complaining about the weather. Truthfully, it doesn't seem to take much for people to complain about it. I've never understood the constant whine about temperature and conditions. Weather is a fact of life: You can't control it, you can't change it and all you can do is adapt to it (or not). What people so often seem to forget is that Weather is always temporary. If you are bitching about it being 120 degrees one day, the next day you will probably find yourself bitching because it will only be 70 degrees. Not since the story of Noah and the Ark has the weather been so constant that everyone could know what to expect for 40 days and 40 nights.
Yesterday our hot streak broke and it was only going to be about 90 degrees instead of 110 like the day before. As I was getting out of my car I had a thought about how weather is often a great analogy used to describe our suffering.
As a Christian, there is a lot of talk and stories about going through "seasons" in life. Right now I am in a season of singleness. One of my friends is in a season of depression. Another is in a season of being a newlywed. etc etc. That's a great analogy, albeit a more long-term, general sort of one. Plus when people are talking about seasons, it isn't always meant to describe pain, anguish or suffering. For instance, my season of singleness has been wonderful and very educational for my heart and soul!
But short-term, people often talk about weather to describe their condition: Weathering the storm, riding out the rain, facing into the wind. I love these sorts of analogies! Why? They describe suffering. We have a tendency to complain about things as if they are going to be permanent. "ugh, this hot weather is KILLING me. it's never going to end!" "Gosh, is it EVER going to stop raining? I'm miserable!". ... We live in the moment and we often try to assign permanent attributes to very temporary situations. We do the same thing with weather as we do with our own personal suffering. It isn't until we finally break through the clouds, and regain our happiness that we can look back and remember that the suffering was temporary. Everything in life is temporary (except for tattoos. those things are permanent!) and when I find myself wallowing in misery, I will try to remind myself of that.
Random thought # 2: I was walking in to Chipotle last week and there was a guy walking out who was using a cane and walking very slowly. He looked like he was rehabilitating from something (car accident? Stroke? ...?) He looked like he was in pain, but he also had a look of patience and determination to just keep putting one foot in front of another. I am not sure why I was so moved by the sight of him, but I watched him all the way to his car while I was standing in line and I almost started crying. It was not out of pity, but more of gratitude for my God-given physical and mental attributes. I take my strong legs and straight back for granted almost daily, but I don't know what I would do if they were taken away from me. It is a gift for which I should live in fearful gratitude every day. I hope when I am rolling out of bed at 5:30am and I wish I could hit the snooze one more time that I will remember what I saw, how I felt, and how there are so many people who can't do what I (don't want to) do every day, without much effort. Life is a gift, for sure. Sometimes it's a white elephant, but it's a gift nonetheless :)
Random thought #3: I'm on a quest to find a coach for my IM training. I could probably do it on my own with just a training plan, but I think there would be a higher risk of failure, and certainly more under confidence, if I am left to my own devices. I know a couple of friends who coach, and I would love to give them my support, but I also know that at my weakest moments I will not be able to stop myself from being lazy with them. It's a boundary thing. So I'm on a quest for a fresh new face to torment! I have considered using Jason Diggman, as I know several people who have used him, so he's in the potentials-pool, and I also found a company called 2B which seems to have a great philosophy and a more hands-on approach to coaching. 2B seems 2b a little more about community, which I ready dig. :)
I have a meeting with Diane Birkeland and Scott Welle tonight. I'll let you know what I think!