Self Imposed Angst…
Or was I just having a pity party?
It could be a touch of both. Luckily, I snapped myself out of it because like Danzig (in photo above) says, it’s just not a pretty site or very becoming. I spent most of Wednesday prone in bed depressed and was a real mess. I am not normally a sad person and am the first to “snap out” of any perceived unpleasant situation, but I admit – I was pathetic Wednesday. In bed by 6pm, refusing to make dinner – let alone eat, sleeping till my ears physically hurt until finally crawling out of bed Thursday morning at 7am.
Why? I think that the impending move is wigging me out just a little, along with the prospect of going back to school in the fall at age 42 and the general let down feeling that sometimes follows after a busy schedule comes crashing to a sudden halt among other things. How does one regroup and recapture some of the previous energy and focus?
I recognize that while it’s normal to have occasional low moments, it’s not okay to dwell on them because it’s likely to cause stagnation and even regression (for me at least – and disclaimer here – I am not making light of depression and know it is a serious disease). If I look around my neighborhood, the city or heck the world I find that there are many who would trade their very real problems with my perceived ones. Close to home, one of my friends and former classmates from high school is having a very real family crisis that would put anyone to the test.
You see, my friend’s wife was diagnosed with ALS a couple of year’s ago. She is a mere 40 years old and has 3 beautiful girls under the age of 12 – my problems pale in comparison. After thinking about Heidi, I laced up my running shoes and hit the trails hard because I know she would trade her weakened muscles and wheel chair for my able body and the promise that anything is possible with me any day of the week. I ran at top speed until my legs and lungs burned. Angrily, I ran for Heidi thinking how unfair life can be. I ran till I could barely breathe and my normally hyper active dog had to concentrate to keep up. I ran until I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself any more. When I finally slowed to a jog, I knew that I had to push my angst aside and concentrate on the possible because worrying about what hasn’t happened yet is really really unproductive and quite spirit crushing.
When I returned home, I had recovered my focus and know that whatever it is that I end up doing in the near and distant future, I need to do it with gusto and certainty. There are no dress rehearsals in life.
~Cynthia
P.S. On a lighter note, I did figure one thing out – I am planning on running a 1/2 marathon in the fall and have been wondering how I’d fit the training in once school starts in August. Then I remembered a recent article in Runner’s World about running commuters – perfect solution, “kills 2 birds with one stone” so to speak (my daughter hates that phrase – click on the link to see some alternatives). My new commute from home will be roughly 3.5 miles each way once we move – easy peasy – though I will have to figure out the whole sweaty/changing clothes thing.
Signature Chop Part 2 & Kid’s Chops
After my third attempt at making a satisfactory signature chop, I’m pretty happy with the image, print, and size. It’s a keeper. Though, I am going to make a reverse impression as well – one that will leave an imprinted and not a raised mark. Just in case you missed it, here’s part 1 of this post.
As you can see, it’s much closer to my original design than my 1st and 2nd attempts (see below):
The problem with the first 2 chops is that I wasn’t able to comfortably squeeze my initials into the design area. Working small scale is harder than I thought. I don’t know how those people who paint full scale images on a single grain of rice do it!!
Take a look at the chops the kids in my after school clay class made:
Meanwhile, I’ve been a bit out of sorts the past couple of months – not psychologically or anything, just well, I’m not sure I can pin point it. Sort of like I have all this energy, but no outlet. My solution? I started running again last Monday. I pretty much sprinted the whole way around the park Monday morning with the dogs while listening to The Flobots (my new favorite local Denver band). The dogs were happy to run and I felt a whole lot better! Needless to say, while I haven’t been inactive during my last 6 month hiatus from running – I now know that walking and running use different muscles. No sprinting on Tuesday morning because soreness had set in. By Wednesday, I was like an old lady hobbling around the house moaning every time I had to stand up from a sitting position. Today is Friday – and miracle of miracles, the soreness is gone.
Motivating myself to run isn’t always easy, but I feel so darn good after I do it – plus it’s like meditation to me. My mind feels clearer afterwards and hopefully, it’ll do my body some good too. A couple of years ago, I ran a 1/2 marathon – I’m not sure I want to do that again, but the thought briefly flittered through my mind yesterday. Running any distance over 6 miles, however, is such a big commitment.
Have a great weekend,
~Cynthia
I’m still standing!

I finally downloaded the photographs that my husband took of me finishing the 1/2 marathon in Denver on Sunday. Suffice it to say that I decided to share the one of me enjoying my victory beer, instead of the ones of me running up to and crossing the finish line. Those aren’t so pretty. My only complaint…Denver has so many fabulous micro breweries in town and we were served Michelob Ultra Light. Michelob was, however, a sponsor of the race, so I guess that gives them that exclusive right.
My favorite moment was when my daughter remarked, “Mom, you finished before an elite runner!” I have to give you the backstory though. I finished the half marathon in the same time as the elite runner (I think he came in second overall) finished running the full marathon! I guess it doesn’t hurt to let her think that I’m super woman! LOL! He was going twice as fast as I was and covered twice the distance!
Local Colorado runner Alan Culpepper came in first in the half and finished in 1:04 and some change. That is less than 5 minutes/mile! It was so cool to see the elites in action. They lapped us 59 minutes into the race with about 1 mile left till the finish. To put it in perspective, I finished in 2:37…about 12 minutes/mile! SLOWWWW, but steady! Anyway, I finished and I am proud of that!

In the meantime, I finished another mini quilted aceo. The inspiration for this one came from a photograph I took this past spring of a yellow and purple pansy. I used the pansy as a template and created a fabric collage, with embroidery floss and beads.
I received some potentially exciting news about my mini art quilted aceos. I will let you know more if the opportunity is cemented!
Today’s the big day!

Just a quick post here before I get ready…today, I am running in the inaugural Denver Marathon! There are 3 events, the full marathon 26.2 miles, the 1/2 marathon which is 13.1 miles and a marathon relay which is the full marathon divided into 4ths. I am running the 1/2 marathon. I’m pretty excited and nervous at the same time and have dreamt about it now for 2 nights straight. Friday night I dreamed that I was running in slow motion and eventually started crawling and just could not make progress. Last night, I dreamed that I was getting dressed all night long (that’s what it felt like) and I couldn’t find anything…finally missing the starting gun.
I’ve been awake now way before my alarm went off and know I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be. Wish me luck…I’ll post a photo tomorrow provided my husband gets a good one of me crossing the finish line. If it looks like I’m death warmed over, I’ll probably just post to say I made it and am still alive!
On another note, this mini star gazer lily quilted aceo was finished on Friday. I used a painting of a lily that I finished this past summer as a template for the flower.
Must get ready now…Have a good Sunday and wish me luck!





