Sabotage in the Form of a Little Girl In Pink Fleece Footed Jammies

The husband and I were so prepared for the week ahead when we fell into bed last night, it was almost comical.  I’m talking prepared to the point where not only were all the meal plans, groceries, backpacks prepared . . . I may or may not have even had a spreadsheet outlining our to-dos for the week up and running on the laptop.  In fairness, this week is jam packed for us.  And come Sunday, we’re hosting our favourite dinner of the year; our annual family Thanksgiving dinner which this year we’ll see 10 adults and 6 kids seated around our table (I can’t wait!!!!)

I was so ready for this week, and feeling so confident in my ability to get all my to-do’s done during the time the kids are at school, that I opted not to get up with the Husband at 4:30 and instead enjoy a little extra quiet resting / reading time.

But at 5:00, the first call came: “Mommy . . .I’m a wake up now”.  Ahhhhh.  The little one.  Ok, I thought, she did nap on the way out to Oakville yesterday afternoon.  And she did fall asleep in the car on the way home.  Not surprising she’s up early.  I went into her room to let her know it was ok to read quietly to herself and to give her a quick peck on the forehead.  And that’s when I knew.

She was roasting.  I tried to rationalize it; she wore fleece footed jammies to bed, she’s just hot; she had an extra blanket on her bed last night, she’s just hot; she was surrounded by 1,001 stuffed animals last night, she’s just hot.  But deep down, I knew what the thermometer was going to confirm.  Fever.  Of 102.

And just like that, my plans for the day were unceremoniously chucked out the window.

As I settled her on the couch, put the tv on for her and set about trying to re-orgnaize my day, the Husband came back from the gym.  “Go” he said.  I looked confused.  “Go to the gym or go for a run.  JUST GO”.

So I did.  I threw on some gear and set out for a quick run.  Perhaps I was influenced by the FroIVning movie we watched last night; perhaps I was taking out some frustration for the fact that my day wasn’t going to go according to plan; perhaps I just wanted to beat myself up.  Regardless of the reason, I decided to do our 5k route that includes the Yonge St. hill – if you live in Toronto, you likely know the hill I’m talking about; it’s the one that runs south from the Shell station at York Mills up to the Loblaws at Yonge Blvd.

4 years ago, I walked this hill.  I walked it, hoping to get “stronger” for the surgery that awaited me.  Those walks winded me.  Especially if I walked it while pushing the little one in the stroller. But today, I RAN it.  Really RAN up that hill.  I’ve done this route before.  But I’ve never run up it like I did today.

Ok, so I will admit, just as I was about to begin my ascent, the Beastie Boys song Sabotage came on.  For those of you that have ever worked out with me, you know that a good Beastie Boys song will get me going EVERY time.  Perfect, I thought, just the fuel I need to get me up this hill . . . I ran along, singing along, when I started to actually listen to some of the words:

“I can’t stand it, I know you planned it”

So, where am I going with all of this???  Well, for one, when I started walking that hill 4 years ago, trying to get “strong”, little did I know just how strong I would get.  While the whole tumour experience wasn’t the most fun thing I’ve ever gone through, I am at a point in my life where I can honestly say that it has unequivocally made me a better, happier, stronger human than I might have been without having experienced that part of my life.  Yeah, my life was sabotaged 4 years ago.  The life we had planned out was turned on it’s head and we were sent down a different, but it’s proving to be an infinitely better path . . .

And then there’s today today where my plans for the day were sabotaged . . . in the BEST way possible.  I may be missing out on an awesome workout with some new friends at an amazing new gym.  But, I have the next 7 hours stretched out ahead of me, with nothing to do but snuggle with my little one.

Thanks universe for taking a “stand” against my “plans” today.

Oh . . . and don’t worry . . . the little one and I won’t actually spend the next 7 hours on the couch snuggling . . . we have LOTS of really important things to do . . . like internet shop (Gymboree has everything on sale or $16.99 and under), do a few crafts . . . and try out a few new recipes.