Running in Place(s) 1

I had it all planned out.  Last week as I packed my bags to head out on vacation, I made sure to pack three sets of running clothes, including both trail and road shoes.  (I found out 3/4 of the way through the trip that I didn't pack enough underwear, but that's a tale for a different time)  We were going to spend 4 days in Portland, 4 in the Columbia Gorge, and 4 in Seattle. Hank and John Green's Youtube channel Vlogbrothers is a source of inspiration for me, so I had immediately thought of their series of "Thoughts From Places" where they (usually John) post videos during their travels and what those travels make them think about.  I thought "well, I can run in each place, post pictures, and whatever thoughts that location engenders.  Sounds like the best idea ever!"  That was the plan, anyway.  But then, there's that saying "Man plans and God laughs."  So, here we go.
I got one run in on the trip.  After driving between our hotel and downtown Portland several times, I noticed that there was a picturesque view roughly two miles from the hotel.  Why not run to that spot and take that picture?  So, I did.

I also took this one with my stupid finger in the way.

The hotel was along a busy road but I wanted to capture some of the things that I forgot that I missed after living in Texas for 10 years.

Namely, green and shade

I didn't miss the hills though.  One of the first things that Mila and I noticed was all the green around the city.  And the friendly people, typified by the drivers.  We noted later that we didn't run into a single rude person while there.  A couple crazies, but no one was rude. 

The run itself, was pretty good.  There were two large hills to present a challenge.  While the road was busy, there was a bike lane most of the way and a wide shoulder where there was no bike lane.

I stepped off to let a bike go by and found a
trail to run on

I found a really cool coffee shop while running, we went there the next couple days, and I even brought home a pound of coffee.  The owner roasts their coffee beans and became a bit of our quirky guide to Portland.

Yes, the Spunky Monkey coffee shop

The reason I only ran once is my own clumsiness.  Anyone that's seen me run or even walk notices that I nearly run on the outside edge of my foot.  And I almost always fall down.  Any little lip or unevenness of the ground can catch my foot and send me tumbling.  Due to years of martial arts, I'm usually good at rolling and popping back up without a problem.  Usually

This time I didn't.  I stepped on something, rolled my right ankle, and went straight down.  Hard.

Luckily, I'd already gotten my picturesque picture and was on my way back to the hotel.  I walked for a bit, testing my knee out.  Surprisingly, my phone hadn't been smashed, so I could call Mila to get me if need be.  I ended up jogging most of the way back.  My knee would stiffen up if I waited too long at a stop light but wasn't too bad while running.  Even the last hill (way more intimidating looking in real life than this picture) wasn't awful.

That hill, up there

The problem was that my knee swelled up over night.  The next day we went white water rafting ,some of the most fun I've ever had, but my knee was killing me with every move we made.  

That water was 43 degrees!

So, that's why this was just "running in place" instead of "runs from places" like I had originally intended.  It's been about a week and I still haven't run.  The swelling's gone down and the pain lessened, but it's still there.  I'm thinking of running a couple miles tomorrow before catching a flight.  Yes, next week's post might be Running in Place(s) 2.

But that's only half the story, right?  If I'm truly inspired by Hank and John, then what thoughts were provoked by this trip?  I think a lot of them were written down in my post Goodbye.  We went to the Columbia Gorge to celebrate our family reunion.  We started planning in early 2017 to both get together as a family for the first time in a few years (most, but not all, of us got together in 2012) and to celebrate Grandma's 90th birthday.  When I say "we," I mean that many of my aunts and uncles did the leg work and I just wrote things like "wow, that sounds cool!"

My mom was the 6th child of 11.  Let that sink in for a minute.  I've got 10 aunts and uncles plus their spouses, kids, and now grandkids.  The oldest of the generation behind me is actually sitting behind me on that raft.  Izzy is either 15 or about to be.  

in order - Bill, Jim, Tim, Sue, Tom, Brian, Mary (represented by me), Mike, Mark, Annie, David
 (photo credit: Mila Boyce)

The lesson I took away from this time spent with family isn't all that different.  It's just an added layer to lessons already learned.  The lesson I picked up was "love, always and no matter what"  I'm sure that there is negative of family history that I am not privy to.  Which family doesn't have their share of that?  However, there's no evidence, anywhere.  New to the family?  Haven't seen family members in years?  Suddenly a teenager and are expected to know names?  Don't worry, Uncle Mike will walk you around and introduce you to everyone.  Be prepared to hug.  Everyone.  Repeatedly.  Luckily, Mila comes from a hugging culture, so it's not a hard transition for her. 

various family members catching up (Photo credit: Sharna Ekdahl)

 I was telling my brothers that I'd like them to come with me one of these days as they'd get along so well.  Then I realized, that anyone would.  Everyone is accepted and greeted warmly the moment that they show up.

The "VOMIT" shirt (Photo credit: Sharna Ekdahl)

 

Uncle Mark and Steph announcing the shirts

showing off her VOMIT shirt (Photo credit: Sharna Ekdahl)

Something else you often see at these types of events is family drama.  There is a distinct lack of that going around. No petty squabbles or "I'm not talking to THAT person!"  Just. Love. Always and no matter what.  Everyone is happy to see each other.  I have some theories as to why, but I think it goes back most of all to their parents.  As I wrote last time, even before everyone moved all over the country, before they lost my mom, the family showed my dad a different way to love.  Not necessarily better or worse, different.  The distance between them and time between seeing each other would also seem to be a factor.  When you only see each other every couple years, there's no time for nonsense.  

That's my thought from running in a place - Love, always, and no matter what.  Mila and I actually had a discussion about this with my Aunt Mitsue.  She pointed out that since we are so close to family members, it is easier to take them for granted.  Dealings with them are also much more personal and can have a greater affect on us emotionally.  This is exactly why we need to be careful and forgiving in dealings with family.  

Love, always, and no matter what.