Community Run

Set the alarm for 4 a.m. this Saturday morning, but awoke at 3:01, ready to get myself washed, dressed, fed, and out the door at 5:30 to drive to the 8th Annual Jurupa Valley Community Run, the first 5K I’ve participated in this year, and the first time I've heard of this event.

Not that I haven’t wanted to get back into the swing of things (participate in other 5Ks this year) but because it’s the first one to come to my attention that didn’t involve an overnight hotel stay. Jurupa Valley is a drivable distance from the complex.

Mother’s Day being tomorrow, you’d think this event would be so themed. But no. Instead, the race organizers requested participants dress patriotically ─ “This year we are hosting a Patriotic Run ... join us in wearing Red, White, or Blue on Race Day”.

So, they kinda sorta skipped celebrating moms and went straight to Memorial Day, but okay.

I pulled from storage the patriotic leggings I made s few years back for a 4th of July 5K in Long Beach.

Twin 2 was going to wear the patriotic tutu I'd put together some years back but, at the last minute, lucked up on cute patriotic leggings 50% off at J.C. Penney.

Last time I did a 5K with Twin 2 (November 2017), I had to hustle to keep up with her. This time it was “Ma! You walk really fast”. She had to hustle to keep up with me.

I’d planned to run part of the race but, when my knees realized what my head was planning, they started acting up. So, I decided not to risk an injury and just fast walked at a nice clip.

The Pain Cave training paid off. My official finish time improved from 1:04:20 to 00:56:43, placing me at 179 out of 193, second in my age group ─ but hold the applause please, there were only three of us over 70 years of age, so I finished middle of the old folks pack, but passed fourteen in other age groups … younger.

After the 5K, I was treated to a much needed Mother’s Day mani/pedi.

Twin 1 opted to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend distributing food and roses to the homeless women of skid row/Los Angeles this morning.

If I hear from her tomorrow, whether a telephone call or a text message, it will be a miracle.

Last time I received a Mother’s Day acknowledgment from Twin 1 was some 10/12 years ago, when she invited me to drive down to Long Beach, spend the day with her, go to dinner, and she stiffed me with the bill. 

Instead of she taking me to dinner, I ended up taking her.

So, I will be stunned to get any sort of acknowledgment from Twin 1 this weekend, because that’s just the way she is. Everything is about her ─ it was so in the past and, even though she extends herself in serving the homeless, everything still is about her.

Twin 1’s service to others is a subconscious clearing of her Akashic record ─ atonement for past events, and I applaud her for that. However, what she does for others also fills the need she has for love, attention, approval ─ love, attention, approval she recently indicated I don’t give her enough of.

I ask you ... do they ever grow up?

So, anyway, today was my Mother's Day. Tomorrow I sleep late.

Happy Mother's Day! … tomorrow.