Why Does It Have to Be So hard?

Lately, I feel like I'm spending a lot of time trying to play catch up and just wondering when everything is going to slow down a bit.  The beginning of the school year is always a bit overwhelming, but I generally find my groove and things slow down. This year, that hasn't happened yet and I honestly can't figure out when or IF it's actually going to happen.

At home, I'm nearly 8 months into living in the upstairs of my garage, where I can literally reach the refrigerator from my bed, and the only way to leave "the room" is to go in the bathroom close the door. 

Last week when I went to put on a pair of boots that I hadn't worn since last spring, this is what I found...

That, my friends, is dog food.  And, I can assure you that it was not placed there by my dog, but rather a smart little mouse that's preparing for winter. 

I'm on day number 6 of my husband being out of town, and on morning number one of that, I was awoken at 4:15 AM to the sound of my dog vomiting. Thank goodness she was right next to me in my tiny space so I could jump out of bed and rush her downstairs and outside! (Insert sarcasm.) Seriously though, single momming is hard. 

In my running life, I have managed to run two times since the marathon. I decided I wasn't going to run until I actually missed it. Well, that finally happened! And I'm retraining myself to recognize that when I am exhausted and stressed out, the best way for me to deal with that is to go for a run.

Last week, my little sister finally received her confirmation email that she was accepted into the Boston Marathon!!! Woot! Woot! I am SO SO SO happy for her!

Since my decision to apply to some charities and try and earn an entry into the 2017 Boston Marathon as a charity runner, I have learned that that task is extremely difficult. Thousands and thousands of runners apply, and thousands are turned down. The one person I know that has run for charity was one of only seven people chosen for her charity and there were more than 600 applicants. She was accepted after having to do three phone interviews and had to raise over $10,000.

It has been over two weeks since I put in my application to run for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and I haven't heard anything back yet. Not a peep. 

2016 has definitely been my year to learn patience and to roll with the punches. 

This is my life.

And really, it's pretty great. I can whine and complain about it, but what good is that? There are plenty of people out there being negative, and I have decided that's not how I want to be.

For October, I decided to make myself a little challenge to turn the month into "Act-ober" and do at least one random act of kindness every day. It's only day 3, but so far I have found things to do each day that have brought a bit of happiness to others, and of course, made me smile too.  

Life is hard people. But it can be a little bit easier if we take less time to focus on our own problems and more time to think about how we can make life a little better for those around us.

Sparkle.Pounce.Spread the Love.

-Kendra