Thoughts on a Wednesday

Yesterday, I went to volunteer with Junior League.  It was installment 1 of our Life Skills class at the community center in a very poor area of town.  We were getting to meet the girls for the 1st time.  There would be 8-12 of them ranging in age from 10-13, we were told.  We had 8 girls from 10-13.  And they were wonderful.  Our first class was a little disorganized more because we wanted to be laid back and not preachy and give them a chance to get to know us a little bit.  We gave them information about nutrition and talked and ate.  One girl in particular made me laugh.  She kept everyone on track and was as smart as a whip.  One of the League members rubbed me the wrong way before it started.  She said that we should expect that these girls may have failed a grade at least once or twice.  At first I thought she had some inside scoop that we didn't have, and then as the evening progressed I realized she made an awful assumption because these girls are poor and don't necessarily have the same opportunities in life as other children might have.  The thing I noticed most was that these girls, living in a very poor part of town where drugs are rampant (and they know what crack pipes and the smell of marijuana are by 2nd grade, per the center's director), was that they were just girls and they were quick to pick up on things around them.  They told us where they went to school, who they were related to in the room, that they liked pink and girlie things and hated having to watch football with their brothers.  I was thrilled when a few of them asked us would we be back and when.  It was almost like a secret code that they wanted us to come back, but they'd been let down by groups before so they knew not to expect.  I know I can't wait to go back and get to know them more.

When I got home, I unlocked the front door and looked through the glass.  And what to my wondering eyes did appear? But two miniature girls running in a circle in our living room as fast as they could yelling happily and completely stark naked.  I walked in and asked what's going on girls, to which they replied "We're running FAST and we're NAKED!"  But why?  "We wanted to take off our clothes!" (What a silly Mommy.)  I asked where Daddy was and he appeared with this look on his face that seemed to say "They're crazy.  Thank goodness you're home."  It was one of the funniest sights I've seen in a bit.

Ladybug improved her behavior for most of the day yesterday and then blew it at the end of the day and ended up in the director's office because she was giving one of the teachers such a hard time.  We've implemented :new rules".  Pick up after yourself.  Listen.  If you don't do as told, you get counted - 1, 2,3 timeout.  If you are a good listener all day at school and are nice to your friends - according to your teacher, you get a red token. If you do not, you get a time out.  6 red tokens and we'll have a pajama party with movies and chocolate pudding.  We'll see how it goes.

Tonight is a track workout and it's windy... so it should be interesting.  It will be better than the 782 pieces of legislation I had to weed through today. (Thanks Florida for taking all your pre-filed bills that were already on record and already assigned to committees and introducing them and re-assigning them to the same committees because yesterday was your 1st day of the official session.)  But at least the peanut board legislation from Virginia appeared at the end of my search.  I have no need for it in what I do, but I still can't help but envision the Planter's Peanuts guy up there with other nut like men talking about growth and peanuts.

Tomorrow is a yoga day. It literally says on my schedule to do a 30 minute yoga video since this is a taper week.  I may do the bike I missed yesterday if the weather's nice and do a yoga video.  I won't be at Saturday's practice to do bike hill repeats because of the girls' Princess run.  So I'm strongly thinking about it.  I'd do it easy like I was supposed to - 15 miles easy in HR zone 2.  Friday is a 3 mile easy run in zones 1&2. Saturday is without workouts in preparation for the 1/2 marathon on Sunday.  It's tempting, I will say that.  But I'll have to ponder it since I'm off to track practice.