back to first grade when theory was life.

you are great
because you are you
don't let anyone trick you.
fight the deception and lies
everyone just wants to be loved
you can see it in their eyes
don't let the world bring you down
tower above, come on
don't hit the ground

seek life
seek love
seek a challenge
seek an adventure.

nice try, sue

ME: "hey Susan, give me a quote, I need some inspiration to live my life {aka do physics}"

SUSAN: [pauses to think a while]

"live your life as though the fungus on your toe was deadly"

ehhhh. I still don't want to do physics. 

thoughts on the marathon

excuse me for being a drama mama here but...this past sunday, I completed the biggest task of my whole life: a marathon. 

you read it right. 

a MARATHON. 

26.2 miles! WHOOOOHOOOOO

We [four best friends + me] trained so long for it I forgot how big of a deal it was. then it hits me every now and then like a ton of bricks and I just think.. "wow. I did it, I ran a marathon" and that my friends, is absolutely invigorating.

This "ton of bricks" comes in waves throughout my day. for instance, I was about to take a world history test when my friend adele {fellow marathoner} turns to me and states that she is totally unprepared for this test and that she was for sure gonna fail it {she didn't}. I just looked at her and told her "don't worry about it. we ran a MARATHON". which is definitely so true. Well, for most cases. I could just see myself 10 years down the road saying,"I don't have a job...uh-oh..... hey, don't worry about it YOU RAN A MARATHON, KP!." 

I also think that running a marathon has connected us with our ancestors. Think about it. they had to walk EVERYWHERE. I bet 26.2 miles was nothing for them. running this marathon linked us with our ancient relatives in a very intimate way. like Jesus and the apostles traveling to spread the news of the gospel or visit the temple, or ancient Muslims making their pilgrimage to mecca on foot. 

it's a lost art that must be revived!

I've been told that upon my completion of the marathon, I was inducted into an elite group. I was also told that only 1% of the population actually completes a marathon in their lifetime. and to do that before my 18th birthday? I don't know where that puts me. I guess that's just an added bonus 

{then again, 85% of statistics are made up} 

still, I feel as though I've been inducted into a highly exclusive club

 at the cost of very sore hips, knees, and feet..

but it was totally worth it.

words cannot describe how fun the marathon was. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every second of it. I loved the atmosphere, I loved that our families and friends were there to support us, I loved going to the expo, I loved all the free stuff at the expo, I loved that it was in New Orleans, I loved the carb load the day before at Venezian's, I loved the bands we would hear every mile or so, I loved running it with my best friends, I loved the "I'm on top of the world" feeling when we finished, I loved that I had a pack of friends to run the whole thing with (and train with), I loved that some of our teachers ran it too, I loved meeting all those different people that were just as crazy about marathons as us, I love shot blocks and cute running apparel, and I love that we had the determination and motivation to actually go through with it. did ya hear? I love marathons.

the best part of the marathon was miles 20-26. those were the best. I don't know why exactly but that's when my inner Kenyan came out and I truly had a blast. We picked up the pace a tiny tad and started passing people! It was also during those miles where we were worn down the most and just at the very core of our existence. There was nothing left. just us, God, and the road. I felt cleansed.

once again, absolutely invigorating.

I'm ready for the next one. I actually would do it right now if I wasn't so darn sore.

yep. We're crazy. 

ellie showed me this vid. figured you'd enjoy it.

 

26.2

http://mardi-gras.competitor.com/

and today dear readers, I am pulling the plug.

{as shown by this previous post} I find myself over-stimulated and over-stuffed. I feel like I have too much distraction. So I've decided to retreat into nature like Henry David Thoreau...kind of. Actually, not really. I am just trying to get on facebook less, blog only when I feel really inspired to do so, and not listen to music in my car. In fact, the not listening to music in my car has seemed to work. I have been so much more creative these past few days because the silence gives me time to clear my head and really think. 

“	I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.	”
	— Henry David Thoreau, Walden, "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For"  and after going on the march for life, [awesome experience--if you ever have the chance to, GO!] I've realized that I need to give a better effort to my dwindling prayer life. So I've decided to keep a prayer journal in which I state a quote, reflect upon the day, state my prayer intentions, and then end by reflecting on the things that I'm thankful for. I'm trying to dedicate my self and be focused on a time of self improvement. We'll see how this goes. {and how long it lasts.} and since I'm probably boring yall, here's pictures from the march! and I just want to throw in there... I LOVE DC