It's a Mother of a Day

I will spare you photos of the gory head wound that I started off Mother's Day weekend with (courtesy of the new bike rack on my trunk) - did you know that the best way to clear a path through a grocery store parking lot is to walk around with a gushing head wound? It looked like something from the black knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail. And the whole time, the song It's Going Down in the Whole Foods Parking Lot is running through my head...

The head wound combined with a nasty case of poison oak (which on me tends to look more like a bad chemical burn than a mere itchy rash) conspired to keep me from my usual Mother's Day swim, which kicks off my open water season. But Asa and I did a Mother-Daughter 5k Run together. It was her first 5k, so a big PR for her on the course! And the run was set up as a way to empower girls and women in sports, and was also a memorial to Jane Higdon, a local amazing triathlete and friend who was killed 6 years ago on her bike at the age of 47. So many people there were friends of Jane, or were touched by her drive, enthusiasm, and energy. Her memory is as powerful as the woman herself was when she was with us.

When I look at this photo of Asa running, it looks so much like me it's scary. When I look at her face, I see my hubby, but everything about her body and the way she moves and carries herself is like mini-me. On the course, she discovered that 5k is a long way to run for a 12 year old, and she had to dig deep to finish it. We had a good conversation about what it means to hang in there when the going gets tough. One of the best gifts we can give our kids is the ability to persevere, and running teaches that skill and allows us to learn that when we feel like giving up we can always go further. Or as I told her "You're much stronger than you think you are" and she was! She out-sprinted me at the finish with a big burst of energy and a smile. Next up on her docket is a kid's triathlon this summer!

For me, Mother's Day is not tied to flowers, gifts, chocolate, or brunch. It's a day to be grateful for the amazing lives that I brought into this world, for my body which held and nourished them, and for the gifts that we give each other on a daily basis. I can think of no one else I would rather spend a day with than my kids. Even my son, as crazy as he can be (who else would model a Greek helmet and a Roman sword, while wearing a Hawaiin shirt??)