Reclaiming My Life

This evening I got an unexpected update via my Mom about the whereabouts of a good high school friend. We haven't made contact in years, so it was fun to discover that we've lead somewhat parallel lives. For example:

He is married, so am I.
He went on to pursue an advanced degree, as did I.
He has four kids, we have three (notable, since he's neither LDS nor Catholic.)
His eldest is attending a Spanish kindergarten, as is ours.
His wife is primarily a stay-at-home-Mom, just like myself.
In the evenings, his wife works as the editor of a well-known science magazine.

And me? I run the PTA Mileage Club.

For the past month, this volunteer commitment has monopolized my life, commandeered my spare time, sapped my energy, and infiltrated my dreams. It has robbed my children of their naptimes, playtimes, and storytimes. And don't even ask about the state of my house...

But enough is enough. At long last, I am reclaiming my life.

It's really not my intent to dis the PTA nor parental involvement at school. Both are valuable and important. In fact, I still believe that a Mileage Club is a splendid idea, increasing students' physical and emotional health by promoting movement and activity.

What I have learned, however, is to be much more scrutinizing before making commitments. When a volunteer was needed to take over the Mileage Club, it was so easy to jump in with an "I'll do it!" Little did I realize that it would require my physical presence at school every day, with two young children in tow. I should have paid attention to the fact that Mileage Club overlaps with both lunchtime and naptime, leaving aforementioned children particularly hungry and tired. I should have noted that Mileage Club requires recruiting lots of extra help--a job that's tough to accomplish when you 1) absolutely hate asking for favors and 2) don't know anyone in the area. Heck, I should have noticed that Mileage Club doesn't even involve kindergartners, meaning that despite the many hours spent at school, my own daughter felt quite forgotten and neglected.

Don't get me wrong. I still long to volunteer in meaningful ways. I just hope to be more discerning about the ways in which I commit my limited time, talents, and resources. There's a season for everything; in retrospect, this probably wasn't the best time to run a Mileage Club.

Fortunately, Mileage Club is now officially over, and I am officially reclaiming my life. After a difficult past month, I feel the need to trigger my physical and emotional "restart" button. What better way to accomplish this than by clocking some miles of my own?

So, despite an alarming lack of training and a profound absence of good judgment, I've decided to run the Snow Canyon Half Marathon on Saturday. Fortunately, the course is all downhill, the scenery should be breathtaking, and my hubby will be running with me. I'm hoping these positive factors will somehow compensate for my inactivity over the past three weeks.

At the very least, this Half Marathon will represent a new beginning. I'm looking forward to a fresh start (and a life where I am defined by more than a PTA Mileage Club.)

To remember the positive, however, here are some photos of Dixie Sun Elementary's Mileage Club Finale. As a school, we originally hoped to walk enough miles to stretch from St. George to the Statue of Liberty. In the end, we fell short of Manhattan, New York but had plenty of miles to reach Manhattan, Kansas.

I never dreamed I'd catch my daughter's principal wearing our shower curtain...

An honorary lap around the track with Liberty himself.

I was very impressed by Mr. Porter's great attitude, seizing the opportunity to teach about freedom right before election day.

For those coming to America, that first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty symbolized hope, opportunity and a fresh start. Here's to new beginnings!