Hey, friends! Let’s run together. Or we could do something more normal like FaceTime or whatever I guess. But I like moving, and I like doing it with other people, whatever form that takes. 

Community is so important. Despite the massive outpouring of support for our son and our family, this cancer time has been extremely isolating. I don’t like to be sad in front of people. I think it’s part of my people-pleasing tendencies. I don’t want to bring people down. So when I’m feeling down, my tendency is to stay away from people, which is the opposite of what I need. A good friend pointed this out to me years ago, that maybe when I’m feeling down is the EXACT time to be reaching out to people, rather than going radio silent. 

Still, it’s hard to go against that instinct. Being with people when I’m feeling big feelings feels vulnerable. I am not at all a private person, and I tend to actually say how I am when people ask “How are you?” Sometimes it’s just easier to stay away when I don’t want to talk about how things are going. 

Thank goodness it’s summer. In our amazing neighborhood, containing so many wonderful people, we have had a few cook-outs in the backyards, and I feel like myself again after talking and laughing with these folks. There was an unexpected benefit as well. I had to tell someone the whole story from the beginning the other day, something I haven’t had to do in weeks because I’ve been keeping to myself or only seeing people who already know, and telling them that he was going to be ok actually reassured me too. 

So that brings me back around to running together. If you like to run, or you like being around people, or maybe you just like me (I like you too), let’s run together, virtually or in person. I don’t know how. We’ll figure it out.