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Well...luckily, I do not have a torn meniscus (the good news). I just have really bad knees (otherwise known as old, bad and kinda boring news).

Let's not dwell on all that nonsense.

I am still so grateful that I added biking and swimming to my workout routine several years ago. They are keeping me sane - as is my return to the classroom.  Teaching first grade again is a unique combination of exhaustion  and energy - and even better than I remembered. Plain and simple, I love teaching again. Maybe it's because I'm older, but I am more conscious than ever that each of my students is a little bundle of potentiality in this world. My job is to (obviously) teach them the curriculum - but also instill in them the joy I feel in walking through our classroom doors. Pretty powerful stuff in my book.

I am finally at a point where I'm no longer sad about not being able to run as much as I'd like. It sure took awhile, but I'm (back) at a happy place. I may have underestimated how depressing two knee surgeries combined with a so-so prognosis can be. But I've worked though all that silliness.

This morning, I had flashbacks to training for Ironman Florida. (After all, IMFL is taking place right now). Sometimes, I wish I could go back in a time machine (a la "Lost") to experience certain moments of that day. There is nothing quite like your first Ironman race (or so they say - whoever "they" are). More importantly, today had flashbacks to how happy I felt training for that race.

In a sense, I'm home again.

Thank goodness.