What a week! It was a draining couple of days for sure. There was so much going on, it was difficult to process it all. The events that unfolded in Washington DC – literally down the street from where I used to work. Woke up Tuesday morning feeling like I had been hit by a bus, and thought: “This is it. I finally have COVID.” The test came back negative, but man I was knocked on my butt that day. And, we had New Student Orientation this week, so lots of work went into preparing for that. Not to mention I about worked myself into cardiac arrest because I was so nervous about giving my presentation – I’ll get better, I promise! BUT I don’t want to talk about any of that. Instead, I want to talk about the weather.

Yes, you heard me right. I want to talk about the weather. Why? Because we’ve had some unusually warm days this week, especially for January. What’s usually the coldest month of the year, has actually turned into being quite mild so far (knock on wood). And you better believe I took advantage of it. Wednesday evening, I went to run club and ran in just a long sleeve shirt. I can’t even begin to explain how good that felt. It always feels so good to lose the layers and not freeze our butts off.

One of the gals I was running with told me she weighed herself without all her running layers on, and then again with them on. She said all those layers added up to an additional four pounds. FOUR POUNDS! That may not seem like a lot, but believe me, every ounce makes a difference. I’m not kidding when I say it feels so freeing to run without a coat, hats and mittens. It was wonderful, and it made that run so much more enjoyable.

I was feeling lazy and tired Thursday morning, so I decided to run in the afternoon instead of getting up to run at 5:15. I’m actually kind of glad I did, because it was a beautiful running day once again! It felt so good to get out there, enjoy the weather and run off the stress of the day. I even went on two walks that evening as well, taking Carter for one, and Dobby for another. It was so nice outside, I couldn’t not get out and enjoy it. Who knows how long it will be until those frigid temps are back? Enjoy it while it lasts!

I would so much rather be outside, taking my mind off of everything going on around me, then cooped up inside, where I’d constantly be tempted to check social media and fall down that rabbit hole filled with bad news. Outside, I’m not tempted to sit and scroll through my phone. Instead, I take in the scenes around me, and I’m able to just think. Think about anything and everything. And it’s so much more enjoyable when I’m not thinking about how cold I am while I’m doing it!!

That’s why I wanted to talk about the weather. Because it was my saving grace this week. It allowed me to get out and unwind, release my stress, and not have to worry about losing any fingers or toes to frostbite in the process. Looking ahead, it looks like we are going to be having a nice couple of days coming up. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of it! A lot of trails around town are cleared of snow, and even the ones that aren’t, a lot of the snow has melted or will melt in the coming days. Get out there and enjoy it! I bring my phone with me in case of emergencies, but otherwise I ignore it. I tune out the world and enjoy the quiet. I think if you take the time to do the same, you won’t regret it!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger