A love note of sorts

It was well after dark on a Saturday night. Jon and I had just finished watching a Redbox movie. It was late, but not for a Saturday. We could have put on another movie, found something on TV, or, as we do many week nights, get our respective books and read for awhile. Instead, though, being that it was a rather warm January night, we decided to take a walk.

I refilled my wine glass and out we went. The Jackamo dog came along as usual and just after crossing the Grammo Bridge we heard a loud yowl. Jon flipped on the flashlight (walking with it off, he has taught me, is a much better way to enjoy a night walk), and the gray and white Randy cat was trotting up behind us asking us to wait for him. So we did.
It was a simple walk down Blue Bank Lane to Greystone and back. It was far too cloudy to see the stars--although a few were peeking through by the end of the walk. The rushing streams and creeks added a level of serenity to the night’s air. The dark of night has its own way of allowing you to see more--so much not visible by the light of day.

I sipped on my wine, holding my love’s hand, walking in the moonlight and talking of our Clan Valley dreams. 


I have a very special life. Most of what makes it so special is my husband.

I think it’s clear that I love my Mingus in the fact that I married him, but I have never spelled out many of the reasons that make him so dear to me..and why I have come to calling him “My Wonderful.”
 
Perhaps we do not have a dream house of our own (and even when we do build, it may not be ALL that we have dreamed up in our sketches), but right now we have a spacey, homey loft apartment--big enough to host friends and family to gather. Even better is that we are only a trip down the stairs to visit our dear Grammo. Not only does my Mingus go above and beyond to help Grammo with day-to-day needs (like filling her humidifier, emptying compost, burning trash, and putting her to bed), but there are some weekend mornings when he wakes before me and I find him downstairs. Not only does he help Grammo get rolling into her Saturday, but after sitting her down for breakfast, he stays and visits. I find the two of them down there laughing and carrying on. The same has happened on evenings when I get out of the shower and I find him having left the TV and wandered down for a Grammo visit instead. He does not just care for Grammo because “it’s the right thing to do,” but he thoroughly enjoys her and all her Grammo ways. 


Maybe a dream house of our own one day, but I’m so blessed to be living here now to not only get extra time for myself with Grammo, but that Jon is getting the chance to know Grammo in the special way I know and love her.

Perhaps I made my Mingus move away from his family so that I could be close to mine, but lucky for me he loves the life we are pursuing together. He loves Clan Valley as much as I do. He loves the countless possibilities it holds for him and our future together. From the care of bunnies, bees and the garden, to simply walking the game trails and knobs, he finds more and more to love about Clan Valley on a daily basis. (He also finds more and more potential in projects he would love to take on!) He loves each and every one of of my family members. If anything he wishes (like me) he could get more of them down to the Valley more often to enjoy this treasure God gave our family. He loves the open arms the Clan so readily gives to all and any, and the strength and importance of our faith. 

Perhaps we do not live very close to... well, anything... (friends, sporting events, bars, theaters, nice restaurants), but it leaves us to each other. Our schedules revolve highly around one another’s and we find pleasure in the simple ways we spend our time together. It leaves me with no doubt of his love for me when he is perfectly content to be here, stuck with me, re-watching the same movies together, tagging along to sporting events I’m covering for the paper, and cooking dinner together. 

Perhaps we could be living in Louisville, closer to lots of friends, with lots of things to do (and often) and have numerous options for career paths, but what I love most about My Wonderful is that we are both in love with the treasure trove of possibilities that Clan Valley holds for our secluded life and we are both okay with accepting the simplicity that must come with life here.
 
We finished our walk sitting in the beautiful, not nearly utilized enough, Blue Bank gazebo. Yes, perhaps things could be very different, but I count my blessings that they are not. I have no doubt God has curve balls ahead for the two of us, and I wouldn’t expect anything less, but in the quiet, still, peace that winter brings, I thank God I am exactly where I am: surrounded by love. 

My prayer is that we, and all of our family and friends, can continue pursuing God’s plan for us--not the plan for ourselves--so that I can always be this happy.

Purple: The Color of JOY

Thanks to a friend's recent post I found a new blog: Lil Blue Boo. Along with having a very inspirational story and great blog, she also sells extremely cute children's clothing and patterns to make your own. 

With many struggles in her life, including cancer and chemo, this individual has made a decision to "Choose Joy" in her daily life rather than dwell on the negatives. It seems like such a simple and logical decision but one so many of us pass up from one day to the next if that particular day isn't spectacular, let alone if something unfortunate happens.

She's selling "Choose Joy" bracelets in her store in packs of 20 at a non-profit cost. Not only do I love the message and do I feel that it fits the example I try to set out of my life, but they are purple.... Enough said? 

Photo from Lil Blue Boo

Please be in touch if you'd like one of my 20. As much as I love purple, I only intend to wear one, meaning I'll have some extras. Comment or hit me up by other means and I'll share the wealth!

Rite of Passage - Shaving my Head from Ashley Hackshaw on Vimeo.

The Healing Powers of Running

I suppose the title should actually say, "The Healing Powers of Whatever Type of Physical Activity You Enjoy Most" but that just doesn't have the same ring to it. Besides, although I am very biased towards running, being that it is my passion, I believe running itself does have a special ability.

I have been running for 12 years now. I have considered myself a true runner for probably ten of those years, starting when I began to run on my own outside of track season. This began the fall of my freshman year of highschool when I'd head to the track after school to do a solo workout of some sort. These workouts eventually inspired me to write a short piece I entitled, "These Eight Lanes" my sophomore year. I'll find a copy of it later and make a post out of it, but the bottom line of this short writing was that the track and the running I did there had become my sanctuary. My getaway. A place for me and only me. A place of clear-headed thinking and peace. The football team practiced on the field at this time, but somehow, even with them there, I felt in my own world.

I was going through a lot of internal struggle during that time in my life. (Come on... I was a 16-year-old sophomore in high school. Who isn't dealing with a lot of self-growth?) The best part of my day was when classes were over and I got away from studying, friends, gossip, drama, activities, sports and I had life to myself for an hour or so. The football players often times called me crazy but I told them it was relaxing for me. No doubt they thought that was nothing but crazy talk.

As I've grown older and been exposed to so many more runners and more running in general I now know that the relaxation I found down on the track years ago is a relaxation that so many of us can find through running. The older I get (and as I slowly become removed from the essence of running with a formal team) I am coming t know more and more people who run simply for themselves. Some are former high school or collegiate runners who can't give it up. Some are simply former athletes who still need that physical activity and fitness. However, many are people who were never runners. Maybe they weren't even athletes. But somewhere along the line, in defining their own life and the person they are, they have picked up running and I can help but see a trend of it happening to so many people at a time in their lives when they needed something new, rejuvinating and stable in life.

Running was the answer. Running continues to be the answer.

It gives you a sense of accomplishment. No matter how you felt before your run, no doubt you feel better afterwards. Even on the days when the run itself feels pretty crappy, you can feel renewed. Your head is cleared. It's just you and the path ahead of you. In the simplest terms I can find to describe what I find on my runs: it's a spiritual therapy.