Around here, March usually earns its reputation for being a wild weather month. It was last March when dangerously high winds blew a sign off a building into the rear windshield of my car. The year before, we had snow days in March. In between, we usually get a few balmy spring fever days. As we gather for the March Ultimate Coffee Date, I hope your March weather is more lamb than lion. We will keep the link up open all weekend, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy our virtual get-together and catch up on what’s going on in each other’s lives.
Grab the html code for your coffee date post here:
Lion or Lamb?
If we were having coffee,I would tell you that I decided not to run the Reston 10 Miler on Sunday. š My PT officially diagnosed a sprained ankle (or maybe not officially if she can’t diagnose a medical condition but ….). and it still has some swelling. While I probably ^could^ push through 10 miles, it would set back a full recovery, and I care much more about my April races–the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run and the GW Parkway Classic.
So I guess March will be a lamb with no races, but a lion with lingering injuries.
If we were having coffee, I would ask if your brain has a hard time with grape flavored Nuun not being purple.Ā I’m sure the absence of dyes is a good thing, but I’m always surprised when something so yellow tastes so grape.
If we were having coffee, I would ask if you’ve read River Bodies by Karen Katchur? It was an Amazon First Read a few months ago, and even now is only $1.99 for the Kindle Edition.
(click through to Amazon)
I thought it was a pretty good suspense story, but I have to set the record straight on one thing: Patent attorneys, even patent litigators working for glamorous cosmetic moguls, do not use private jets to travel up and down the east coast. Or if they do, I need to switch law firms. š
If we were having coffee, I would try to make an awkward transition from light-hearted chit-chat to a serious topic.
Greeting cards to share with joy and sadness.Ā
Last week was a roller coaster of emotions at work. First, we celebrated as someone had their first child. Then, we were devastated as someone else lost their daughter to suicide. I’m being open about this because the family wants people to understand that depression and suicide can strike any person, in any family. While we all have a right to privacy, when we don’t talk about depression and mental illness, we leave others who are struggling feeling like they are alone.
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by textingĀ TALK to 741741.Ā If you want to help, consider supporting an Out of The Darkness walk near you, or make a donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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I am so sorry for your loss & always believe being open helps people, but yes, we have to also respect peopleās privacy.
March is most definitely coming in like a lamb. Itās just so hard to get out there. Speaking of which, iām really glad you are being wise about your injury. Live to run another day. Itās not easy though ā hugs! But maybe the weather makes it a little easier.
I recently had that discussion about the grape Nuun with Mr. Judy. He pointed out there are green grapes. Occasionally heās right. š
My dad was the head of patent attorneys at his IBM facility for decades. I assure you there were no private jets!
You know, that grape Nuun is about the color of green grapes.
I do committee work with someone who may be the current head of IBM patent stuff. #smallworld
I am so bummed about my ankle but I will get over it.
Well, my Dad has been retired for almost 30 years . . .
March is coming in like a frozen lamb. I’m so tired of winter! But I have a trip to Florida in 10 days and that will be such a nice treat.
Does anything grape flavored taste like grapes? When I describe medicine tastes to my little patients, I tell them grape tastes like grape candy…
I’m having to have that suicide talk with patients a little more often than I care to think about.
Good for you for broaching the topic. I’m sure it’s not easy, even in a professional setting.
As for grapes, I was so surprised when I first had Concord grapes that they tasted exactly like Welch’s grape juice!
March is definitely a wacky month when it comes to weather. I remember I was afraid that I would have bad weather for the Shamrock Marathon last year but it ended up being okay, thank goodness. Sounds like you made the right decision not to run the 10 miler this weekend, especially with the Cherry Blossom race coming up next month.
So sorry for the loss of your friend’s daughter. One of my friends lost her son to suicide last month and it’s just been devastating. We definitely need to talk about mental health more.
Oh, I am so sorry for your friend’s loss. And for her son.
oh, that’s so sad…so sorry for you and your friends on such a tragic loss. Suicide is a taboo subject, but it does need to be addressed because it’s a reality. Avoidance does not make it go away or make it any less tragic. And, total bummer on the ankle…hope it continues to heal.
Yes, my ankle is frustrating, but the rest puts it in perspective.
Have not talked about on my blog at all but my niece is really struggling from the loss of her mom it’s a tough situation and very sad. It is helpful to bring awareness to for sure. I think I also have some sort of ankle or tendon thing going on all of the sudden. I may just take a few days off of running this weekend and see if it feels better. Ugh always something
So sorry about your niece. It’s no surprise that she’s struggling, but it’s hard to know how to help someone through such a devastating loss. I know you and your family are doing all you can.
That is so sad and so very serious about suicide. Mental health is so important to take seriously.
Great on the birth however, so ironic how life works that way. One life in as one tragically is lost.
Thank you for sharing the sad news with the happy. I think the stigma is changing but it’s still there and everyone sharing their highlight reels only can send some people into spirals. A runner I know here in Chicago recently shared his suicide attempt to help others. I was so shocked b/c he seems to have everything going for him.
I hope your ankle heels quickly!
I don’t like grape flavored stuff (except jelly) just the real thing. (and if you think about it many grapes are green ;))
I think people are good at hiding their struggles, and now social media gives us another way to “put on a happy face.” I think we also need to realize that depression can and does affect people who do have everything going for them — we joke about being depressed when things aren’t going our way, but depression doesn’t need something bad to happen to take hold.
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This weekend is uber lion. More snow than we’ve had all winter. Last year we had a major storm the week of our global summit in late March. Crazy.
So sorry to hear of your friend’s loss. Suicide is so heartbreaking – both for the person who felt that was the only option and the family left behind.
I agree with you, grape should be purple. I miss Welch’s grape soda of my childhood. We used ot have a restaurant behind my office with a freestyle coke machine with fanta — they had grape but never in fanta zero
Ah, Fanta grape soda is the grapest! I bet an ice cold can would taste pretty good after a hot summer run!
So far March weather sucks – snow and more snow.
And this injury thing… don’t get me started. You are smarter than I. I will run NYC on March 17 and hope I don’t regret it. If it were local, I would definitely DNS.
When I was a kid, I used to love grape juice.So it’s not purple – ugh. But then again I am not a NUUN fan.
Sorry about your friend.
My BIL is dying of cancer so I can’t complained about a sore calf. Puts things in perspective.
If it were NYC, I would wrap and tape and push through! You have plenty of time to heal — I hope your injury is aware of that and goes away. š
I am so sorry to hear about your friend’s daughter. Thank you for spreading awareness about depression and suicide prevention.
I hope that your sprained ankle heals quickly!
Thank YOU for being open about your own struggles. I do believe talking about it helps others.
Thank you for sharing the suicide prevention information. You never know if getting that information will save a life.
Sorry to hear that you are dealing with injury issues. Hope healing is quick.
Bill and I are looking forward to skipping the beginning of March, weather-wise. We head to Costa Rica next week!
Ah, Costa Rica sounds like a great escape! I was supposed to have a business trip to Miami, but now I will be here for our next deep freeze. :-/
Oh it’s full on lion mode here starting tomorrow. I’m so over the weather!
I think you’re wise to take the DNS. Hopefully you’ll heal quickly and be fine for the good things you’ve got going on in April.
So heartbreaking about the loss of your co-worker’s daughter. I cannot imagine being in such pain that you don’t see any other way out. As a society we really need to do a better job of addressing mental health issues. Thanks for sharing the info.
Depression is a really tough condition. She had been struggling — and in treatment — for a few years, and seemed to be doing well. You just never know the inner turmoil that people can be hiding.
I’m sorry to hear about your ankle! :[ I really hope you recover soon! <3 I'm really sorry for you and your friend's loss too. :[ Our country really, really needs to do better in addressing mental health issues.
I haven't read River Bodies yet, but I'll have to check it out sometime!
It’s a pretty good read – especially at the current price!
Grape Nuun always throws me off too. Commuting to work today, the highway sign read “Only March should enter like a lion, merge with caution.” It made me laugh
That’s awesome! I love traffic sign humor — as long as it doesn’t cause an accident. š
As a physiotherapist I agree that, as hard a decision it is to make, sacrificing one race to benefit the April races is probably the right decision. Hope the April one go well!
Thanks, me too! It’s almost more frustrating that it doesn’t hurt when I walk, because I think I should be able to run!
ah I’m so sorry about your ankle. that is a big bummer.
a friend of mine attempted suicide about a month ago. She’s in therapy and taking medication and I try to text her every few days (she’s in another country) just so she knows that I’m here. But she’s going through what she is going through and sometimes I get the feeling that I’m “bugging” her. I guess I just don’t want her to go without at least telling her how much she means to me and that she can talk to me anytime, that my friendship is unconditional. If she later makes that decision down the line, it’s still her choice, but at least I tried, you know? I’ve already lost a friend a few years ago (she was 26 – so much life in front of her) and I didn’t know she was even in that place (no one really knew). It’s so hard, so tragic and so incredibly difficult for the ones who are left behind. I feel sad often about Lucy, sometimes angry and sometimes I just think well, it was her choice and we have to live with that.
Ugh. So sorry to hear about your friends. I think reaching out from time to time is a good idea. Even if she doesn’t answer, she knows you are thinking about her.
Oh man, I’m so sorry for that family. And I totally agree — it NEEDS to be talked about. It’s okay to be private but there’s nothing to be ashamed of and no one needs to suffer alone. So many hugs…
Thanks. I know my co-worker at first didn’t want people at work to know, but eventually decided it was best if we could all talk about it. Plus, rightly or wrongly, I think it is harder to lose a loved one to suicide than some other cause, because of the guilt that you think you could have done something – even if that’s not true.
Sorry to hear about your ankle. Hopefully it will be all healed up once we get some nicer weather this spring. I do not like anything grape flavored. It reminds me of dimetap I would take when I was sick when I was a child. So sorry to hear about your co-worker’s daughter….so horrible!
Hah! I guess I associate fake cherry with medicine, not grape.
I hear you on the grape flavored Nuun not being purple. It’s just wrong, but agree about the absence of dyes probably being a good thing.
I’m so sorry you had such sad news at work and will send up prayers for the family.
Thanks for the linkup!
March is coming in like a lion here in Maine…Snow, snow, and more snow!!!
I’m so sorry to read about your friend’s daughter. That is so heartbreaking, thank you for sharing though because it helps raise awareness…
Oh I’m so sorry for your friend’s loss. Depression is such a liar and steals so many of the best of us. Thank you for being so open about this and sharing the suicide prevention helpline info.
I’m sorry about your ankle…hopefully a good period of rest will have you ready for your April races!
And wow, I’m sorry for you loss and I appreciate you sharing that info on suicide prevention. It is definitely something that we need to bring out into the light.
Last week was lots of good and bad here too. And I didn’t run the Reston 10 miler either – we decided to go out of town. I can’t even tell you if March has been a lion. It’s just been a whole lot of lion weather predictions that don’t pan out. I’m ready for spring!
Oh, gosh! Did you register or do you still have the code to use? Maybe our weather has been more like an elephant randomly spraying water out of its trunk. š