Today, I woke up and said… Oh man I do not want to journal… But I felt if I miss one day, it will be easier to keep missing more days moving forward. And then eventually I felt, there goes the whole ball game. Can you relate to something in your life you do not want to miss doing?
With a great run up into the mountains yesterday, today I decided to run downhill to the W hotel on the beach (about 5 miles). On the way there, I listened to a Michael Thomas Spanish lesson. As I arrived on the beach, I sat on the edge of the walkway with my feet on the sand. I looked to the left and saw the mountains, I looked to the right and saw more beach.
I just had this huge feeling of gratitude come over me. To be there in that moment on the beach, in Barcelona, having just completed a run was perfect. It reinforced the theme to me that the most important thing besides family is…TIME……. Having the time to do what you want when you want. Can you relate to that feeling at all?
I have said it before and I will say it again, being 6 hours ahead of NY affords me the opportunity to not feel the typical stress of the workday that normally hits during 9 to 5. In NY, if you want to run to the beach and ponder about life, as well as get to work on time, you have to wake up at 5am to do it. It was 10am when I was on the beach. It felt perfect.
One thing I appreciate about Barcelona is you can get fresh orange juice almost anywhere. And I was able to do so from a shack right on the beach. It gave me the energy that I needed to finish my run and head back uphill. I decided to continue my journey and go straight to the gym and do a quick workout. Is having the time to do this for real?
Arriving back at the apartment, I spent time going through my emails and catching up on a few important things for work. I just saw Kel leave as she had lunch plans. So great!
At 3pm, I was invited to join the Eco Committee for my kids school that is run by a parent and the Dean. See “I am Not a Plastic Cup.” I could not be more impressed with the parents who attended and I knew right away I was in the right place for me. The school has joined a global organization called Eco Schools and it has given the committee great direction and focus for the next 3 years.
I took my kids home from school on the bus. Jonah was screaming and yes hitting me. He wanted my phone. He was very hungry. It felt like the entire bus was looking at us. I remember seeing a video on YouTube about one way to handle this situation was just to let it happen and not try to get your kid to stop. So that’s what I did. I got up out of my seat, and moved away. Was it the right thing? I do not know, but I certainly did not want to keep getting hit. My daughter saw her friend and did a last minute audible and went to her apartment which actually turned into a sleep over. Great!
That night there was an ex-pats event in Turo Park as a way to meet new people. It was a lovely night. Still my favorite question is “what brought you here?” It is much more fun than asking, “what do you do?” Met lots of new people and the boys had fun running around with the other kids.
As we got home, we ate some more delicious food made by the chef. Laid down for a moment and passed out.
Another Full Day in Barcelona!