"Run, Rinni....RUN!" (that's what Mels says)

Here I am, at the finish line. This is what a picture turns out like when you're trying to smile, and all you really feel is PAIN. The photographer would think I was happy and feeling good. Uh, yeah....RIGHT. As Lorella says: Uh, yeah...so anyway....

But, it was another half that I finished. Yes, I do have big smiles about that. I went on this trip alone, to reflect on where my life was going. I spent five days with just me. I discovered I'm really not a bad person after all. I relaxed and spent a lot of quiet time with me. I worked two of the five days that I was there. The night before the race, I was busy putting the music I wanted on my blackberry. It was the first time I was going to be running without an ipod. I wanted to set my blackberry up for this run so that I could take pictures on the route. I couldn't sleep because of excitement. The morning of the race, I forced myself to eat a bagel. The excitement and nervousness was still there, and I couldn't wait to start running. I knew there was no one at the finish line waiting for me, and that was a nice feeling! This was MY run. I knew that I would be there when I got there. At mile 10, I felt like I wanted to die. Mile 11, I wanted to lay down in the middle of the path. Mile 12 I asked myself WHY DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS? Mile 13, I couldn't believe I was at the end. And at the finish line....I felt sooooooooo good. I had done it. Again!

During this run, I decided my life is wonderful. Even though the sadness is still hard to shake....my life is good. I'm still not used to being single. I'm not sure if I ever will be used to that. But for TODAY, my life is good. I am in good health. My daughters are in good health. I am provided opportunities to learn about what life really is. The other day, I was listening to someone talk about how she was so angry at her new haircut. She said she'd been complaining about it for two days, and then she went and had lunch with a friend. Her friend was going through chemotherapy, and didn't have any hair. And this bad-haircut lady said it made her see that she really had nothing to complain about.

Yeah...my life is good. I may not be complaining about my hair. But I'm grumbling about being single and alone. And yet...I don't have to deal with deeper issues like chemotherapy. I think I can say Thank You to the Universe for giving me an issue such as divorce to deal with.

Life is good.