Running down a dream

So if you know me in real life, you know that I am not a runner. Until recently, the only reasons I have ever run are to run after my children or to make a run to the grocery store (or wine shop).  But last winter, I decided that I wanted to run the 5K in the annual Miles for Matthew race.  

For years, I’ve worked behind the scenes helping with the race, and I’ve been there on race day to cheer on my husband and friends as they crossed the finish line. However, last winter, I decided that to really show my support for my dear friends and the “marathon” that they are running against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, I had to get my feet in the game.  

Photo courtesy of westiela.com

Well, as often happens with good intentions, life got in the way. I intended to start training and running in the Winter, then Spring. But, between work, family, volunteering and just getting thru the always present pile of dirty laundry, my goal of training for the race fell by the wayside. I managed to run a few times but then the kids got out of school and my running time came to a screeching halt. I think I ran once or twice in June and July, but I certainly wasn’t able to go the necessary distance. If I continued at that pace, it would take me almost two hours to finish the 5k.  

When my kids started back at school in early August, I decided that I was going to try again. I hit the treadmill in earnest and started a true training plan. I also registered for the race, which sealed the deal. There was no way I was going to back out once my friends and family knew that I had signed up. 

When you start your running career in your 40s, your body has some not-so-subtle ways of letting you know this may not be the best idea. I’ve had to have many pep talks with my knees over the past few weeks. But running this race is not about me; this is about Matthew and all of the other boys and families living with Duchenne. This is about raising awareness and critical research dollars for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. My training has gone slowly, but I am hopeful that I will be ready come race day.  In 30 days, I will stand at the starting line and run and hope that I am still running when I cross the finish.  

After all, hope starts here.

If you would like to join in the race or make a donation, please visit the Miles for Matthew page. 

Michelle Gauffreau is a founding member of Inspired Wining. She is also a wife, a mother of two and an active volunteer in her community.

Note to self

Recently, a friend of mine posed this question on Facebook:  “If you could go back in time and tell a younger version of yourself just one thing, what would you say?”  

This inquiry really got me thinking.  If I could send my Younger Self a list of many things to avoid, they would include the obvious:  don’t waste your time with that relationship, don’t wear that outfit, and don’t ever do that to your hair.  Of course, there would be some more practical life pointers as well:  save more, spend less, and take good care of your health.  

But, if I could only say one thing, I would have to choose my words carefully.

As I looked back and tried to determine what nugget of wisdom would be most beneficial to younger me, it became apparent that it is something that I still struggle with today.  Maybe if I had learned it at a younger age, it would be second nature by now?

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may 

look back and realize they were the big things."

                                                                                            ~Robert Brault

So Younger Self, here it is:  

Learn to make the most of today, and find something about it to enjoy instead of constantly looking forward to tomorrow, next week or next month.  Don’t get me wrong  Younger Self, you have been great at making memories and making the most of the big days, the big life events:  the wedding day, the amazing travel, the first time each of your children were placed in your arms (yes I said children - as in more than one - don’t freak out Younger Self).

However, you have not done all that you could to make the most out of the everyday.  If I/you/we had a dollar for every time we have had the thought that life will be better or easier or somehow more memorable “after” – after I get thru this week at work, after our schedules slow down, after the kids are out of school, etc./etc./etc., we would be very, very rich by now.

 

Of course, it is important to stay positive and to be focused on the future.  But, in the midst of all that forward thinking, the current day and all it has to offer tend to get lost in the four loads of laundry that need to be done.  

Now Younger Self, I am not suggesting that every day is going to be sunshine and rainbows because that is not the way life works.  What I am suggesting is that if you look hard enough you can find something to celebrate, appreciate, or make memorable in even the darkest of days.  Sometimes it’s just an encouraging word from a friend or a hug from your child, but those little things are worthy of special memories too.

So Younger Self, enjoy today and don’t wait for tomorrow to make those memories.  Drink that bottle of wine that you are saving for a special occasion, wear those special heels that make you feel fantastic, and take the time to tell your friends and family how much they mean to you because “after” is not guaranteed to any of us.  

Michelle Gauffreau is a customer service consultant for Broadcast1Source and  a founding member of Inspired Wining. She is also a wife, a mother of two and an active volunteer in her community.

Summer's simple pleasures

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy”-George Gershwin

Ahh.... Summer. The time of year when we linger with friends a little longer, allow our kids to stay up a little later and enjoy a less hectic day-to-day existence. For us, as soon as school is done, mornings become less rushed, meals are more casual and the ever present “to-do” list gets a little easier to manage.  

Although we are only a few weeks into summer (I know that officially summer doesn’t start until June 20th, but humor me), we’ve already made some great summer family memories, and almost all of them have been very simple.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Watching our kids run through the sprinkler and laughing for hours.  Sitting on the grass and watching a baseball game on a Sunday afternoon while the kids danced and played with friends.  Planting a small vegetable garden with the kids and telling them stories about my grandparents’ garden when I was a girl.  Having dinner with friends and laughing over a good bottle of wine.

So, my Inspired Wining friends, please join me in my quest for summer’s simple pleasures by sharing your ideas and suggestions for fun and simple family activities.  Also, if you have a favorite bottle of summertime wine or beverage, please share that as well.  After all, the grownups need to make some fun summer memories of our own.

Michelle Gauffreau is a customer service consultant for Broadcast1Source and  a founding member of Inspired Wining. She is also a wife, a mother of two and an active volunteer in her community.

Spring cleaning

I recently spent a weekend cleaning out my grandparents’ home in preparation for their move to an assisted living facility.  Spending hours going through boxes containing more than 30 years of Hallmark cards, newspaper articles and letters will have an effect on you.

For some, this exercise would make them more likely to keep and store every keepsake.  But for me, it had the opposite result.  While it was lovely to see many of my grandparents’ long packed away mementos, it was the memories of the events associated with those items that were truly important.

This realization caused me to make a pledge to myself (and my future grandchildren) that I would not put my family in the same position of riffling through all of my relics 40 years from now.  This is easier said than done because I am one of those women who likes to keep things.  Between school art projects that my kids have created, special toys, favorite books, and clothes that “still fit” and I might “need again someday” - I have a basement full of stuff.  And that doesn’t include all of the extra stuff in my closets. While I am not close to being a candidate for a “Hoarders” type of intervention, I recognize that I keep way more stuff than I should.

De-cluttering our homes helps
to de-clutter our minds and souls as well.

While I was considering how I was going to accomplish this paring down of stuff, I came across the “100 Things De-cluttering Challenge,” and I was intrigued. Basically, the challenge is to set aside one Saturday morning every other month to get rid of 100 things in your home.  This can be anything from sorting through your desk and tossing 100 pieces of paper to donating 100 pieces of clothing.  As long as 100 things have left your home, your mission is accomplished.  

While I originally didn’t think I would be able to find 100 things that could leave our house, I was pleasantly surprised (and horrified) to find that I likely have 1,000 things that can easily be disposed.  My first “100 Things” attempt resulted in a huge garbage bag full of old papers to throw away and a big stack of clothing to be donated.

So my fellow Inspired Winers, I invite you to join me on my next spring cleaning “100 Things Challenge.”  Go through your unused items and, if possible, donate the gently used items to a charity that will use and appreciate them.  While clothing is the easiest to donate, you can also find animal shelters that will happily take your old towels, women and children’s shelters that will take toys that are in good condition, and nursing homes that would love your old DVD movies and board games.  You will benefit from having a less cluttered home, and the recipients will be blessed with something to enrich their lives.

You and your grandchildren will be glad you did!

Michelle Gauffreau is a customer service consultant for Broadcast1Source and  a founding member of Inspired Wining. She is also a wife, a mother of two and an active volunteer in her community.