I’m going to Tennessee.
And I’m never coming back.
Just kidding.
I’m going to Tennessee on Thursday night. Tennessee’s slogan is “America at its Best”. I will return back to Maryland on Monday morning. Maryland’s slogan is “America? Isn’t that a shade of Dior lip gloss?”
I love Tennessee. I never thought that those words would escape my keyboard on purpose, but they did. Tennessee brings me back to reality, even if only for 3 bliss-filled days while I catch up with my BFF, and repeatedly sniff the head of her new baby. Warning: I will most likely return from Tennessee with a horrible, incurable, desperate case of baby fever.
Having grown up humbly in Central New York, moving to Maryland at the age of 20 caused a serious bit of culture shock for me. Everything was so fast and expensive and flashy. Maryland is no Miami, but compared to Blossvale, NY…well…you do the math. My point is that I love Tennessee because it reminds me that life doesn’t have to be so fast all the time. The pace with which everything is done in Tennessee is about 8 times slower than the speed with which everything is done in Maryland. Slow is good sometimes. I like taking a vacation from fast every now and again.
In addition, Karie and I have been together forever. I have saved letters and poems and Valentine’s Day cards from my Karie since we first became instant friends in middle school. I think it was New Kids on the Block that first brought us together. We still giggle about that. We giggle about everything, in fact. We have been friends through many years, and thousands of miles (think ‘Germany’, and ‘Alaska’), marriages (both of us), divorces (me–not her), and now, little Aden James. Regardless of distance or time, our relationship and interaction is always exactly the same every time we are together. There is only one word to describe it: giddy. When together, we are two giddy little schoolgirls. Her husband just rolls his eyes while he drinks his Long Island iced tea. By the second Long Island iced tea, he’s giggling right along with us.
My BFF, being the awesome BFF that she is, has already planned my running location for me while I am visiting her. I was nervous about this aspect of my trip to Tennessee. I have 90 days to train for my first 1/2, and I know that running on the regular is really important at this juncture. However, I’m chronically scared of being high maintenance. Although I have never gone to Tennessee and had expectations of doing anything spectacular (other than hanging with my BFF), I also am not the type to make requests. Like telling her what I want to eat for breakfast (she always asks me), or if I want pot roast for dinner on Saturday. These are just not things I’m comfortable with. I’m perfectly comfortable being the one who asks these questions and obliges. Not the other way around.
However, I did ask Karie this morning whether it would be a problem for me to run twice while I was in Tennessee. I had a panic attack upon hitting “send” on the email.
“Running? How SELFISH of me to want to run while I’m supposed to be in Tennessee hanging out with my BFF and her beautiful boy (Aden, not Toby)!”
I was mad at myself for sending the email. Then, no more than 5 minutes into my fit of panic, she responded. And it wasn’t to tell me what an ass I am. On the contrary, my BFF said that she had already considered my running schedule, and we could either go to the park and run outside, or go to the gym and run on the dreadmill. Do you see how considerate this girl is? Have I mentioned that my BFF is way better than yours?
Not only did my BFF tell me that we will go to the park on Friday and Sunday (as I so sheepishly requested), but she also wants to go on SATURDAY too! Oh yeah. She’s WAY better than yours. Don’t try to deny it.
So, my worries about not running while I’m in Tennessee have been squashed. I will run twice, and walk on Saturday in the park with my BFF.
We’ll probably giggle for 3 miles straight.
