We all have those moments when nothing seems to go right. We then get more worked up about it, or stress about it, lose sleep over it, etc. If we don’t learn to be more patient, we keep going in this continuous cycle, with no true end in sight. For me, and Sarah, going out for a run, or exercising, is our way of trying to regain control again. Our attempt at trying to slow things down, and forget about everything else going on, and just have some time for ourselves. There is no question working out helps. We all need to strive for more patience, now more than ever. We need to have something to make us feel like we are back in control, when everything around us seems to be out of control. Believe me, you are not alone. We all feel this way. We all wonder what can get thrown at us next! One thing this pandemic has done is we have gotten to spend more time at home. Before, this was always a struggle. Now if we could just see more of the rest of our family in the process, that would be even better. Control what you can control! I struggle with patience as well. We all get in a hurry with life, and want to keep things moving. It can be hard to slow things down.
None of us are immune to this. This is Dakota looking out the side door waiting for me to take her for a walk. She is standing up on her hind legs to look out the window wondering if I forgot to take her with or not. I was just getting my shoes on, but she was getting impatient. Then she will start pacing, and then whining, wondering if she is going to get to go along or not. Finally, I open the door up, and she bolts outside ready to go!
We could all learn a lot from Dakota. Yes, she needs to learn to be more patient, but if we all got as excited as she does when it is time to go for a walk or a run, we all would not struggle as much. She keeps leaping in the air she is so ready to go. Her paws are not even touching the ground here!
She loves going to the Lake and explore. Always something to see, and hear. New adventures each day, even if it may be the same route. I have definitely found that to be true lately as well. By the time my day gets done, I will go for a walk most evenings to unwind. I have to admit, I did not pay a whole lot of attention to the sunsets at Lake Kampeska before. I am not sure why, but I think more of it was I usually did my workouts in the mornings instead of the evenings, so I really did not get to see them much. Boy, have I been missing out a lot! I love those days with some clouds in the sky when the sun is setting, because it is always a different view. The one evening this last week it had rained earlier, but when it came time for the sun to set, it started breaking up. I told Sarah I was going to the Lake because it was looking interesting. It did not disappoint. I was gone for over an hour. The colors that were being created in the sky, and the continuous changes in the cloud formation was like watching a movie. I was thinking I was going to leave after a few minutes, and I am glad I didn’t. This was a perfect example of having patience, and letting things play out. It was very relaxing, and entertaining. The following picture were taken that night, and this is how that time changed the view.
There really are not any words to describe what was taking place. I just stood and continued to watch and see how things played out. Wow! That is what life is about! Take your time! Be patient! See how things play out! You never know, but the best is probably yet to come, just how things were evolving that evening taking the pictures. We don’t know what everything in the future is going to bring, but we all need to learn to be more patient in our lives.
I have to admit, when I am out running, or especially walking, I am looking around and paying attention now to everything around me. Before, I would be in a hurry. Just get it done, I got things to do. But now, I am not even looking at the time. What normally may take me 45 minutes to go for a walk is now about 90 minutes. I have learned to be more patient with this part of the day, and really take in what is being given to me. It is a great way to unwind from the day, and then also to help forget about all the stress related to it as well. There are enough things to worry about, so forget about all of the little things. Strive for more patience in your life. Take in what life has to offer. We all have room for improvement on this, especially me. But I am trying, and right now, I am really enjoying these evenings. Some of my next posts I will have to have more sunset pictures. Right now, it is one of the best medicines I can take! Keep moving everybody! Slow down, and take it all in…all the good, and you will be better able to handle all the bad as well.
This picture was almost 30 years ago. Oct 6, 1990. Sarah and I got married that day. I am getting last minute advice from my Dad on the right, and my Father-in-law on the left. Great advice from both! Time really does go fast. My Dad now has been gone over 6 years. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t think of him. He was a great role model. He did whatever he had to do for his family. A lot of guys can be a Father, but not everybody can be a Dad. There is a lot of pressure on us guys to try to live up to that expectation. Sometimes we do just fine, and other times we need to ask for a do over. Hopefully we learn from our mistakes as we get older.
I learned a lot from both of my parents. They were married for 59 years when my Dad passed away. Nothing ever goes perfect. There are challenges, mistakes, lessons learned, but at the end of the day, it all worked out. My Mom struggles a lot since he has been gone.
With seven kids in the family, there was always plenty to do. We were a family, and are still very close. Those traits my parents passed down to all of us kids as well. We are all close.
I see how there were plenty of times when they just needed to take a break, and relax. Being a Dad is a full time job. 24/7, 52 weeks a year. We always had questions for him, or wanted his advice on how to do something. Many of those times he knew the answer, and those other times, he helped direct us to find an answer.
He was a great grandfather as well. Here he is with Nick. Nick is now 23! Hopefully I can be there for my kids when they need it as well. Both Sarah and I always get calls for advice. What should I do about this? How do you fix this? What would you do under this circumstance?
It was tough with both Sarah and I being a physician. We would put in long days at work, and then continue it at home. We worked together, and trading off who could be at their events, if both of us couldn’t be. One of us would be there. We both still ran as it was a means of relieving stress. The kids would be right there with us. They would go with us, or ride their bike with us, or be the cheerleader for us as well. I want them to do the same for their kids. Lead by example.
Nick and I started a tradition a few years ago of going to a Vikings game together. I don’t know what this year is going to be with the Coronavirus going on, or if they will even have a NFL season. Time will tell. If nothing else, we will have a pause in this year, and pick back up next year. If they do have a season, maybe we go somewhere else to watch it, not at the stadium. Will have to see what the future brings.
The kids are growing up fast. Molly is now married. They still spend time together, and worry about each other. And so do we!
They will always be my little kids when they come home. Dakota loves all the attention when they come home too. We are still family, and always will be. As a Father, I hope I have helped them become who they are. My Dad’s advice to me was if you think you are right, then don’t back down. If you are wrong, then admit it. Stand up for yourself, because if you don’t, who will? We stand up for each other. Hopefully, we keep being active together, and have more races and events to do. When we start having grandkids, we have a lot to teach them too. They will be running, walking, or riding bike along side us as well. Happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there. Keep working at it. And, keep moving everybody!
Yesterday, Saturday June 13, was Family Health and Fitness Day. A day to celebrate, and get families out and get active, and engage in fun activities. Whether playing games, walking, riding bikes, whatever…just get moving. Even though we may have a day designated to promote this, there is no reason every day should not be Family Health and Fitness Day. It always has been a part of our lives. We instilled into our kids the importance of being active, and exercising. They learned very young!
We would go for bike rides together starting many years ago. And, we all wore helmets! We went for picnics, riding to get to the park. They learned from the start how important it was to be active.
Many of our vacations centered around being active as well. Here we are taking a break as we were hiking up, what was then called, Harney Peak. We would stay in cabins in Hill City, and go off on the Mickelson Trail, and go hiking to Harney Peak, or the one year we did the Volksmarch to Crazy Horse. We had a blast on those vacations! Everybody had a good time. We explored, saw new things, but had to work to get them done too.
All of this early training translated later to being active in school as well. This was true not only for High School, but College as well. Here we were at one of Nicks Augustana track meets.
We have had several great trips to Disney, and each time ran races while we were there. I have done the Goofy and the Dopey races, and here Molly and Megan ran with us to do their first Half Marathon. Nick could not get off school this year, but Carissa and Noah Hauck ran first time events here as well. Noah the Half Marathon with us, and Carissa the marathon with me. The memories these time bring back! We had a ball!
The kids grew up watching us run all of the time. It was only natural that they would follow the same foot steps. Running is what brought Sarah and I together when we first began to date. We have not stopped since then. We still plan vacations with running events, or other active adventures in mind.
Last year we all got together and ran the Hump Day 5k event as well. We are all getting older, but those times when we still do things like this together are still something very special. I hope there are a lot more times like this as well.
The kids are no exception. All of the dogs we have had have been active runners, walkers with us. Dakota is no exception. She goes with us everyday, either walking, running, or both. If you are going to be a part of Team Reif, you better be able to move. When the times comes when we may not be able to run, we will just have to figure out how else we can be active. Be creative. Have fun with it. Your health depends on it. You truly do need to Strive to Survive. But, nobody said those days could not be incredibly fun along the way! Enjoy life to the fullest. Stay active! Keep moving everybody!
I always found it a little difficult to put into simple words what running means to me when trying to explain it to somebody who does not run. Yes, not all days are good days. Sometimes you wonder why you even go out some days. But those days when everything falls into place, and you are in a “zone”, you just lose yourself in that moment, and everything is just perfect! You are moving smooth. Your breathing is efficient. You don’t even feel like you are working. The scenery around you is easy to lose your thoughts in. Most of those running times it is just me and my thoughts. No other outside stress. No other distractions. Just you. So the best description I can really have is that it is a feeling. A feeling like no other. Those days when that feeling is there, it makes all of the other days that may not be going well, worthwhile.
Like everything, it does not just happen. Practice makes perfect. You have to put the effort in to enjoy the rewards. This is not something that is just going to get handed to you. If you want it, you have to earn it. Getting started is always the hard part. It takes practice, patience, and determination. This week, Wednesday June 3, was National Global Running Day. It was the perfect time to get out and run. For those of you who can’t run, go out and walk. My walks in the evening are my recovery times. I always have my phone with me during those walks. I don’t have it so I can talk on the phone, but so that I have my camera. This last few weeks the sunsets at the Lake have been breathtaking. I went Friday night for a 4 mile walk, and ended spending an additional 45 minutes taking pictures. Peaceful. Relaxing. It was actually quite easy to forget about everything else. It would have been no different with running…but for me, it is tougher to stop and take pictures compared to walking. Once I get going, I just take pictures with my eyes.
I have had a permanent training partner with Sarah. We both love to run. That is how we started dating. I would run past her house and notice she would be watching me out her window when we were in Med School. Then we started running together, and have not stopped since. Running brought us together, and has kept us together. We plan vacations/trips to involve running. We have seen new places because of running. We have gotten all of our kids to run, so it is now another means of being able to spend time with them. Just wait until grandkids start coming! Running has been a huge part of our lives. Our social activities and friends are all due to running. I promote to my patients every day the importance of exercise. I promote by example. Someday we may not be able to run anymore, but I will worry about that then. For now, I will keep putting one foot in front of the other, and continue to see where this helps steer out lives.
Nothing is going to change this. It is who I am. It is who “we” are. It truly has taught me how to hang in there when times get tough, and to keep looking for the next finish line. I have to admit, I don’t know how to give up, and I hope I never do. After each tough “race” in life, it has always been worthwhile, and something has been learned. We learn from our experiences. That is truly how we continue to grow in life.
Sarah and I will continue to run until that final finish line comes. In the meantime, there are so many more adventures to enjoy, and life to live. Take advantage of what you have. We don’t know when we are not going to have it anymore. Live for today, and look with anticipation to tomorrow.
Enjoy the journey. There are lots of things to see and do yet. Enjoy each sunrise and sunset. They truly are all different. Enjoy the ride. There may be days where we have to hold on tighter, but they just seem to go smoother after a run, or a walk, or any workout. Move. Use it or lose it. You ask those people who have been runners, and for whatever reason they can’t now, what they think of it. How much do they miss it? How much did they enjoy it? How much more fuller was their life when they ran? Each of us needs to find out on our own. Keep trying…keep moving everybody!
The weather has been getting nicer, and this coming week it is going to get hot! Get outside and utilize the trail, and get some activity, and release the stress with everything going on lately. It is time to just get out and move! We have been waiting a long time for some really warm weather, and it is now coming. Running is my escape, but it is also relaxing to just get out and walk and enjoy the quiet, and just forget about things. It is much easier to do when going out the by the lake, and Jackson Park.
Whether sunrise, sunset, or middle of the day, whenever you have time, get out and enjoy the surroundings, and not worry about COVID going on. You feel charged up and ready to try and take on another day. Mornings are especially quiet, and hearing the birds all chirping, it is easy to let your mind go. It does not make any difference for our dog, Dakota, she will go out any time of the day, walk or run. She just wants to move. We could all learn a lot from her. Exploring, wandering, just plain moving!
The kids went for a bike ride going around the lake. They got some exercise, plus got to spend some time together. It is a great way to spend time with family. You all move together.
So what are you waiting for? Enjoy the Summer. Get away from the stress of things. Spend time with family. Forget all of the other problems going on right now. Keep moving everybody!
