The Small Things

Reflecting on the last two months of training, and anxiously preparing my speech for our official swearing in ceremony on Tuesday, a few things occurred to me. The first, is that this has been one of the most trying seasons of my life, and the second is that a few small things make a huge difference…

 

1. Orange bags. 5kg of oranges come packaged in mesh bags that make perfect loofas- something that my desert-abused feet desperately need in order to avoid turning into rhino elbows.

 2. Candlelit baths. I sit cross-legged in a bowl and splash water up the front of me to bathe. As a result, my back got cleaned only once last month. The upside: everything seems cleaner by candlelight.

3. Loincloths and polo shirts. Yes. I have seen this style combination. It trumps Katie and Melissa’s puff painted sweat suits any day, and reminds us to laugh.

4. The rock plate. Botswana is a master destroyer of shoes, so my feet get a second mention on this list. When Manhattan Running Company asked me on what type of terrain I would run, I answered “broken beer bottles, rocks, old rebar, and man-eating thorns.” After two months of sunrise running to beat the heat- I still have great shoes and even greater running buddies. Thanks Jojo, Erika, and Dawn.

5. Papaya lunch. The ultimate food of convenience- all you need is a spoon.

 6. The sunsets. No matter how frustrating, hot, or miserable the day feels, spectacular sunsets are pretty much a guarantee at the end of the day.