“If you can’t fly, then run,
if you can’t run, then walk,
if you can’t walk, then crawl, 
but whatever you do, 
you have to keep moving forward.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Girls on the Run 5k was this weekend. As I indicated a few days ago, discouragement had given me reservations about running.

It wasn’t fast, but I did show up and I moved forward. And it was so worth it. It was thrilling to see so many young girls celebrate their potential — and each other’s. Empowering. But what I think encouraged me more than almost anything was how many fathers were out on the course running with their daughters. So many men, out there sweating, telling their girls how great they were doing and how proud they were of them. I actually fought tears a few times. But mostly, I just smiled. Girl power is a beautiful thing. And so are good men. Too bad the ones like this don’t make the news.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures during this race, which is unusual for me. I just wasn’t feeling it. But I did notice these leaves on the way to the start line and they stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t arrange these. This is exactly how they had settled on the ground. Identical shapes, different colors, beautiful together, sharing the same fate.

We could learn a lot from leaves.

Louie from the Blues was there to support the girls, too. I happened to catch him on his way out, which made for a really interesting photo of him — and you would never guess how many people were still packing the area. No idea how I pulled this off.

That afternoon, my running buddy (my son’s girlfriend) and I baked cupcakes. She sculpted the succulents in the background from fondant. We baked, decorated, ate pizza, watched chick and Christmas movies, and had the best day either of us have had in a very long time.

This morning I picked up my Little Sister and headed to the history museum for an exhibit of toys from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

So cool, much of it was interactive. It was awesome to revisit my childhood and share some hilarious stories with my Little. But it was surreal to watch her play with some of my childhood toys.

This weekend provided a whole lot of what I was desperately needing: friends, empowerment, progress, creativity, meaning, and fun. And, to top it all off, today is World Kindness Day. Nice.

Am I feeling back to normal from last week’s developments? Not even close. But life does go on. And, run, walk, or crawl, I’m moving forward with it.