On Tuesday, as I said goodbye to all the people I have spent my time with for most of the past 6 weeks at my externship site, I realized that through the good and bad of that experience I once again found myself surrounded by really great people.\u00a0 I am already missing the MAs and nurses that I spent so much time with.\u00a0 And as I drove out 40 towards West County to pick my kiddos up from school, I thought of the people who have played taxi driver to my kids throughout the past year while I went through this program.\u00a0 And when I gathered the kids we went to Steak n Shake to celebrate everything that has occurred since a year ago when I crossed that finish line in Arizona and heard the words, \u201cLindsey Jacobs, you are an Ironman\u201d.<\/p>\n
While I drove towards my kids, I thought of those words, and how important they were.\u00a0 It occurred to me that this week I tackled another kind of Ironman.\u00a0 Last year in Arizona, the idea of going back to school hadn\u2019t even occurred to me, but since then I set it up, started the program and saw it through to completion.\u00a0 And with nursing school on the horizon, I have absolutely zero doubts that with the people on my team, I will make that happen too.\u00a0 And in each season of life, in order to make those things happen, I will continue to surround myself with good people.<\/p>\n
This morning, I woke up in a somewhat foul mood.\u00a0 I got plenty of sleep, so I\u2019m not really sure what my deal was, but today had the potential to be ugly.\u00a0 However, when I walked into my neighborhood coffee shop to meet a friend for lattes after dropping off the kids at school, I saw the face of another friend that I hadn\u2019t seen in ages.\u00a0 Paul has his own business called Trickle Down Happiness.\u00a0 I love that concept.\u00a0 And I actually got to see it in action today.\u00a0 As soon as I saw Paul, my mood changed instantly.\u00a0 And when he asked me how things were, I immediately started rambling on about all the good things in my life.\u00a0 That turned the day around for me.\u00a0 I was focused on the good things happening and the great people involved.<\/p>\n
A couple hours later, when I took my phone into T-Mobile to see why it hasn\u2019t been working lately, I ultimately walked out with no contacts.\u00a0 This could have been a huge headache, but rather than stress about it, I posted a plea on Facebook and waited for the contacts to come rolling back in.\u00a0 As they progressed they have been funnier and funnier.\u00a0 My face hurts from smiling, hearing from friends and the silliness of having to guess who they are.\u00a0 Who knew something that has the potential to be a huge pain in the butt would turn out to be so fun?\u00a0 I guess you could say I\u2019m finding the silver lining.\u00a0 Or I\u2019m making lemons into \u201cade\u201d.\u00a0 But I think it just has to do with being surrounded by really amazing people.<\/p>\n
When Ken takes to the course on Sunday, I already know he will be surrounded by some greats.\u00a0 His wife Marti is one of the coolest people ever.\u00a0 My friend, Jess, was the volunteer who handed me my Run special needs bag last year and she\u2019s competing this year.\u00a0 My friend, Nicci, who I\u2019ve known since she was a peanut, grew up in the house next door to me in Michigan, this will be her third Ironman I believe.\u00a0 And every other athlete on that course has a story, young, old, war vets, amputees, illnesses, losses, struggles.\u00a0 The one thing they all have in common is that they\u2019ve all had to overcome something to be out there.\u00a0 They\u2019ve all been handed some lemons.\u00a0 And\u00a0 all the people standing by, helping them, cheering the on, encouraging them, getting them whatever they need.<\/p>\n
I just wish I could be out there to light the way up that hill for Ken.\u00a0 Or maybe offer him some ade. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
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