Well maybe a little bit.
On Saturday July 28th I am participating in the Run to Home Base at Fenway Park to benefit veterans in honor of my father. He's a Vietnam Vet and super proud of it. He chose to go back to combat after being shot instead of being sent home. The guys that he fought with are still like brothers to him to this day and he felt like he may not see them again. He is the most loyal person I know. He was lucky that he was able to handle what he went through.
But so many service members struggle everyday from what they experienced when they were deployed, or when they come home. They are taught to keep their feelings to themselves and be strong. But many cannot do it alone.
These men and women need to know that help is out there and it's ok to ask for it. They can turn to Home Base
Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program, is dedicated to healing the invisible wounds for Veterans, Service Members and their Families through world-class clinical care, wellness, education and research. They provide the services these men and women need and deserve.
I have been a runner since I played sports in high school. I have run many races from 5k's to a 1/2 marathon. I have the Boston Marathon on my bucket list, but there is a very real chance that it won't get scratched off. I'm ok with it, running a marathon is a hefty goal. And I am not so young anymore... If it happened, it would be great. But if it doesn't happen, that is ok too. Running is 100% mental to me, in that I mean I need to occupy my mind when I am running. Most of the runs that I struggle with are because I can't get my mind to focus on something, anything that can get me to realize I don't remember getting to the street I happen to be on. I am not usually someone who can just go run, I need a route some what mapped out in my mind, at least an idea of where I want to go. I do some serious daydreaming when I am running ( a lot of runs revolve around winning the lottery...)
Sometimes I get jewelry inspiration when I run, I have come up with a few pieces from a long one. I came up with the Blue Waves Necklace on a run thinking about my friend. We were chatting about jewelry and she told me her son's birthstone was Peridot. I don't usually work with that stone but I thought I could come up with something using green sea glass. But I couldn't really picture anything, so I went for a run and then it hit me. I almost had to stop running I was so excited. I made the necklace with the green sea glass and she loved it. From there, the Blue Waves necklace was born. I then turned that into three other styles while on runs.
I am pretty sure I will be thinking about the men and women serving or who have served already. It's definitely going to be an emotional experience. It is an honor for me to be a part of this, 5 miles is not a hard feat compared to what our military go through.
Stay tuned, the next post will be post race, hopefully with lots of pictures. You never know when inspiration will strike. And who knows, there might just be a new True Happiness Designs jewelry piece in the works.
