Organize your life around your dreams

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

organize

Organize: make arrangements or preparations for (an event or activity)

In case you’ve missed it, one of my dreams is to run a half marathon in every state. And yes, it often seems as though I organize my life around that dream — most of our vacations are racecations, or planned so they don’t interfere with long runs, or planned so that I can get my runs in — well, you get the idea.

It’s a big dream, and if I don’t organize my life, it won’t happen.

Last week’s Wednesday Word was gratitude. And this week, I am filled with gratitude for my blogger friends, particularly Holly @ Hohoruns and Tricia @ Mississipiddlin. These two lovely ladies organized a girls’ weekend (including running a half marathon — maybe you saw a few pictures on IG?)  for myself and five other blogger friends.

Seriously, when they asked me (and Darlene) to join in the fun, I had to wonder — were we a package deal? Did I get asked because they didn’t feel they could organize such a fun weekend and ask Darlene, but not me?

Whatever, as I told my mom, who is still navigating the waters at their apartment in the senior living communtiy, sometimes you have to put yourself out there, and not wait for people to come to you. Which isn’t easy for me, I’m an introvert (except at races — just read my endorphins post!), but I’ve also been known to push my way into new groups at times, with various results — it’s how I met Mr. Judy, though, so sometimes it works.

I am grateful to Darlene and her blog, and her friendship, because without her, I might never have started to organize and finally dip my toes back into the blogosphere and gone to my very first girls’ weekend. At the age of 54!

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.
–A.A. Milne

I had to organize, though
I had to make to-do lists every night to get me through Thanksgiving. I had to organize my gear bag . . . again and again and again, as I ran races pretty much every week leading up to our getaway. I had to organize doctors appointments for myself. I had to organize food and supplements for the furkids and Mr. Judy.

One thing I know for sure
While it may be very important to organize so that you can enjoy yourself, you also have to learn to go with the flow sometimes — it’s just more fun that way.

Deb Runs

Tell me in the comments:

Is there anything you particularly like to organize?

What do you hate to organize?

Or are you just a free spirit and go with the flow all the time?

23 thoughts on “Organize your life around your dreams”

  3. I’m hoping to run a half marathon in 25 states, so I totally understand what you mean about planning vacations around races, or a “racecation” 🙂

    I hope that you had a great weekend! I was following along through some of the other bloggers Instagram feeds and it looked like a lot of fun!

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    1. So why a half in 25 states? Are you doing a full in the other 25?

      It was a lot of fun! I’m sure I would have posted more, but I don’t have unlimited data and there was no wifi. Besides, they were posting enough for all of us!

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      2. So do you have a criteria for picking which states to run in?

        I started running halfs at age 50. I only do 2-3 a year. So you do the math. I might never finish, but I’ll have fun along the way!

        I also don’t do all the races. Except at this time of year, because it’s my sweet spot temperature wise. Typically I only do about one race per month.

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      4. We started with the ones that were easy to drive to — and living in NY, there are quite a few.

        Obviously I’ve flown to quite a few, too, but like you, we plan our vacations around my races for the most part. 🙂

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    1. I am organized in some ways, not in others, I go through phases where I’m more organized than others . . .

      But right about now I get to relax and just watch all you guys scurry around trying to get everything done!

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    1. Darlene & I met via FB — I didn’t have a blog at the time. I think it was almost a year before we met in RL at a race & probably just as long before we started to run together sometimes.

      This is the first half we’ve run “together”.

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  7. organization is tough, and I think it’s very individualized. I try to be organized, but the hubby is the polar opposite (in more ways than one)…..my kitchen counter is a nightmare, for example. I’d love to stash all of mail somewhere…but he prefers to have it all out in the open #UGH

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    1. Let’s just not talk about my kitchen counters, shall we? And it has nothing to do with the hubby.

      I get it all cleaned up but inevitably the clutter creeps onto it again (like now, after a trip and not feeling well).

      I go through bouts of organizing and then somehow I can busy and it feels as though I’m right back where I started. 😦

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  8. Judy, I’m thrilled to have provided you with your first girls weekend at the age of 54 and was delighted YOU accepted my invitation. Funny, I mentioned going with the flow in my post too. For #holottafun to be a success, I think it was definitely necessary. I hope everyone came away with good memories!

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