This is an off-topic post, as it is neither about a place I have been or something I have seen, but I wanted to share in the hopes of providing some additional insight into who I am.  I am a work in progress in many areas, including fitness- my latest passion is race walking/slow running which, now that it finally spring, I am into again in earnest after a painfully slow and brutal winter.  I run along Little Neck Bay which is a beautiful site with its own bird sanctuary full of egrets and swans and ducks and even an eagle or two.

I am presently running between a four and six-mile total – but my best is 8 miles to date:

 

So this glorious morning I am moving along, listening to Bon Jovi and pacing well when … OUCH!!! I was stung twice by a wasp who thought I had gotten too close to its nest (buried in the ground which makes it very difficult to see).  Fortunately, I am not allergic – but still now have two welts/badges of courage:

 

I say badge of courage as I am terrified of flying insects and usually will go off flailing and screaming like a banshee to get away.  Let me tell you about the source of this phobia.  When I was a little girl, my family rented a bungalow for the summer in upstate New York.  It was a lovely way to get away from the heat of the city – as in those days we did not have air-conditioning.  There was a lake to swim in nearby and many lazy days were spent in the outdoors.

Except there was a wasp nest in the eaves of the bungalow.  We lived within a kind of don’t bother me I won’t bother you treaty until one day my older brother and his friend decided it would be great fun to throw rocks at the nest.  The next thing I heard was this immense buzzing sound as literally hundreds upon hundreds of angry wasps came storming our their home to fight off the intruders.

I didn’t know that my little legs could pump so fast as I sprinted for all I was worth, getting behind the screened backdoor into safety.  My brother and his friend did not fare so well – I don’t have my own pictures  of this but please indulge me as I take the liberty of using internet images to show you what happened to my brother and his friend:

Fortunately neither was allergic to wasp stings, but my brother’s face swelled up like a ball- needless to stay there were punishments and admonitions to NEVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN.

But the horror was implanted on my young brain and through the years I have become literally insane whenever any flying insect has come at me – I have done backwards somersaults over beds, have run into trees and almost jumped off a cliff in an effort to get away – it hasn’t been pretty.

But today, in an amazing feat of growth and maturity I did none of those things but just kept on running.

I was just pissed  – that motherjumping wasp messed up  my pacing time.

I  will now resume my normal posting topics.

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