Fall is in the air, even here in sunny Florida, with cooler temperatures and subtle foliage color changes, but a far cry from the beauty of the northern forests. It’s a lot of work to clean up those falling leaves and there are already reports of snowfall, two things I definitely don’t miss. I did see a few light jackets on my run today, and I barely broke a sweat on this morning’s 2.1-mile trek. I could feel the chill in my bones and stiff muscles but gradually worked my way through it. 

I’ve continued to run despite the inevitable surgery, and my wife is right that I remain oblivious to this reality. I can’t see myself on a walker or process the thought of admiring my hideous scars in the mirror. I do know that I will miss a day of running for the first time in nearly 15-years and this will end my streak with the United States Running Streak Association at www.runeveryday.com. I will move to the list of retired streaks and have to start all over again. It’s now hard to imagine a day without running. Today was consecutive day #5,421 (14.84 years). Tomorrow I will only have time for a mile (the minimum to maintain the streak) because we’re headed to Tampa early to consult with another surgeon. 

Note: When I originally wrote this paragraph, I couldn’t come up with the word “denial.” My wife claims that I’m in denial on this whole issue – probably more like shock. Pardon the silly pun, but we were just cruising D’Nile a few months ago. Maybe I’m still there!

Yesterday was Halloween, and I had dinner with Maleficent, Scream, and a giant Garfield that looked a lot like my son. We met at Chili’s after they had gone out and collected hundreds of assorted candies. I delivered the traditional cash-stuffed cards to the grandkids that for many years had to be mailed from Indiana, Illinois, Texas, or Oregon. It’s good to be just a few miles away to watch them continue to grow up. Also, I don’t have to shovel snow or rake leaves even though Fall is in the Air!