If you give a mouse a cookie....

This kid's book, written by Laura Numeroff, is rated for grades 1-3; however I think it should be required reading for all adults. In it, this poor kid give a mouse a cookie, the mouse then needs milk, he then spills the milk and needs something to clean the milk up with. Things snowball from there, each event leading the necessity of the next action until the kid is exhausted and thinking maybe he shouldnt have given a mouse a cookie. It describes real life perfectly....or at least my life on a regular basis.

Take for example, my decision yesterday to go for a long run (well, long for me anyway), the first one in mississippi that didnt involve my own treadmill.  Armed with a print out of a map of a local bike trail system I was good to go. It was hot outside so I had to find running shorts. This required me to unpack and put away clothes. I found a pair of shorts and then noticed as I was headed out the door that they had no pockets. Running in a new place, I figured taking a cell phone was a good idea and I might also need a place to put my keys. Went back and spent another 10 minutes unpacking clothes, finding the second of my two pairs of running shorts which happened to have pockets (and are also splattered with paint but whatever).

Off I went, driving north to find the trail. I was low on gas but it was a short drive. The map however was lacking a few things, like the markings for both highways in the area. Once on the trail they are irrelevant however they are a necessary landmark for finding the trail system. I drove back and forth, knowing where I wanted to be but not being able to get there. I could SEE the trail in places. By then I was low on gas and had to drive about 4 miles away to get gas. Coming back I drove back and forth a bit more, finding a parking lot with a few cars in it, I decided that I would just try the trail from that point. Locked my car and headed out. However, since I didnt find the section of the trail that I wanted I couldnt keep track of my mileage. So I went back to the car and got my handheld gps. Then I ran.

Overall it took me about 4 hours total to get a 3 mile run completed. If you give a mouse a cookie.....