Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
We had a cozy Valentine’s Day at home this year.
We began the day with a small adjustment to our usual Saturday routine. After breakfast, we drove to the UPS store to drop off a package. Once that mission was accomplished, we continued with our weekly grocery shopping before heading home.
After putting the groceries away, I prepared for my 10K run while my wife focused on her weekend projects. Lately, she has been deep into 5S organizing mode—cleaning, reorganizing, and building systems that keep the house neat without constant effort. Our home is slowly becoming a model of efficient order.
Meanwhile, I set out for my run.
This was actually my first 10K in a couple of weeks, since the last two Saturdays were defeated by snow and ice. It also gave me the opportunity to test a new running accessory: nipple protectors. Not the most glamorous topic, perhaps, but long-distance runners know the importance of preventing friction disasters. The new ones worked well—comfortable during the run and much easier to remove afterward than my previous version. A small but meaningful improvement.
The run itself felt a bit slow, but after the long weather interruption, simply finishing the distance felt like progress. By the time I returned home, I was thoroughly tired.
After vacuuming and showering, I moved on to the next task: grating cheese for dinner.
My wife had planned something special—lasagna. It is one of my favorite foods, though my diet restrictions mean we do not enjoy it very often. Still, every once in a while, she makes it as a treat, and tonight was one of those rare and wonderful occasions.
I was extremely excited about the lasagna.
With most of my tasks complete, I could finally relax for about an hour before bed while finishing the last of the wine I started with dinner.
Earlier in the evening, I had also prepared a small Valentine’s surprise. I brought home a Valentine balloon and secretly slipped into the house to hide it in the closet so my wife would not notice.
She loved it.
Our cat loved it too—though perhaps for different reasons. The balloon floated high near the ceiling, and the dangling thread instantly became her greatest enemy. She tried repeatedly to capture it, but our 12-foot ceiling made victory impossible. The resulting frustration was quite entertaining to watch.
In the end, the evening included lasagna, wine, laughter, and a slightly defeated cat.
All things considered, it was a very lovely Valentine’s Day.