I'm Up! I'm Up!

Yes, it's not quite 7 a.m. on a Saturday and I am awake. As you may have guessed, I am not typically an early riser.

But this is the second official week of my half-marathon training, and dang it, I've got to get across town to meet my bright-eyed trainers. 

Before I head off into the cold, dark morning (yeah, I know it's Daylight Savings now, but this is the Pacific Northwest. It won't be spring until, well, until it's spring.) I'm gathering my water bottle and dried fruit, making sure my iPod is charged and donning my reflective hat. 

It's five mile run today. Hooray! (right?)

Girl Power. Oh, and books, too.

I spent most of last weekend on Whidbey Island, one of the San Juans here in Puget Sound. Each year the gal pals from my book club take a night away to stay at the family home of one of our members. It's less than an hour to drive to the ferry dock and less than 30 minutes on the ferry to Whidbey, so it's the perfect distance from the city to feel like we've escaped without schlepping too far from home.

We meet for lunch at The Braeburn,  a restaurant in the heart of Langley, then saunter around town to shop and browse. Langley is a sweet spot, with bookstores, galleries and a few unusual shops in converted houses. We finish out our shopping at The Star Store, where we gather whatever remaining food supplies we need for our shared dinner and next morning's breakfast. It's an ideal time to bond with fellow bookclubbers. Ordinarily we meet on a weeknight to discuss that month's book. Although we do our fair share of time off topic, it feels decadent to have no time limits, no expectant kids or spouses, no preparation for early mornings.

After our Langley stroll, we head to the house to settle in, then take a walk on the beach. In the past we've seen eagles above and whales spouting. Thankfully the rains stopped so we could enjoy the still blue waters and the snowy mountains in the distance.

Most of the year I feel obligated to these women. Yes, we are friendly and I see a few of them socially outside of book club. But we're together once a month to delve deeper into the book, which I truly believe, allows a greater understanding of ourselves. This may sound like I'm laying heavy hands on the book club, but since I've been a stay-at-home parent, my reading and the discussions around that reading are often my greatest intellectual stimulation. I ask a lot of these discussions, so I try to be as prepared as I can be in order to offer something of value in return. I'm challenged each month to ask more than, 'What did you like about the book?' because I deserve more than that - and so do these women.

So our Whidbey weekends feel a little like spring break. We shop, take walks, cook, eat, drink, analyze the best and worst dressed lists from the Oscars and maybe watch a movie based on a book we've read. Sometimes we talk about the book. This is also the time I remember to enjoy just being around these women. To forget what's on the page and remember how to connect on a personal level. I remember the power of a room full of women, all with our own histories, experiences, dreams, disappointments and plans for over coming those challenges. Each time a gal pal told a story to the group someone would counter with, "That could be a novel," or "That would make a good short story." And we meant it.

I love being among these women. I love that each year I get to know them in a different way. They are more inspiring than any of the characters we read about because they're real. And I'm lucky to know them.