Light bulb moment about stress

I was planning on going out for a great run today.  It has been about a week since I have been able to get outside and run.  Our schedule this week is pretty packed and running is one of those things that I get to do in my spare time.  At the moment my quads feel like they are so tight that I can hardly walk.  I need to get some major stretching and foam rolling in before I can do anything at the gym or outside.

I had a few realizations though today and made me realize how I handle myself when I am stressed.  This came to me while I was sitting in Micah's karate class this morning.  The teacher was talking about how kids need to practice over and over when they are learning something new.  He was talking about his kids and how they practice the piano a lot.  It was almost like a lightbulb went off in my head.  There were so many moments when I was younger when I would just go plop down on the piano at home and pound the keys.  I wasn't really pounding but I did have very strong fingers and our piano was just a loud piano anyways.  :)  Those moments when I would play the piano at 11pm or just random times throughout the day was a great way to relieve my stress.

One of our foreign exchange students at the time was not very happy with me when I would start to play late at night.  It's America though...I am free to do as I want.  :)  Just kidding.  It was just a habit that I had and the thought of other people in the house sleeping never even occurred to me.  Playing the piano was what I did.  High school and college were the same way.  I knew where the practice rooms were in our school or the buildings on campus.  Sometimes in the middle of the day I would just go to the music building at Iowa State, shut the door to the little practice room and just pound away.

Today, I do have a piano and should probably play it more (but I really want my original piano!) but I can't just always go play the piano.  I have learned that working out each morning, or most mornings, or going for a run at night...that is how I relieve my stress now.

My kids and different situations do take it's toll on me and I get wound up sometimes but I can feel the energy or something inside of me just aching to go for a run or do some sort of workout.  It sounds sortof mental but I now truly understand what people are talking about when they say..."I need to go for a run!".  In the back of my mind I would just think that they are crazy.  Now, I get it!