Must be present for presents

Today started with a long run at boot camp. I realized that the last time I ran the long route I did not get lost I merely didn't go very fast. This morning I started a few minutes early and ran a few minutes late but managed to go the same number of laps as last week. I feel a sense of accomplishment that I survived the run and that I did it a bit faster.

It's the season for shopping and I've been doing a lot of it in recent days. Trying to get the last of the gifts purchased before the deadline to post gifts arrives this Friday. I say deadline because the 11th is the last day the post office here in Okinawa can assure me that my gifts will arrive in the states before Christmas. I was hoping to get the gifts sent today, but that simply did not happen. I did manage to buy the rest of the gifts today so that's something. If luck is on my side I can have them wrapped and packed tonight then mailed off in the morning. I'm feeling a lack of motivation to do this though. I love Christmas, especially buying great gifts for other people. This year has been a bit of a challenge, I feel being farther away from those I love has taken away some of my gift giving panache. I don't know what they (my gift recipients) have been doing in recent months, no one has mentioned something they'd love to have in passing because we don't really talk like that to anyone anymore. This year I can't say I've known what the perfect gift is for anyone. Even the people I live with and I do have the occasional casual conversation with them. Regardless if I've found the perfect gift or not the gifts have been purchased and they will soon be sent and that's just going to have to be enough this year.