• Black and white image of DC widow blog writer Marjorie Brimley
    New Perspectives

    Mysterious

    “Wait, let me get this straight,” the man running next to me said with wide-eyes, “you’ve lived in DC for fifteen years and you don’t know anything about our running group and you’ve never heard of Kelly’s Bar or any other bar around here?” I smiled. It was my first time with this new running group, and I wasn’t divulging much about my life, though he was trying to figure me out. “Yes, I guess that’s all true,” I said. “Who are you?” he said, laughing at me a bit, but also genuinely curious. “I’m just a runner,” I said, “though I’ve got a somewhat interesting backstory I’ll tell you…

  • Image of runner's shoes like DC widow blog writer Marjorie Brimley
    New Perspectives

    I Keep Running

    I run almost every day. This is a relatively new thing for me – when Shawn was alive, I did a lot of walking, and I went to the gym a few times a week. But I wasn’t a consistent runner. Shawn was religious about his workouts. He did CrossFit all the time and ran on the days when he wasn’t at the gym. He went through a period of time when we were both in our early 30s when he wasn’t working out at all. But he woke up one morning in his late 30s and told me that he had gained too much weight and he was going…

  • Hiking on hash run like DC widow blog writer Marjorie Brimley
    New Perspectives

    Just Marjorie and the Hash Run

    I am trying new things. I mean, my whole life is about trying new things: learning to fix things around my house and grill for my kids and maintain a handle on my finances. But what I mean is that I’m trying new things that I don’t have to do. I’m experimenting with new recipes. I’m going out with men who aren’t typically my cup of tea. And of course, I’m running. Last week, I tried something really new: a hash run. For those of you who’ve never heard of a hash run, do not worry that you are out of the loop – until a friend suggested I do…

  • DC widow blog writer Marjorie Brimley kisses husband Shawn at their wedding
    New Perspectives

    In An Instant

    Sometimes, who you are can change in an instant. “I do.” You’re a wife. “It’s a girl!” You’re a mother. “He’s gone.” You’re a widow. When these changes happen, the world often knows immediately. There’s not always a lot of training about how to be a wife or a mother or a widow before you actually become one, so the transition isn’t often smooth. I certainly argued with Shawn about sharing the household chores when we were first married, I definitely didn’t know how to install a car seat when Claire was born, and I absolutely had no idea how to carry on with my life when I became a…

  • Hiker in woods similar to that on Zombies Run listened to by DC widow blog writer Marjorie Brimley
    New Perspectives

    Zombies, Run

    I love running. It helps my anxiety and it keeps me in shape. Often, I come up with new blog posts when I run, or at least work through the problems of my day. Did I mention it helps my anxiety? So it may seem strange that I also like to run to this crazy immersive game called Zombies, Run. It’s an app you can download and then listen to while you are running. I use it all the time. I turn on my music, and then at random bursts, zombies run after me and I have to go faster. In addition, I take on the role of “Runner 5”…