Thoughts on My Morning Run

It's dark when my feet hit the pavement. The air is calm, the earth still asleep. Moving slowly, one stride at a time, I watch, I listen. A bird starts to sing in the woods, a squirrel chatters. As I turn the corner the rolling hills I will run stretch out before me and the sun gently rises in the sky. The earth awakens before my eyes, as the meditative sound of my feet settle my mind. My spirit soars, my soul feels alive. As my heart beats faster with each hill, the rhythm of my breath, inhale, exhale, is my focus. The only thought is pushing ahead, to the top. At the top the road flattens for a bit, I find a comfortable pace and settle in...until the next hill.

Life is kind of like a run. At times we are comfortable, living life on the flat road, things are good, we are happy, and live seems to be moving along at a good pace. Other times we are working those hills, maybe struggling for a breath, we dig deep inside to find that last little bit of energy to get us to the top. Finally, we get there, and when we do, goodness, it feels wonderful. And then we hit the downhill. At first it feels good, exhilarating. Gravity does the work, we just lean into it and go. But as we reach the bottom of the hill we need to find that rhythm again. The place where things are settled and comfortable.

My runs push me to new limits, stretching the athlete inside, but they are also a wondeful reminder that like a run, life has its ups and downs, its good days and its not so good days. But no matter what, I always end up back at home. Home, a place filled with memories, and love, a place I feel safe, and a place where I (and we) have built a solid foundation on which we have grown and continue to grow.

So if today you are struggling up that hill, keep going, push through because the other side is a little easier. Know you are not alone, others are with you, working to get up that hill. You will make it to the top, we all do, it just takes a little longer for some. If you happen to be enjoying the flat road at the moment, the flow and ease of life filled with good things, enjoy it, and maybe make an effort to throw out a smile to one of those struggling to get to the top today. One day you will need that smile too.