Skip to main content

apparently I take requests

Lately it has been cold and yuck and rainy.

Which means I have better luck running at the gym.
I hate running at the gym.

What I really like is to lace up my shoes.
Plug in my headphones and to take off down the driveway.
And not come back for an hour or more.

And although I like to do almost everything with other people.
And will gladly accept any offer for someone to run with me,
It is something I actually prefer to do alone.
At my own pace.

And I don’t run loops or circles or carefully plotted courses.
I like to get lost.
To run down roads I have never been down before.
To try and get as far away as I can.

But there is one problem.
I don’t always remember to leave anything in the tank to get back.
I run until I can’t anymore.
Until I’m a little dizzy or cramping or can’t push myself any further.
(and before you read this and think I am some super runner…keep in mind I max out around 5 miles..and often less...so I’m not talking super far or anything impressive)
But I run without thinking about how I am going to get home.
I just go.

And then I slow down the playlist and walk home.
And sometimes this is my favorite part.
Exhausted. With good music playing in my ear.
And my head clearing with each step.

I know this drives Shaun crazy.
And why he much prefers me to work out at the gym.
Where I never have to worry about how I’m going to get home.

And I wish I lived a little bit more of my life like that, though.
Without holding back.
Without saving anything for the return trip.
But all out. All in.

Instead I save responsibly for my future.
(well I’m trying to at least)
I protect a few corners of my heart.
And I take a lot of naps.
And those are good and healthy things.
And honestly things that I need to be better at.

But.
What if I lived like I trusted in God instead of my bank account.
What if I lived like I didn’t care about people liking me back but just loved anyways the people who didn’t.
What if lived more like a simple carpenter who gave up everything for people who mostly didn’t get it.
A little more recklessly and a whole lot less selfishly.
Without worrying how I’m going to get home.
(so a friend asked for a blog out of me tonight. I really didn't have anything in me...so I asked for a topic. the truth is i  have a whole file of potential topics...just none i really felt up to sorting through and processing tonight. tonight i needed something easy. she picked dolphins. i got even less on dolphins. so i picked the easist thing off my list and hopefully she will just have to settle for a picture)

Comments

Dawn said…
Thank you! I do love the picture.

Popular posts from this blog

multiple choice

As I write I am procturing a test ( yes on a Saturday, and no I am not getting paid for it.) The room is silent. The only noises I hear are pencils scratching on papers and pages turning. If I listen closely enough I swear I can hear their brains turning. I have always been a good test-taker. I would still regularly brag about my SAT scores if it wre socially appropriate to do so(or an actual indicator of anything meaningful). There is something comforting about multiple choice. (well as long as you don't have the crappy all of the above or none of the above choices...just the classic A, B, C, D variety). There are parameters. Multiple choice means you have options. The right answer is right in front of you, and all you have to do is find it. Even if you don't actually know which one the right answer is there are usually clues, it can be narrowed down or worked backwards. Even a blind guess is likely to be right 25% of the time. These aren't bad odds. All you have t...

Turning the question

My school has been sending me to some inquiry training. The “i” word has been thrown around since my education classes in college. It is one of those things that is really good as a concept but kind of hard to pull off in the classroom well. For lots of reasons. But the big one number is because teachers are reluctant to let go of the control. To let the kids loose with a concept and see where they end up. Let them discover, own it and share out all on their own. Without intervening. Then push them a little bit further and clear up any misconceptions that they are holding onto before they slip out your door. This is supposed to be the most meaningful way for a kid to learn. For them to discover rather than memorize. One of the other problems with inquiry and science is that kids have stopped learning how to ask questions. My son bombards me with whys all day long. Why are owls nocturnal? (which comes out a lot more like “not-turtles”) Why do I have to take a shower? Why ...

pursue something else.

Americans like the idea of happy. of pursuing happiness. It is even one of our inalienable rights at least according to the Declaration of Independance. But I think maybe we should pursue something else. like love or joy or peace or contentment. and leave happy alone. Don't read me wrong. I am neither bitter nor cynical. Even my problems are good problems. I am positive. Half full. And most days I laugh a whole lot more than I cry. And simple things like a dance party in the living room, an hour alone in Barnes and Noble, the yellow pajama pants my son picked out for me for mother's day, potstickers, clean sheets, someone surprising me with coffee, jeans fresh from the dryer, a good song on the radio, or squeals of delight when I walk in the door all make my heart sing. They make me happy. For a minute. But when the squealing turns to screaming, my new pants are dirty, the sheets are in a jumble on the floor or the coffee runs out....where does that leave me? And happy isn'...