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

different

Someone recently sent me a meme about tattoos. I reminded them that I have over half a dozen, although none in such obvious places as the picture. I thought about it while I washed my hair, and how once my hair was also purple, and what kind of memes could be found about that. And also, my nose was pierced. Other than the first two tattoos, none of these were things I did in my youth. All were in my thirties. Currently my hair is a plain brown in a sensible cut. My tattoos all easily hidden with most clothing and only my ears are pierced. As this decade closes I have made efforts to dress more professionally, drink less, stay on top of the laundry although I still refuse to make my bed and talk at an appropriate volume level. Yet, I only looked back on my purple-haired days with longing rather than regret. See, I used to do those things to be different.   Sometimes I’d feel just a little trapped by my suburban life although perfect, felt a little too predictable. I fel...

voice

I remember waking up the day after the election tired and stunned. When I got to work I went downstairs to make copies and make some tea and did not make it back to my classroom until right before the tardy bell rang. I have a large class, full of all kinds of students from all kinds of backgrounds. I had not even thought about how they would respond to the election and that since we begin school so early that I might be the first adult they saw that day.  Immediately an African American on the front row told me that she was disappointed in our country. I teach science, not government and thought that I needed to turn the conversation as quickly as I could safely back to the objectives on the board, but I could not ignore her hurt and the rest of the quiet in the room. I told her that  regardless of what candidate she supported that this country is run by more than one person, that very soon she would be able to vote, that she had a voice. Behind her, a student that also ha...

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...