SOLC #15 – obstacles

There was that meeting last week that went too long and the sun went down before I could get to my car.  And the day that I left work, shoes laced up and plenty sunlight left in the day, but the skies opened up with a furious response as I drove out of the parking lot.  I do love to run but not on those rainy, windy days.  So when I looked out at the trees and saw them swaying in the wind, I was tempted to pull out a book and make a cup of tea.  But I looked down and saw those shoes.  And I thought about that race I really want to run this spring.  There are obstacles every day.  But a little wind?  The sun was even out so how bad could it be?  And wouldn’t it be great to head into the week with one run on the books?  It might set the pace for the next six days.  Come on shoes, let’s go outside.

Read Full Post »

Day 16 – breathe

When our daughters were younger and would get overwhelmed with the demands and possibilities of life, I would say, Remember to breathe.  Then I would add, you need to breathe in AND out!

I saw this necklace in Montana this summer and I needed to have it.  These past few weeks, as we have sorted, tossed, packed, and made piles to give away, I have touched this necklace many times, reminding myself to breathe.  When it came time to leave yesterday, knowing that the next time I walked into that house, it would be a shell, no longer filled with all the stuff that floats in and out of my memories, I decided that what I really needed was to really breathe deeply so I stopped at the trail for a quick run.  It gets dark very early these days and it was already 4:00pm on a cloudy day but the rain had stopped and I even had my wind breaker in the car.  When my feet hit the trail and I found my pace, I felt my breathing settle into a nice rhythm.  I turned on my Mp3 player and found a song with a good drum beat.  My thoughts drifted away from boxes and transitions and I could focus on the rhythm, imagining in my mind how my hands would beat this one out on my drum.  It was a short run, just long enough to recover a sense of calm, to put behind the worries about not being able to be around when the truck comes or to be there on their first day in their new home.  Long enough to get my breath back.

Read Full Post »