I hope when you are old enough to read this I'm still running, and I hope that you become a runner, a walker, a cyclist or whatever gets you outside and one with the world for a few hours each week.
I've never been athletic -- in fact, I've always been quite girly and wimpy. But, a couple of years before we welcomed you into the world I discovered running, and I haven't been able to stop. Really. Even when I was pregnant with you, I kept on going. Sure, my running became more of a waddle, but I kept going.
I run after school, late at night and even early in the morning. If I don't get at least four good runs in each week, I can feel my energy (and especially my mood) decline. Life is hard sometimes, and I sometimes feel overwhelmed, but running always brings me back to joy. I thank God for the beautiful scenery, the strength of my body and those amazing endorphins that come at the end of a good, hard run.
Running reminds me that life is challenging, but we always make it. Sometimes we run a little slower, sometimes we need to take a quick walk break, sometimes we need a little TLC and sometimes we can run 13.1 miles and still want to run more.
Life has been really hard for the past few months and finding joy has been harder than usual, but yesterday I found it and running led me to it. Just like the bad stuff that can sneak up on us, unexpected joy can too. You see, yesterday I was the FIRST female finisher in a local race. Yes, it was a smaller race. Yes, I'm sharing this title with a friend, but it's a WIN. I didn't expect it, and I surely wasn't looking for it. I just ran little faster than usual and didn't give up.
Here's my cheesy life lesson: Keep your head up, keep moving and you WILL be pleasantly surprised. Yes, life will knock you on your ass from time to time, but let joy win. Let love win.
I love you,
Mommy (who is still glowing from her first athletic win)
No comments:
Post a Comment