The Forrest Gump in me

But then, there are opportunities for healing everywhere, even in your own back yard.

I had the day off of work today and the weather this morning was glorious. There's a bike/jogging trail near my house and I'd never really used it, so I figured today was the day to check it out. 

The trail winds through the whole town, kind of on the outskirts, but in the midst of trees and streams. It's a really cool asset for a town to have. Once I stepped onto the trail, I started running. And then I started smiling.

The sky was a bright blue. The leaves on the trees towering above me pierced the sky's blue in sharp contrast. The wind blew lightly against my face, in a way that made me feel like some sort of aerodynamic machine.

I couldn't get enough of this trail, this beautiful nature surrounding me. I ran farther and longer than I ever have in my life. And that's huge for me. (When I was in 7th grade, I had a crush on the star of the track team. To be closer to him, I joined the team, even though I NEARLY HYPERVENTILATED every time I ran around the track. And guess what happened? About two weeks after I joined, I overheard the handsome track star telling one of his buddies that I "look funny" when I run. The love of my life, the one for whom I suffered physical pain, was now making fun of me for the very thing I thought would draw him to me. I've had a grudge against running ever since.)

This time, though, it didn't hurt. This time, my feet were moving in the same synchronized pattern that my breath was flowing. I was in a continuous state of moving forward, leaving behind me the disappointment of my parents' divorce, the heartbreak of past relationships, the fear of the future. And of course I pounded the ground a little harder when I pictured the face of that stupid seventh-grade track star boy. Ha. Look who's laughing now.

Every once in a while another jogger/biker/walker would pass by me, and we would greet each other with a nod, a smile or a simple hello. We all had this unspoken sense of kinship, brought together by something we had in common. It's like what we were really saying to each other was, "Hello, friend. I'm glad to see that you're making your life better today. I know it's challenging, but you'll get through it. We're all in this together."

It was in the middle of the run that I recognized the power of self-discipline, and how I needed to apply it to every area of my life. That, and the concept of leaving behind that which drags me down, and moving toward that which makes me new and improved.

After I crossed my self-appointed finish line (which, for drama's sake, was preceded by the only uphill slope on the trail), I smiled, said a prayer of thanks... and walked it out.