By I don’t want to add a cliche to your list but I feel like every day I come to these small realizations. These aren’t life changing realizations and I imagine some people reading will have thought of this long before I did. That’s OK, keep reading!
Today was a run day for me. I have this bad habit of checking my pace throughout my run. How long till my watch vibrates and says I hit a mile? Ooo my pace is slow. Ooo that’s a good pace. Ahh only 0.26 miles left.
Today I had a goal of running more than a mile. I didn’t really care how far I ran just that it was more than a mile. My first mile I checked my watch a dozen times. When I felt that mile buzz, I kept running. When I passed the fire hydrant, I kept running. The house with the red door, I kept running. I turned the corner, passed the tree, ran along the busy road, passed the overgrown grass, and I kept running. I kept running until I felt the two mile vibration. Two miles. No stops.
It’s been years since I ran two miles. For my second mile I told myself I’ll be slower because I just ran a mile. I just wanted to finish. I didn’t check my pace or how far I had to go, I just ran. The result? I was more than a minute faster on mile two. When I didn’t pay attention to the end goal and just was in the moment I improved. How can I apply that today? How can I enjoy my journey instead of just racing to the finish line?
When I got back from my run my kids were playing with a bottle of bubbles in the bathroom. The floor, and the towels they laid out, were soaking wet. They were so happy and so proud. Without that second mile I may have been upset about the floor, made them stop and clean up. I may have checked the time to see how long till bedtime. Instead I had them show me what they created and their smiles grew!
This is a hard season, but it’s time I stopped waiting for the next one and enjoyed this journey. One mile at a time, one mess at a time, and one day at a time. Slow down and enjoy the journey.
God Bless.
– E
E. A. McComas 