I hadn't even taken one step into my run,
and part of me was dreading it.
It was a beautiful evening.
The sun was clear and low.
I was going to do my standard 7 or so miles in our neighborhood.
7 or so miles, I thought...
That is over 12,000 yards (12,343 and change).
The first steps... the first part of the run.... similar thoughts go through my mind...
Can I do this? This is painful...
I had recently had dinner. I don't like running after dinner.
I felt strong, but my belly felt full.
Ok... 12,000 or so strides.
Don't think of it like that!
I used to think about the TOTAL commitment...
if I want to stay healthy and keep working out...
Let's say I run 10 miles a week. That's 17,600 strides per week.
Wow, that's 916,933 strides per year... almost a MILLION!
Well, if I get to keep running into my 80s... lets say 85... that would be 32,092,666 strides.
It's overwhelming... Can I do that? Do I even want to do that?
Then I think, well what if something happened to me in the coming years and I could not run anymore?
It would be sad not to feel this freedom... not to feel this strength.
I felt strong running around the lake.
I was proud and grateful for my strength, and my decision to run after dinner.
I need to run more often, I thought. My body needs this.
I came around the mid-point...
6,170 or so steps left to go...The sun was setting over the water as I came around the turn.
By this point, the heartburn was gone...
The music in my ears making my heart dance.
I entered our neighborhood... picked up my pace.
Sprinted the final 1/2 mile or so...
fewer than 1,000 strides left.
Mindful of every step...
I stopped running as I came onto our street.
My left knee hurt, but my body felt good.
I felt grateful in many ways... and this thought kept running through my mind.
NOT ONE STEP... Not even 1...
Were either of my sisters able to take,
in their combined 22 years on earth.
I walked the final hundred steps home...
Feeling tired and GRATEFUL..
ZERO STEPS...
perspective.
in harmony,
Nestor