Years ago, when I would see someone taking a run… I would call out “Hey lady… is someone chasing you?”  Every time.

Wouldn’t you know it though….. at this point in my life, I run most every day. And no one has chased me in a whole lot of years… I can assure you of that.

But during this physicality… well….. it seems to be my best moments to clear out and think. A lot of times, I just sing in my head. On other occasions, I go through much private introspection.

I have come to realize though, that there are some parallels between the “daily run” and living my life.

One thing that comes to mind during this quotidian routine… is perseverance. Determination. Purposefulness. Gumption.

When I start out on a long run, I sometimes think… “Oh my holy bootstraps. How can I do this today?” But after the first few steps… the action of moving forward ignites me. Halfway through… now… it somehow seems do-able. And finally, when the run is over… I feel really good about the accomplishment.

Therein lies the first parallel in life. “On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

I think this is relevant for not only for truth, but also for achieving happiness, awareness, compassion…. life in general.  Or merely completing simple tasks.

The other parallel….. is the miles we’ve left behind us. When I am moving through my run, I will say exactly that to myself…. “Well, that is one mile behind me.” This morning, the statement struck me in a very significant way.

The miles behind us. We travel a lot of distance through our lives. Can we look back, and be proud of who we were on that course?

Did I treat someone with insolence? Unfairly? Has it been a while since I’ve seen one of my friends smile? Was there anyone I overlooked, or did not include? Was I spiteful or angry or vindictive in any way? Am I doing things that I can be proud of, or not? Can I glance over my shoulder and see that I was a loving and compassionate person… a kind individual with good intentions, and consequently good actions? What have I left in my path? Have I shown enough gratitude?

I can’ t change any of those miles on the soles of my shoes. But I can learn from them. How am I going to walk on the road to come?

Wouldn’t it be great if someone approached us,  and said…”I just wanted to thank you… for making this one of the very best days of my life.” ? Or even better… if  we would take the time to thank someone in this way.

So today, and every day… while we are walking those steps through life, I think we should go where we can truly shine.

Not to run because we are being chased.  But moving forward…. with purpose…  to reach that higher ground.
“Goodness is uneventful. It does not flash, it glows.” -David Grayson

And by the way….. I think you rock.