on the iPod: "thin line" -- indigo girls
On this All Saints Sunday, my thoughts are of a pensive nature. I can't help but reflect on the people I love that are no longer here. They are, of course, with me each day; and they manifest in my consciousness in very different and unique ways. And it's not uncommon for me to think about them while running, when I feel most alive and complete. It's when I feel good.
After slowing down the mileage and distances over the last month, it made me so happy to wake early and meet Mrs. Murie for a long run. While it's not quite time to begin a full-blown training program, i'm ready to get back into a schedule of distance running on the weekends. Those long runs are the single event of each week that I cherish the most, and I'm thankful that I have a such a great friend to share them with. I can't think of a single thing i'd rather do every Saturday morning than push myself with high mileage.
We left out on the trail system and headed north toward Lake Fayetteville. And, not surprising, we settled in to a challenging pace from the start. I used to avoid that portion of the trail because it tends to be sparsely populated and because of it's difficulty. There's a pretty challenging incline about half way, and there's almost always a healthy wind blowing in off the water. Furthermore, multiple stretches of the trail have an eery, haunting feel for me. They linger in a way that I can't quite explain. Sometimes it feels as i'm running on sacred ground. It feels like fallen souls are there. Yesterday, for about a quarter of a mile, the dense, overhanging trees were steeped in fall colors. It was like running through a tunnel of deep red and orange. Not complaining, time seemed to slow and transport me somewhere else. Somewhere that i've never been, but still knew intimately.
Turning around at the Botanical Gardens, the pace didn't change, nor did the encompassing feeling of stillness that Lake Fayetteville brings. The skies were overcast and the morning continued on, subdued and heavy. I was glad to have Mrs. Murie by my side, as we ran along through the crisp air. We talked quite a bit about the 2012 running schedule and what we might want to do in terms of big races. Throwing around three or four different cities, it became relatively clear where we might want to head for a Spring and Fall marathon. Even the thought of training makes me excited, and I'll want to finalize the plans sooner than later. We'll be heading to Dallas for the White Rock half in just a few weeks, and it wouldn't surprise me one single minute if we didn't talk about where we want to run next the entire ride down there. I know it will be on my mind. It always is.
As much as today is about remembering the people in our lives who have gone before us, it's also a time to think about the saints that we come into contact with everyday. And the truth is that we are surrounding by them. People that love us and make us better humans simply through the interactions we have; these people are saints as well. I see them all around me, but sometimes forget to show my gratitude for their presence in my life. I often feel alone, living with Abe Lincoln in a quiet house, the phone not ringing all that much. Sometimes that quiet can be incredibly loud. I sit at my kitchen countertop and eat. I look out the windows into my backyard, listening to iTunes. I read non-fiction in bed. And, of course, I run.
But my friends and family make me the luckiest guy on the planet. They share their kitchen table with me every Sunday night, they congratulate me when I cross finish lines, they teach along side me, they pick me up when I fall, they have fun at football games, they laugh when I laugh, they cry when I cry. They sit next to me in the nave. But mostly they just simply love me. That is what makes them saints. I also think about whether or not I am a saint in their lives. I hope that I am. And I hope that someday soon i'll meet another saint. A different kind of saint. I don't know where he is, or what makes him a saint, but i'm confident he's around. Somewhere. I wonder if he is looking for me as well. I hope that he is.
Who are your saints?
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