Forward Motion

A brand new year. Another birthday ahead, and the determination to stay strong, healthy and fit. But it takes motivation. And it takes playing tricks on yourself. It’s cold. It’s late in the day. Fighting the urge to go home, turn up the heat, cuddle with the cat in front of the TV, drink beer, and eat popcorn. You know yourself. You know that if you don’t change into your running clothes at work and steer clear of home until after, you won’t run. So you fool yourself into believing that you would rather run by going through the motions of putting on your bright green Merrells before stepping out of your office. Then you make the first excuse as you drive your car away from work to the intended parking spot just down the road, where you have parked countless times before, and taken off from on your feet. In 15 minutes it will be too dark to run on that isolated one lane road through the vineyards. Where to now? Home? No. Yes. No. The track. Intervals. It will be almost dark, but there won’t be cars that can’t see you dressed in all black. Blocks from home you park your car, put your earphones in, and pick a favorite song to get you moving. The motions. Forward motion. Act like a runner and you become a runner. And you do. And you are. And it feels good. You round the corner on your fourth lap and see half of the glorious moon peeking out from the mountain. The moon that wasn’t there when you rounded the corner on your third lap, and by the fifth lap it sits low and big and full. And you are happy knowing you would have missed the moonrise if you had gone home.

January 15, 2014