Sunday Long Run 6-10-12: Wonderful Nature

 Runners become creatures of habit, we have to if we are going to sustain any kind of consistent fitness and training levels.   We tend to be more mindful of what we eat,  how much sleep we get and when/where we do our runs.   Running allows the obsessive tendencies in me to express themselves on my behalf,  so I settle into my routines,  my routes, and it frees up my mind to focus on other, more esoteric things.

My Sunday long runs are my 'church'....I look forward to them as if I was climbing the mountain to see my guru,  to converse with my Soul,  to reconnect with the Big Earth through my feet, my eyes and all my senses and place myself back into context with the scheme of things.    Yesterday I was up and out early, but full-on summer is upon us,  so it's not unusual to have upper 70's/low 80 temps even in the AM,  even now.   It was HOT and clear as I took my new Karhus out on their maiden run,  and rounded out the neighborhood before heading west on Park.   The nearly empty streets give me leeway to settle into my gait on the open roads, and I was happy just to be in the open air and feel the sun on my shoulders.  

New shoes are always a crap-shoot:  since anything can be wrong,  they are heaven when they are right.  The Karhus had a spot rubbing up on my right big toe, so that by the time I hit John Williams park I realized it would not be a comfortable run....and did my best to adjust and accommodate.   Heading up 56th,  I spied a bench by Oak Lake park,  just a little smidgen of a park as Florida does it,  tucking away its formal nature spots in neighborhoods all over, and decided to add this pit stop as well.   The photo is taken from the bench, watching the ducks meander over to investigate.   I was struck by the beautiful colors on the water and the framing of the scene beneath the canopy of trees...absorbed this before heading out once more to complete the loop.

I used to live in the middle of nowhere/Nature and realize how important these opportunities are to dive back into Her embrace these days.   Working inside offices,  I feel as if Nature calls me through the very walls sometimes.   She throws her storms and sunny days at the windows as if to say "Remember where you really belong."    Through Her pain,  mine is recognized and released.  Through her beauty,  my essence is expressed and magnified, as it was at that bench,  reflected in the waters light, rippling out and into the matrix we all inhabit within Her. 

Take a pit stop out into your favorite spot and allow natural beauty to resonate with yours,  your body,  your senses,  your heart and soul.  Free yourself from any definition of who you are, just for a moment, and see the expression of True Self - for your self!