Run

I went for a run just yesterday. I ran for an hour in the semi-cool but yet insanely humid southern swamp like air. The grass was wet and it took about 30 seconds for my socks to be sopping. No worries though. I was running.

My thoughts on this day were in one place and one place only: Running.

Now, mind you, I’m not talking about running is the actual sense. I am talking about running is the figurative or shall I say metaphoric sense.

Running from or running to. Running away and running towards. Success and failure. Joy and hurt. The choices that we make.

When I run I don’t listen to music. I allow and encourage thoughts to come at me like ocean waves. Some slow and gentle and others quicker and more destructive. I run and allow the thoughts to be what they may; calm or upset.

Now I am going to see if I can get some of my thoughts here on this keyboard. You can be the judge.

We run. You run. I run. We run to and away. We run far. We run a little. We turn back. We run and don’t look back. It’s human nature to run. It’s fight or flight. It’s wrong or right. It can be both. We run to survive. We run to live. We hurt others when we run. Sometimes we care. Other times we don’t. We run for ourselves and we run for others.

We run away because we are scared.

We run to because we are hopeful.

Why are we scared?

Think about when you ran. Really. We have all run from something. What did you run from? What good came out of it? Who did you HURT? Did you care? Did you run from a job? One day everything is fine and you are content and the next day you quit and nobody can talk you out of it. Maybe you ran from school. Maybe you ran from a commitment of some sort. How about a marriage? How many of us are married and content one day but running the next day. (My hand is up.)

We run because we are scared. We run because we are afraid of success or we are afraid of failure. Rarely do we admit the whole fear of failure cause but it is there. It certainly is. Trust me.

People run from exercise all the time. It’s ironic I know. One week you work out and eat well the next you are running and hiding because you are scared. It drives me crazy. It is, however true.

What about running to? Here we have the good running! Running to someone or to something. Sometimes it’s too much but sometimes the running shows motivation, spirit and determination. No regrets here!

Sadly, more often than not we run from and not to.

Is running away bad? Not necessarily. Often though is certainly is.

Running away from something can often represent giving up. Sometimes you don’t fully give something a chance before you run and don’t look back.

We have all done this.

I want this to be short and to the point today.

Think before you run. Run when you have to. Bolt if you need to but do it for the right reasons. Always ask yourself, “Is running all that I have left”. If it is the only way then run with all your heart and don’t look back. But is running all you have left? Are you going to hurt someone? Yourself maybe?

Think before you run at or to something or someone. Remember that you can always be hurt by your own enthusiasm and vigor.

The question remains: How do you know? How do you know if running away or running to is right or wrong? You don’t know.

The not knowing is what makes our lives so amazing.

I say risk on the side of risking. If you are not sure how something is going to turn out; stick it out. Try staying with the fitness program that makes you sore. Sign up for that next race even though the last one didn’t go so well. Trust and follow your heart.

I don’t have all the answers and neither do you. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring and neither do you. I do know one thing. I know how to run away and I do know how to run to for I have done both. Every time I run to I feel good and I have no regrets. I can’t say the same for the running away part.

Take this as you will. Remember that life is a journey. When it’s all said and done it’s not the things we do that we will regret. When we are near the finish line it’s the “what if’s” that will occupy our thoughts.

Live each day with passion and if you’re not running to something phenomenal then make your runs the kind that require to lace up and do a tick check when you are done. Just sayin’…