Keeping It Simple

Living gratefully today, I appreciate being a runner and that these days I have more that I am running to than from.

As I started out on my run this morning, the left-right, left-right strides helped me settle in, like they always do. I checked in and asked myself what I was feeling. The answer came —contentment. It’s summer, I’m on a run. It’s more than enough.

Then I started noticing more than enough:

-the lingering scent of lilacs and other blooming plants

-the mourning dove’s soulful song

-my Brooks Ariel size 11 running shoe and how it’s been the best shoe for me for 18 years

-the sound of mowing and smell of fairway greens at the nearby golf course, always a nice view

-working arms and legs and better running form than I had 3 years ago, physical therapy helped

-a few drops of rain on my body, a gentle touch

Simple, yet profound. Left-right, left-right. Let go of what is beyond my control (which is plenty!) and take the next right steps regarding my own actions and attitudes.

I used to complicate the cr** out of “keeping it simple.” Today, I am able to embrace it from time to time. Progress. Practice makes progress possible.