Flight

I run. I love to run. Running is, at best, the closest I could ever come to natural flight, and at worst, a great way for me to feel good about myself. The feeling of gravel beneath your feet as you push off of the ground in an attempt to leave it forever is truly divine. The experience of hitting what you think is your limit and pushing through it until you feel as though you could run forever can be more freeing a feeling than any other.
Not all surfaces are created equal. I hate running on concrete. I can't stand it. I can never go as far as I want to and the next day my knees creak like nobody's business! Personally, I like gravel. It's softer than concrete, but doesn't give enough to take away your natural spring. That's why I run on our local Hike and Bike trail. The full loop is about three and half miles, which is a great amount for me to be running right now. The heat makes it harder, but its so beautiful outside that I don't really notice.
Sometimes, when I'm at the beginning of a run, or otherwise not so exhausted during one that I can focus on the conversations around me, I hear very funny things indeed. I pass all kinds of people on the trail from all walks of life. It's fascinating,
When I was younger, my mother and I would go out to the trail all the time. There were times where we went almost every day. At that time I walked, and it was beautiful, but it wasn't beautiful like running is. Walking allowed me to really absorb everything fully and see what was around me. Running is internal beauty blending in with external beauty like a watercolor that's bleeding. There's a point in your run where you become so worn out that you have to pretend your body is a part of the landscape, and it is moving because that is all it can do, and so you keep going, feeling that you are at one with your surroundings. The freedom of running can open you up to the cosmos if you let it. Will you let it in?

Thing to be grateful for today: Freedom.