At times like this, I wish I had Brian's gift for poetry, or my sister Tamarie's gift for capturing a moment in careful words which make you feel like you were there.
I don't have that gift. So I may not be able to effectively express what I want to say. But I'm going to try anyway.
This morning a friend and I had arranged to do a babysitting swap so that we could both have a chance to go to the gym and work out. At the last minute her baby got sick so she had to cancel.
I was already in my workout clothes, and feeling ambitious, so I decided to put Weston and Julia in the jogging stroller and make an attempt, no matter how feeble, to go for a jog.
I am so glad I didn't waste the morning in a sweaty, stinky gym. Because in a gym, I wouldn't have experienced any of this:
- Showers of leaves fluttering to the ground as the wind blew through the trees
- The sound of my feet and the stroller crunching through the leaves
- Gorgeous, colorful trees, in all stages of change...some still green, some tipped with red, some fully orange and gold, and some whose leaves are almost entirely gone
- Turning my head toward a tree just in time to see a perfectly formed bird's nest in the low branches
- The feeling of cold, crisp air coming into my nostrils and filling my lungs with fresh energy and life
- The smell of decaying leaves and woodsmoke
- The sight of my kids - Weston perked up straight, looking around and telling me about everything he sees, and Julia in her fuzzy pink coat and hood, red cheeked, relaxed, and sitting perfectly still...a certain indication that she is happy.
At one point, I felt almost choked with emotion, happy emotion. I love fall more than any other season. During our 5 years in California, I always recognized the onset of fall just by the change in the slant of the sunlight...and always felt a little longing for the real thing. Now I'm in heaven.
I came back from my run on a high...full of energy, and renewed, and with the sense that I experience the world too often from the windows of my house or my car.
I think I need to make this morning run a more frequent experience.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Thankful
Posted by Karene at 9:14 AM
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8 comments:
Your post sounded very poetic to me!
Love it!!
So Jealous! I am sitting here at work watching it get dark outside and wondering when I will be able to run again. The sun comes up when I have to be here and goes down before I leave so I never get out any more. Am I being too optimistic in thinking I can run the turkey trot without any training - eeek.
I seriously feel like I just joined you! That was the perfect thing to make me feel both uplifted by your experience, and also, nostalgic for our runs together!! I still think about those days and cherish them! Thanks for sharing! More! More! Please.
You do have a talent with words, Karene. I could picture everything you wrote. Beautiful! It is pretty here too but the colors aren't as varied or intense this year as those we enjoyed on the east coast.
Thanks for sharing this very happy moment!
Hey friend, even though this is a post of your bloggie thoughts, I like it! Glad you are happy in Virginia.
I missed out on this back when you posted it. I'm glad you decided to keep blogging...these things really make a difference!
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