Running in the Rain

Well, I only ran 1 time during the week last week despite gorging myself all day Thursday. So I decided to do 4 miles at Town Lake today. I didn't go 'til around 3:00 because it was raining, and I was waiting for it to stop. Once I realized it was going to rain all day, I grabbed my coat and decided to run in the rain. Since I live in Northwest Austin, going down to Town Lake to run is my weekly treat. I enjoy running on the level trail of crushed gravel versus the slanted asphalt of my neighborhood. I also enjoy the natural beauty of the trail, sightseeing, and getting to see all of the other runners, walkers, and bicyclists. But today, I was relatively alone; I only saw a handful of other runners.

As I was driving down to Town Lake, I was thinking about why I like blogging. It really makes me more observant, especially of the little things. In my daily life, I feel like, for the most part, I am just "going through the motions." Through blogging, it seems as if I take more time to "smell the roses" while I look for and observe interesting things to either ponder or blog about. One of my favorite quotes by my uncle (who is also quoted in the title of my blog--but that is a story for later...much later) is, "The past is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is a gift from God. That is why it is called 'the Present.'" Lately, I seem to spend much more time in "the present" than I have in recent years. But aren't we always in the present? Even though physically we may be in the present, often our minds are in the future or in the past. Many times I'll be in a meeting at work either worrying about how I came across in a previous meeting or thinking of what I am going to present in the next meeting, or simply wondering when this damn meeting will end so I can go to lunch. Likewise, most of my runs, I seem to be counting down the miles hoping to get to the end so I can stop; I'd accelerate time if I could.

But lately, like today, I found myself enjoying the run, enjoying the tranquility of my surroundings, and enjoying the feeling of strength while running. I was enjoying the Present. I seem to be more aware of the Present and try to focus on living in it.