Running Uphill with Baggage and a Bag of Open Chips
On any given day, in the rain, sunshine, fog, flood, or dry cold, I love to walk my walk uphill and downhill and back again.
This week I felt every single extra pound of fatty baggage weighing me down. Little tiny hills bothered me. My feet hurt. My legs hurt. My shoulders felt heavy. My walk encompasses up, down and flat, but it all felt uphill this week – like it was uphill both ways.
Is it even possible for me to get in shape for a half marathon by mid September?
Last week I would have said yes. This week, I felt like saying no.
Instead, I went out the door, and down the street. I bought new shoes for my feet. I walked and jogged, and walked again, even though I felt heaviness weighing me down.
My usual exhilaration at the end of the walk was muted. It was there, but it felt far, far away like my fitness goals.
When I came home, I faced another temptation – a bag of open chips, leftover from my mom’s birthday party. I wanted to eat them, and I wanted to eat them all. On Monday, I had a small cereal bowl full of chips for an afternoon snack. On Tuesday, I grazed my fingers over the top of the bag, and then I walked away.
I walked away.
I walk every day.
And, I will walk today.
And maybe I will run, even if it means running uphill with pounds of fatty baggage, as long as I’m running away from that bag of open chips.
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; be we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
Friday, July 1, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
365 Days of Blessings, Days 200 and 201
Double Blessings! Today I'm giving thanks for:
1. The joy of picking up an old book and re-reading the stories like old friends.
2. The short story, "My Princess," by Elizabeth Moon is so wonderfully detailed and rich, describing the loyalty of a horseboy to his warrior princess, who is pulled away from command and forced into a betrothal. Thanks to the loyalty of those under her command, she regains her freedom.
3. The short story, "The Little Landmaid," by Sara Young is an excellent mermaid tale that is both chilling and warming. One young mermaid must stop the ocean from overtaking the land, and killing her adopted land family, even though she loves the pull of the sea.
4. "Strays" by Megan Lindholm still makes me cry after ten years. A young girl befriends another, the queen of stray cats, and is changed by their friendship and by the other girl's courage in the face of a losing battle. Set in urban America, it's a grim, gritty story that doesn't gloss over the painful reality of living in the wrong city neighborhood. Catwoman never had this kind of depth, or poignancy.
5. Fantasy can hold truths up to a new light that sometimes enables us to see them clearly.
6. We are on our second cleaning of the girls' closets today, and we are finding even more to either give away or use for a yard sale benefiting their dance studio.
7. I love taking reading breaks like some people love taking coffee breaks. Of course, I read with a cup of tea close by my side.
8. A beautiful crisp morning with frost on the ground.
9. Walking briskly in fresh air.
10. Seeing friends on the road.
11. Greeting walkers/runners/bikers on the road with warm smiles and big hellos.
12. My cat is a super clean cat, which is wonderful. Of course, I think it's funny too, when she "must" wash after being petted.
13. Laughing at "Sonny With a Chance" with my daughters.
14. Teddy Bears.
15. A bunny stuffed animal in a Christmas dress.
16. Salt.
17. Pepper.
18. Italian seasoning in a huge jar.
19. Dried onions.
20. Immanuel.
Scripture Blessings:
Matthew 1:23
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
1. The joy of picking up an old book and re-reading the stories like old friends.
2. The short story, "My Princess," by Elizabeth Moon is so wonderfully detailed and rich, describing the loyalty of a horseboy to his warrior princess, who is pulled away from command and forced into a betrothal. Thanks to the loyalty of those under her command, she regains her freedom.
3. The short story, "The Little Landmaid," by Sara Young is an excellent mermaid tale that is both chilling and warming. One young mermaid must stop the ocean from overtaking the land, and killing her adopted land family, even though she loves the pull of the sea.
4. "Strays" by Megan Lindholm still makes me cry after ten years. A young girl befriends another, the queen of stray cats, and is changed by their friendship and by the other girl's courage in the face of a losing battle. Set in urban America, it's a grim, gritty story that doesn't gloss over the painful reality of living in the wrong city neighborhood. Catwoman never had this kind of depth, or poignancy.
5. Fantasy can hold truths up to a new light that sometimes enables us to see them clearly.
6. We are on our second cleaning of the girls' closets today, and we are finding even more to either give away or use for a yard sale benefiting their dance studio.
7. I love taking reading breaks like some people love taking coffee breaks. Of course, I read with a cup of tea close by my side.
8. A beautiful crisp morning with frost on the ground.
9. Walking briskly in fresh air.
10. Seeing friends on the road.
11. Greeting walkers/runners/bikers on the road with warm smiles and big hellos.
12. My cat is a super clean cat, which is wonderful. Of course, I think it's funny too, when she "must" wash after being petted.
13. Laughing at "Sonny With a Chance" with my daughters.
14. Teddy Bears.
15. A bunny stuffed animal in a Christmas dress.
16. Salt.
17. Pepper.
18. Italian seasoning in a huge jar.
19. Dried onions.
20. Immanuel.
Scripture Blessings:
Matthew 1:23
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)