Quick Thought

i finally made it back out to Kickapoo State Park for a trail run today. it's been almost a month sinceiI was last out there, and 2 weeks since my last trail run, my race in Wisconsin. the weather was beautiful, in the low 50's.

a last minute realization that today was the first day of bow season made me rethink the trails i was going to run on. it also made me change my wardrobe slightly, making sure to grab my bright yellow windbreaker. once i got to the park, more surprises awaited me as a cross country meet was going on. so more decisions had to be made regarding where to start.

i finally found a parking spot, grab all my stuff, and got going. it hadn't occured to me that many portions of the trails would be covered with leaves of all shapes and sizes. immediately i felt an inner satisfaction, knowing that regardless of how far i ran or how fast, this was going to be a good day. i had no real agenda, other than wanting to get at least 10 miles in (i ended up with just over 11).

more than anything, i simply remember being awed at the display of god's handiwork. the colors of the trees, leaves on the trails, and everything else just left me breathless. in fact, at one point, i simply stopped on the trail, and marveled. i took a moment to thank god for having me out there, and for displaying his talent in such an amazing way.

the past few months i've spent much time wishing i was able to run in other locations. colorado. up-state new york. utah. washington. anywhere but illinois.

today, i repented of that. i took a look around and just felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. few places could have looked so marvelous. i can still see the place in my head. sloping hill, up-hill to my left, river flowing to my right, trees and leaves everywhere.

so this really hasn't been such a quick thought. i do have a question i want to leave you with. what attitude, desire, or perspective needs to be re-evaluated in your life? desires have positives and negatives. sometimes they propell us to work hard. other times they keep us from being grateful for what we already have.