Anticipation and Joy

Of course, now I have Carly Simon running through my head.

After bemoaning my own laziness, I've been thinking a lot more about running again, and I'm starting to get excited. I've been poking around Runner's World online, reading a little Jim Fixx, and setting up a workout schedule in Excel. (The prep work gets me fired up, strange but true.)

I'm not just getting excited about being outside and moving again, but I'm excited about the spiritual reminders implicit in running-- that we care about the journey, not just the finish line. That there is rhythm and progress even when we're not moving in a straight line. That God is showing God's self to us everywhere, especially when we get right into the middle of our surroundings, instead of insulating ourselves from within the car/house/office.

Nice stuff.

So, I've got the schedule, I've got the motivation AND I'm going to sign at least myself (probably also Mr. M) up for a race in October. (The point is not running fast, the point is finishing and getting a t-shirt.) Since it benefits education, I thought maybe I'd see if my mother-in-law wanted to do the 5k walk.

Fitness, Spirituality, and Diplomacy, all in one fell swoop. Nothin' but good times ahead.