Keep Dreaming

A sign to aim high or a sign to stop or turn back? Either way, keep dreaming and keep reaching for those dreams, making your dreams become your reality.

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Catching Up

We set out with the best of intentions and then life happens. Always does. It’s been quite awhile since I wrote that last post a year and a half ago, so let me catch up on a few things before I attempt again to make a regular go of this space.

Unknown to me at the time, the most significant event was developing as I wrote that last post about mindful running. Just a few days later I found out that my oldest brother had some pretty serious cancer going on. It took a solid year of various treatments, surgeries, and drugs to get him in good place again where thankfully he remains, though treatment still continues. Perhaps needless to say, that was one event to change my focus. Somewhere in the middle of brother’s adventure my stepfather passed away after a lengthy illness. His departure set off another chain of events within the family that are rippling.

Another significant happening during this time was my shift from part time to full-time work as a mental health therapist. Lots of focus on establishing my office, building a client base, and learning the unique and challenging ways of the insurance industry. As for running, I’m still at it. I’ve finished four half marathons so far and shed many pounds along the way. I still find running to be a nice way to work at being mindful and notice the world around me. I do have to admit that I sometimes slip on the headphones now to help motivate and entertain during some runs. It’s challenging and perhaps unnecessary to be mindful all of the time and listening to music can be a mindful activity in itself.

So maybe now, after a year and half, things have settled down enough to allow me to be more present here. I have wisdom to share and thoughts about the world and life that I hope you’ll find interesting. Hoping to be back here very soon, but then Life keeps happening.

Mindful Running

I’ve been running a lot in the past few months and find running a great way to practice mindfulness. I don’t run with music, so I get to listen to the sound of birds, kids playing, and all the other sounds of the city. I find there is also lots of interesting sights to observe as I run—the patterns in the sidewalks, the flowing landscape of trees, flowers, yard art, and of course, the cars.

But mostly as run I concentrate on the finer points of running and let mindfulness slip away. Along with the interesting patterns in the sidewalk, I watch for cracks and uneven sections. Some days running is easier than other days, but no matter the distance (I’m up to seven miles), I remember the wisdom of my old friend: you simply put one foot in front of the other and eventually you’ll get to where you need to be. Sometimes the road is straight and sometimes the path is winding, but one foot in front of the other, you just keep moving forward and you’ll get to where you need to be.

A few other observations: the engineers that design the curb ramps on corners never actually use sidewalks. There is an endless variety of the way people express themselves through their yards and collections. You can never know for sure what a child on a bicycle is going to do next. Sometimes you smell people cooking bacon in the morning and you really want to stop for a visit. And finally the process of running leads to a much greater awareness of your physical being as you nurse the aches and pains, along with the gains in wellness running can bring you.