to capture & enjoy: that which is fleeting...
the leaves are rapidly falling. soon, the trees will be bare and it will be so cold that going running outdoors will give me an earache and runny nose. i may do a new year's eve 5K, but otherwise i think my "racing" season will resume in march. choosing to walk all of saturday's 5K with faye made me recognize something important: i live my life in too much of a hurry, plus i sometimes fixate on outrunning and outwitting my lupus. and then i forget to pause to "smell the roses" or consciously appreciate things just as they are at any given moment in time in my world.
i bet my realization was so vivid and sudden b/c of my slower pace, plus the gorgeous weekend weather. i often go running when it�s pretty out, and i�ll appreciate the fine weather, but not truly stop to enjoy it b/c i'm so busy zipping along, trying to accrue miles, burn calories, or blow off steam. i�ve always considered workouts my time for reflection, but for the first time am left wondering if i�m truly taking in the beauty of my surroundings as much as possible? maybe i should slow down and take in each moment more deeply--i want to live my life more consciously so that beautiful things don�t escape me unnoticed.
so spring is my favorite season, though i also like fall. both bring rapid change: it is only during a short window of time that autumn foliage peaks in brilliance. in spring, cherry and apple blossoms make a delicate blushing appearance for only a fleeting week or two. both of those things then get blown away by wind and rain. if you don�t look carefully and capture their transient beauty, you�ve missed the essence of the season in the blink-of-an-eye. too busy or preoccupied to get outdoors? think again. elusive things are appealing, and when you overlook them, you miss out on lots of opportunities to feel pure bursts of joy and contentment.
so, here�s my new plan: STOP. SMELL. THE. ROSES. i must also never stop dreaming of big things yet to come, but also remember to enjoy the hidden small happinesses tucked into everything that is. now how does that sound??
well okay then. more later.
