Below is a piece of "graffiti art" I found in the super clearance section of Pier 1. It grabbed my attention as I started to hurry past and brought me to a skidding halt. I love it - it sums up so much. I handed the nice sales lady $15 and skipped merrily out the door with my new treasure.
My hope is that you can garner some of the same inspiration from the word that I do. Sometimes we forget to "live" in the face of the mundane hustle and bustle of life, terminal illnesses, tragic accidents, financial woes, relationship hurts - you fill in the blank. But next time you are out on your run or ride, I hope you can pause for a moment and remember to live. It's always worth living despite the hurdles encountered. What a blessing to be able to get out and move (regardless of how slow or fast!), and breathe!
I got out and lived today - on my road bike. It was not a pretty sight but it was good. The legs felt super tired, for some reason. The original plan of being "Queen of the Mountains" ("attack the hills" type of day) was scrapped and replaced by spinning a fast cadence in small gears - "small" being key since there was absolutely NO leg umph in my possession. Mere survival was the name of the game. It didn't matter that I was slow as molasses today. Hey, it was sunny and I was in knickers. Yay!
Plus, this time of year is our "off" season. We try to maintain some decent fitness but there's no pressure. If we feel like a 13 mile run, good. If we feel like a 3 miler, that's good too. Fast, slow, whatever goes. We take a few months to chill a little - I think it's beneficial to give the body as well as the mind a break from the normal fitness routine. We do enough to stay in reasonable shape but relax a bit. I marvel at the folks who are motivated to train hard through winter for a big race in January or February. Wow. I couldn't do it.
Well, here it is - our beautiful wreath from Ken and Dana - hung in the perfect spot above the entertainment center for everyone to see! It is awesome!
One last thing - today is the shortest day of the year - another big YAY! Steve and I joke that today or tomorrow (can't decide which day) should be a celebratory holiday - everything will start to look brighter from here. I REALLY dislike the dark days of winter - hibernation sounds pretty good. Bring on the light!!!
Steve and I would like to wish everyone a very blessed Christmas! And remember to LIVE each day! Happy Trails!
