I love early mornings. Today I’m out getting a few miles in before the start of my work day. The air is heavy and thick… we’re definitely feeling the heat of summer. Seasons come and go but each hold something valuable.
Behind those trees and bushes is the house I lived in as a late teen into my early adulthood. I hated it back then, I hated that my parents for moving me away from familiarity and my best friend. I hated adjusting, and starting a new school at age 16. This road was a lonely place.
Later it would be where my kids rode on the lawn tractor with my Dad… it would be the place where I faced my deepest battles within, and would be hub of Christmas, Sundays, and where I would learn the hardships of life facing death of a parent and the aftermath of the one left behind.
All these years later. I’m still here… just around the corner, grown up and in my own settled home.
I think about all the seasons of my own life. I think about how bittersweet those memories are. I think about how far I’ve come. I think about what these roads mean to me, and what they have taught me. I think about what and who matters to me, and who I want to be as a person.
Seasons and miles… marathon after marathon… the race of life… we never stop learning, or wondering, or feeling… yet even still I know just how lucky I am.
Life isn’t always steady… but it is always giving me a chance to smile and become better.
Onward…
Writer, competitive runner and visionary Suzanne Swanson shares inspiring words on the Run Before You Fly blog. She helps those in unhealthy relationships with food and alcohol to overcome their blocks and move on to self love. Join her running, healthy lifestyle and emotional support group on Facebook!