Running

This morning, Jenn and I embarked on our Saturday run. The plan was for us to run 4 miles together and then I would continue on to finish out at 13 or so. Sometimes, though, plans just don't work out. We looped around the campus and sawing our friend, Nick Schafer, working in the grotto with a team of other people. They were cleaning up debris from the gardens. So we said hi and continued running. A few minutes later, I asked Jenn what she thought about me working in the grotto for awhile instead of continuing on running at the split point where she goes to her house and I keep running. She said that she wanted to help as well. So on the second pass through campus, we stopped and joined in on the clean-up efforts. We worked for about an hour and had a great time.

This kind of captures what running and biking has meant for me over the last few years. (It is hard to believe months have turned into years.) Sure, it is great for fitness and the occasional race is exhilarating. However, these activities are kind of symbolic for me as well. They are about going out with a sense of expectancy. Much of the time this involves personal awe of creation and the chance to worship. Sometimes, though, like today, something else happens. Today offered a chance to serve. Other times I literally run into people and we chat. Maybe it is just a friendly hello. I think back often to the times that Trent, Ben, and I would traverse the countryside of Bremen and the surrounding communities. Thank God for the air horn to scare the dogs away. I remember the spontaneous singing (yes, singing) and the deeper conversations. In thinking about these times, maybe Trent says it best, " Wow, I can't believe how much I took that stuff for granted."

The pace of our world seems to be increasing with exponential speed. It ends up being so easy to take these things for granted. Yet, running offers this chance to go out and live.