Focus
Today I am grateful for the good training run that Darcy and I had yesterday and for the understanding that sobriety is best tackled in 24-hour segments.
I want to thank my sister Mary Jo for a little book she gave me titled Words of Wisdom for Women by Rachel Snyder. It goes through the alphabet and has several words for each letter, with a one-page entry on each word. I was paging through it and the word focus grabbed me.
Our training run is a good example of the need for focus. We have been training for marathons for 10 years now, so we know what focus entails. The right carb-loading meal the night before, put out clothes and other supplies the night before too to save time, give our bodies a day of rest and also get to bed early to get the run started early to beat the heat. The right mindset is also an important part of focus for me too, and I think Darcy would agree.
I have always loved running, and I rarely dread a run. I never dread a run really, sometimes I just dread getting started if it is a run later in the day when I am tired and not in my best running mode. Morning runs I am always ready for. I start out focused. I know that I will feel good during and after the run. I live the line "endorphins are free and very effective."
Once the run is underway, and yesterday's was over three hours, it becomes more about focusing on the path or road ahead to avoid a stumble, and to keep my mind on my side. The legs and arms seem to know what to do, the breathing and the lungs do too. My mind, with the proper focus, plays through some prayers and meditation early in the run, maybe some gratitude lists later, some conversation with Darcy, maybe an issue I need to sort through, or a writing idea I hope blooms further, or simply enjoying the natural beauty I am surrounded by.
Darcy and I were both grateful for the luscious breeze that accompanied our run yesterday, and I was also grateful when, after catching my toe on a nail as we crossed a wood bridge-one of my favorite scenic spots on our city's trail system-that I was able to maintain my balance and not fall.
When I focus on having a good run, that is typically what happens. When I focus on gratitude, I find it and mindfulness at the same time.
How do you best focus? How does gratitude practice help?
I want to thank my sister Mary Jo for a little book she gave me titled Words of Wisdom for Women by Rachel Snyder. It goes through the alphabet and has several words for each letter, with a one-page entry on each word. I was paging through it and the word focus grabbed me.
Our training run is a good example of the need for focus. We have been training for marathons for 10 years now, so we know what focus entails. The right carb-loading meal the night before, put out clothes and other supplies the night before too to save time, give our bodies a day of rest and also get to bed early to get the run started early to beat the heat. The right mindset is also an important part of focus for me too, and I think Darcy would agree.
I have always loved running, and I rarely dread a run. I never dread a run really, sometimes I just dread getting started if it is a run later in the day when I am tired and not in my best running mode. Morning runs I am always ready for. I start out focused. I know that I will feel good during and after the run. I live the line "endorphins are free and very effective."
Once the run is underway, and yesterday's was over three hours, it becomes more about focusing on the path or road ahead to avoid a stumble, and to keep my mind on my side. The legs and arms seem to know what to do, the breathing and the lungs do too. My mind, with the proper focus, plays through some prayers and meditation early in the run, maybe some gratitude lists later, some conversation with Darcy, maybe an issue I need to sort through, or a writing idea I hope blooms further, or simply enjoying the natural beauty I am surrounded by.
Darcy and I were both grateful for the luscious breeze that accompanied our run yesterday, and I was also grateful when, after catching my toe on a nail as we crossed a wood bridge-one of my favorite scenic spots on our city's trail system-that I was able to maintain my balance and not fall.
When I focus on having a good run, that is typically what happens. When I focus on gratitude, I find it and mindfulness at the same time.
How do you best focus? How does gratitude practice help?
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