Frosty Faces

Today I am grateful for my recovery friends, that we can honestly share, the genuine support we offer one another. I am also grateful for naps, even brief ones. 

We were able to return to another Thanksgiving tradition this year since we stayed home. Our community holds "Gobble Gait" each year on Thanksgiving morning. It's an 8K and 2K run or walk. There are a couple thousand people who join in, which is great for a community our size. It is a fundraiser and food collection for our local food shelf and family service. It's a good run for a good cause. Not to mention a good way to start a day focused on considering blessings and consuming plenty of food. 

This is a picture of my husband Darcy and I after the run. If you look closely, you can see some of the frost that had accumulated on our faces and hats. The temperature was hovering right around zero. Thankfully, there was no wind. And the sun was shining.

Running is do deeply meaningful and important in my life. To be running the streets of my community on Thanksgiving morning, even in the bitter cold, gave me pause to ponder many blessings:

*I am here with working limbs and lungs.
*I can see the road ahead of me, hear the people around me.
*I can feel my feet hit the pavement as I carefully watch for slick spots.
*I can talk with my husband as he runs beside me.
*I can warm up and get into the groove.
*I can conquer familiar hills and clear my head.
*I can pick up my pace and finish strong.
*I can breathe the fresh air.

Able-bodied and alive. Appreciating today, even with the typical pressures of life. Things like gratitude practice and running help me decompress, help me put my energy to the right focus.