A Runner to the Core

Today I am grateful for the working vehicles our family has, and for comfortable chairs to sit in, both indoors and outdoors, at our house. 

Recently, I am focusing on BEING more fully, so I am not just defining myself by what I am DOING. 

I was being a runner yesterday morning, and as Angel Kyodo Williams reminds us, I dropped my center of gravity from my head to my belly. I can cover miles on my feet and waste much of it in spinning in my head. It's still a run and fresh air, but it's not the same as running with awareness of my body, emotions, and surroundings. 

Runners need a strong physical core to have good form and to run for longevity. At our physical core though is also the core of our being. I have been a runner to the core my whole life. If you ask me who and what I am, a runner is one of the first few things that comes out of my mouth. 

Running and BEING means I feel the strides and notice the arm swings. I fall into the left-right rhythm and it helps me sort my feelings from my overzealous thoughts. What I am passing by is more intently seen. More details of nature show themselves and connections are made. 

A strong physical core is just the start. Mental, emotional, and spiritual exercises help create that sense of balance and integration I seek. When I am truly being a runner, all aspects of my existence get a workout. 

A runner to the core, I am now learning to acknowledge more genuine emotions from that core as well. 

Keep running. Keep feeling. Keep being.