SONG: “Love this Pain,” Lady Antebellum
Little fluffs of white fall as I gaze toward the horizon. They cover my blue sweatshirt in a thin veil of white, frozen water.
Since the new year started, most of my runs have been in the snow. I’ve run on snow-covered trails, gotten wet in its melted slushy residue, and watched the snow globe’s white dance around me.
You know it’s going to be a good run, when one of your favorite dance songs is the first you heard as you begin your run. For me, it was “Stupid Girl,” by P!nk. The girl-power anthem reminded me how it’s OK not to fit in. That running when no one else is can be awesome. It also reminded me that I should do more to encourage my daughter’s aspirations.
As I made my footprints on the pristine white trail, I tucked into the recesses of my brain the crappy weeks I’ve had before this one. They’re done. No need to obsess.
I also remembered how much I love to teach people and I’ve had some awesome opportunities to do that this week. They’ve been enough to re-energize my passion for my career.
I turned around after passing mile two. As “Glitter in the Air,” also by P!nk, came on, the snow twinkled in the sunlight. Huge pieces of soft, white glitter floated reminding me how I’ve gone “have past the point of oblivion,” several times, and always made it through.
They told me they loved me. They made me laugh when they said “Dad’s wine tastes like shoes,” after mistaking it for apple juice. They said they thought I made a good teacher.
I think I found my happy spot — having a family, being able to run and rediscovering why I like my job.
As I stiffly climbed down the stairs that lead to my yard, the glitter in the sky still fell. Beautiful — if only for a moment — I was privileged to be able to enjoy it.