A Trail Runner’s Poem

With pounding heart and rhythmic feet,

I hit the trail with an eager beat.

My lungs expand with each deep breath

The arboreal air I begin to ingest.

The world around me fades away,

As trees and rocks become my play.

My worries vanish, one by one,

And the wilderness becomes my fun.

The path ahead is steep and rough,

But I push on, strong and tough.

My body sings with joyful pain,

My muscles flex, blood pumps through my veins.

The wind is sharp upon my face,

As I push ahead with quickened pace.

The trees are close, their branches low

And I weave my way through the wooded glow.

Running with Gratitude

My last bad day was April 19, 2016.    That’s the day I received my first injection to stop the debilitating inflammation that had taken over my body.   I felt the slightest amount of relief, but I knew more was coming.   Indeed, after a few months I as walking a little more normally and eventually jogging a bit at a time.    Progress was steady, and as I built back the muscles that had completely wasted away I started to look at running races.    18 months after that day I ran my first road marathon.  

However, life was far from easy.   I found myself getting sick constantly because of my suppressed immune system.  (Being around sick kids every day probably didn’t help).  I was still really tired most days.    Flare-ups of my disease would occur randomly and without warning, lasting days to weeks at a time.   The brain fog was slow to clear.   But I had perspective now.   I knew what terrible was and even my worst days were better than that.   Every “bad” day I would remind myself of how I felt back then, struggling to sleep, walk and move.   I changed my mindset to one of complete gratitude.     

So now when I wake up and have “that” feeling that I have come to recognize as an impending flare I reset my mindset.   I aim to keep a positive attitude at work at home.   At least I am still capable of working, running and living.    What a blessing that is and I couldn’t be more grateful.  

What’s your last bad day?    And how can you reframe the “problems” in your life to a mindset of gratitude and thankfulness.    You may not have had that life changing moment but at some point you will.  How will you react?   How will you cope?   How will that affect yourself and others?  

Change your mindset, change your life.