Now, if you know me, you know I do not really like winter. But there is something about a snowy run that brings out the kid in me. It refreshes my soul and helps me find beauty in the season I inwardly dread. So, as the flakes fell, I was dreaming of my morning run. (Come on runner friends... I know you can relate!)
Maybe dreaming is an exaggerated term, but it is true I was looking forward to my morning run today.
Before 6 am this morning, I stepped out into the frigid morning air, but immediately felt my soul refresh and my mind become a little less cluttered. I have said it before, and will likely say it many more times in my life, but there is something so serene about a morning run. No one is out yet. The moon hangs in the sky as my light. The stars wink at me as the clouds pass by them. The air is fresh. And it's just me, nature, and God. It's often times where He meets me best. It's a piece of why that's my favorite way to start out the day.
As my lungs adjusted to the burning sensation that comes with the bitter cold, I smiled. Not because I was flying fast or saw something that created laughter. I smiled because I felt free. For 30 minutes (give or take a few) I was carefree. No one was asking me to do things. I wasn't feeling the anxiety of opinions. Tasks had not placed themselves on my plate. It was just me running with Jack Frost and the cold morning air. A beautiful moment to begin my day.
You might even say I felt like Rocky when he was running the streets of Philadelphia in the dawn hours. (Because Phili and Fairborn are so similar, right? As if I am akin to Rocky Balboa either... but hey... in my head, that is how good it felt.)
I breathed in the winter and enjoyed the scene of the snow weighing heavy on the branches and Christmas lights twinkling. Yes, it was cold. But I smiled in spite of that.
A smile of confidence.
A smile of peace.
A smile of freedom.
A smile of truly being me.
A Run Happy Rachael Smile.
Besides a cup of coffee with my Bible and journal and pen, there really is no better way to start my day.
Run Happy.
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