7 miles. You can do this now.

I mentioned yesterday that I got some new shoes this week. I took them out for their inaugural run this morning and broke them in with a slow 7 miles. I made the mistake of leaving around 10 in the morning and got caught out in the heat of the day. There were several moments when I would think of the 3 or 4 miles that I still had left to run and I just wanted to give up. I didn't feel like I had the energy to make it all the way home.

But then I would ask myself, "Do you have the strength to run right now?"

I focused on the moment. It didn't matter if I thought I could run 3 miles or 4 miles or even 4 more minutes, what mattered is that, at that very second, I had the strength to run. And I kept running.

A few minutes later, when I was even more tired, I would ask myself the same question, "Do you have the strength to run right now?"

The answer was yes.

Overall, the run was slow, but I learned a very important lesson. Sometimes life is lived by the mile and sometimes it is lived by the second. If the mile is too daunting, just focus on being able to do whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW. I believe that fear is never lived in the moment. When we are in the moment, we are dealing. When we are in the moment, we are truly living. When we are in the moment, we see that we are so much stronger than we think we are.

Here is to living in the moment.

Oh, and although the run seemed hot and long, here are some adventures that I had along the way:

I met a woman from Shanghai, China who was out walking and trying to get to the temple. She told me that I was young and strong...and she was so impressed that I liked spicy Asian food. BAM!

I saw at least 4 parents and 1 grandparent out on bike rides with their children (or grandchildren).

I saw 3 football teams, one soccer team, and one lacrosse team out practicing.

I ran by the park where I helped bury my friend's pet rabbit when I was in 6th or 7th grade. I wonder if they found it when they renovated?

It was an incredibly gorgeous run overall and I am grateful to be strong and healthy and able to get out and enjoy the world. I am also grateful for big glasses of chocolate milk when I come home from enjoying the world as a hot, sweaty, janky mess. That was also a very good moment.