Friday, November 2, 2012

Searching For the Beauty

I was reading an article in a back issue of Runner's World and it was all about the power of positive thinking. It was basically about how directing our thoughts in the right way can help us enjoy running more. That reminded me of a book I read a month or so ago about the Law of Attraction and positive thinking. It's been awhile since I've thought about those things! Anyhow, I decided to try it! The weather here lately has been so cold and blustery, but the author was saying that when he goes on runs when the weather is like that, instead of focusing on the wind and your ice cold fingers, to instead find something in your surroundings that is beautiful and to focus on that. When you start to lose focus, find another thing. I thought that was a great idea! So as I went out on one of my runs a few weeks ago, I changed things up a bit. Instead of keeping my eyes glued to the pavement in front of me and cursing the wind that seemed to pierce right through my skin, I took a moment to look around. I took a second to really take in the nature that was around me. It WAS beautiful! The leafless trees were coated in a shimmering sheen of ice, some dusted with a coating of snow, others gracefully bending under the weight of it. Birds were out flitting from one branch to the next in search of food, singing their songs for one another. A few miles down I even saw a raccoon scurry under the bridge just a few moments before I approached. With every set of tracks I saw along the path, I tried to image what little creature could have made those -- What did it look like? What was it doing? Did it have a little animal family? So much to take in -- I hardly noticed the wind anymore! A far better way to enjoy my run. And when I was finished, I was refreshed and in a great mood -- a big change from the normal winter run! So if you ever feel like you just don't want to get out there, go out with a different perspective and search for the beauty in your little world! (BTW, the pic in this post is compliments of my awesome friend Deb! She took this during a recent ice storm.)

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