Running through life ~ "uphill AND downhill"

I consider myself to be a pretty passionate person with a looonnnggg list of things that I love and things that make me feel happy and enjoy this life to the fullest. One of those passions is running.

Recently I had found myself in a little bit of a predicament. 

 I had fallen and sprained my wrist, (which still didn't affect my running ;) but then, I took another spill at aerobics class and sprained my ankle AND re-sprained the same wrist I had already hurt as I tried to catch my fall with that same wrist!

 After not having had any injuries in a long time I was a little overwhelmed at the "bad luck" that I had seemed to encounter. But after only about a month, the day came where I felt confident that I was healed enough to head out on my beloved run.

I took it very slow the first time out and only ran 2 miles. I am still wearing my brace and wanted to be sure it felt right and that my footing was sure, and that there wouldn't be any signs of swelling or  soreness both immediately or the next morning.

I was SO pleased to find that the run felt great AND I wasn't sore at all! I was so excited when I announced to Clint, 

"Tomorrow I am starting running again!"

When my alarm sounded at 5:30 a.m. I was so excited to lace up my brace and my shoes and feel the wind in my face...

As I started down the road I settled into a pretty quick pace and my breathing was in rhythm with the beat of my heart and my feet.

 I ~ felt ~ wonderful! I ~ was on a run!

Now, anyone who knows me knows how competitive I can become with myself and my run...I always think I can go "a little faster" or improve my time a little more...So as I rounded the corner and started down a slight hill, I lengthened my stride and felt the breeze blow harder on my face. I was moving fast!

Then, within the next couple of bends in the road I found myself waving hello to a couple that was out running too. They were running the opposite direction of me and so the passing by was quick and I was focused on what lie ahead...

It's funny how in my mind I thought to myself how good it felt to be out running, and how lovely it felt to feel the wind in my face, AND to be able to pass other runners so quickly! I reprimanded myself rather sharply as I conversed in my mind,

"Calm down Miss Competitive! You aren't even going THAT fast! Besides, you were running DOWNHILL!!!"

And so here lies another sweet "life's lesson" for me as I was out on a run.

~ There is no need to try to run "faster" or to try to run "farther" than anyone else around you. Life's road is long and it's hard and it's "hilly" and "curvy" even when you are trying hard to stay on that "straight and narrow" path.

~ As long as we each do our best to move forward on our own path, it DOES NOT MATTER how fast we are traveling or how many people we pass along the way. What DOES MATTER is that we do our best to keep moving forward whatever life's road may bring.

~ I felt very grateful and humbled as I ran a different route this morning and ended up running the same direction as the couple I had passed the day before. I was too lost in myself the other morning to realize that they had been running UPHILL! We were both running on the same road, but we were encountering two completely different experiences.

Such is life.

We are all here to learn, to grow, and to be tested. Not to try to "keep up with" or even "pass" anyone up. And whether we are learning faith through a personal or family trial, or simply from walking next to a friend that you help through the trial, we are not here to judge or be judged, or to be better than anyone else. Only to learn, grow, and improve ourselves a little each day. Besides, who knows, that couple may have been out running everyday for the whole month that I was not, and it would have been very easy for them to look at me and say,

"Oh, she finally made it out! It's about time she quit being lazy!"

Do you see what I mean? It would be so unfair for any of us to try to think we can judge another when we are never in the same shoes at the same time. Just as I was silly to think I was running "faster" than another, it would be silly for anyone to think that they can judge another.

Please don't get me wrong. I don't go around trying to "run faster" than everyone I see...but I DO try hard to improve each run...

It's a weakness of mine that I always want to improve myself, but not so much in a bad way...

I just want to try to be more Christ like in all I do - I want to be more like the Savior. I know I will never be perfect, I know that I have a lot of "life's lessons" yet to learn, BUT I know that if I continue learning and growing and pushing myself, I will make it to the "finish line" ~ and hopefully I will have become what my Heavenly Father wants me to be ~ the Daughter of God I know I can be,

 ~and most definitely~

 that I positively and quite simply was able to "enjoy the run!"