We went to Grandmother's house (or as my kids call her - "Nana") for Thanksgiving. We actually crossed a number of rivers and passed through a lot of woods to get there. As always, it was worth the 6+ hour drive. My Mom and Dad live on a slice of heaven in the mountains of East Tennessee, and I never tire of standing, sitting or walking in their backyard and looking out over the layers of varied hills extending in every direction.
Temperatures started dropping on Thursday morning while my wife and I went on a 5-mile run, and it began to rain during our cool-down. The run was a sort of pre-paid penance for the day of gluttony on which we were about to embark. Later, we feasted on a traditional turkey dinner. After I gorged myself during the main course, I over-filled my stomach with pie and my son's birthday cake (by happy coincidence, his birthday lands on Thanksgiving every six years or so, and he is indeed one of the greatest reasons that I am thankful). That afternoon I planted my ample stomach on the porch swing and looked out over the cloud-shrouded hills, wondering if they were named, and wishing I had time to explore.
On Friday morning I ran again, but the temps had fallen to around 30 degrees, so my wife opted out. It snowed during my run and I'm sure the locals cast a suspicious look at the out-of-towner running through their park in shorts. Over the course of my run I did a lot of meditating about my life, passions and priorities. It's a constant balancing act, and there are other people to consider in connection with every decision I make. I had decided some 10 days prior to train for a full marathon, something I've long wanted to do, but I was already starting to feel the tension of scheduling long runs amidst dance recitals, Christmas parties and school programs.
On one side of the scale I place my reasons for wanting to complete a marathon, and note that they are primarily selfish - it's something I want to say I've done. I can sanitize my reasoning - I want to do it for health, etc., but I can get plenty healthy and fit by training for something other than a marathon. On the other side of the scale are the needs of my wife and kids, primarily the need for me to be around during the weekends, because during the week I am generally not. The work week simply doesn't afford the opportunity for a long run. The scales swung into balance as I ran. I'll content myself with running the ING half marathon in March.
As I sat in my parents' porch swing and looked out over the valley, I asked myself why I felt such peace there. It was the beauty of the place in part, but also the awareness that in the moment I didn't have to do anything other than enjoy it. And so, to the extent I can, I will try to pass my choices through the filter of whether the options are peace creating or peace reducing. To the extent that I can, I will chose the former.
(I'm the dude with the coffee cup obscuring the view)
