3 views from running in the rain

40 Reflections #16: 40 days of raw recollections during the Lenten Season

I love to run, no matter the weather. Heat, humidity, snow, wind or rain. One Sunday after church, my husband and I went for a run while our children were in Sunday School. Rain was coming down and I wrangled with my rain jacket’s hood. Our run started and as expected, the hood obscured my peripheral vision.

Since I think and talk on runs, and I can’t just put a jacket on without overanalyzing it, I shared my “hood” thoughts with my captive audience, my dear husband.

Here’s what I saw through my running lens on that rainy day:

1. Through my tunnel view, I thought about those days when all we see is the charmed life everyone else seems to be living, measuring ourselves against them, and attempting to improve ourselves with every bite of kale, stride on the treadmill, and dollar earned.
2. The rain obscured my view as it came down harder, and I quietly said a prayer to always see the world from a lens focused solely on others, eliminate shallow thoughts, and to begin each day with an act of warm generosity. 
3. As our run came to an end, and my aperture began widening, I vowed to try fervently to live a life devoid of comparison, and give freely (remember I said, “try” I later added “go to confession more” if all else fails).

Ultimately from the peep hole my hood provided on our run, I learned the need to eliminate the unnecessary fluff around me, and turn the spotlight on those I can serve.

Dig Deep: Rain or shine, get your workout in, no excuses.

Lenten Challenge: Focus on giving.