Don't Let The Cold Stop You

Bucked up and tripled layered for a long over due run in the woods this morning. I find the woods a great place to dump excess baggage, much like the open road. The past week’s frigid temps had me heading for the treadmill instead. I couldn’t take the closed-in-ness of the gym any longer so, I doubled up the layers determined to run in the -10 wind chill factor.

The woods were calling me. Lots of pent up thoughts and emotions were screaming to get out, to be released to the trees and dumped into the river. The releasing started before I even got to the parking lot…tears streamed down my face freezing on my cheeks as I ran along the trail. All self loathing came to an abrupt halt once I stepped foot on a bridge crossing a small section of river.

As I stood motionless over what appeared to be a frozen river, I could hear the muffled sound of rushing water below the ice and a corresponding message most needing to be heard. “Although on the surface things appear to be motionless, frozen in this time-space reality, beneath the stillness, the current is swiftly moving along it’s charted course…have faith darling and trust in the process…the river never stops moving…parts of it may be numb; frozen in time but its persistence and internal drive keep it moving regardless of external circumstances…it just keeps going…and so will you.”

Ah, the calming effects of the magic of nature!

Peacefully I trekked along the path as the voice in my head became overridden by the chirping jays, and crunching cushion of snow beneath my feet. The temperature was no longer an issue. I was free! I was in the woods and the woods were taking care of me, reminding me that freedom is the experience of letting go of my resistance to reality. I’ve got to flow with it just like the river flows under the ice and around any obstacles it meets. The river just accepts its reality and keeps going. And so can I.