Day 3. Contemplating a third consecutive day of running. The body was saying No. The Heart was saying No. The Head was saying take the day off.
No inspiration to run. No inspiration to write. (Yet, you seemingly have an abundance of inspiration to eat. Go figure. You think these things would balance themselves out. Laws of nature and all that. Wasn’t that Darwin?)
Who is she? The photograph up top. No idea. But there she was. Stretching. Graceful. Peaceful. And pointing the way to the front door. (Out Butthead. Out!)
On the continuum of awful to ethereal, the morning is rated as sublime. (I could never figure out how to use “sublime” in a sentence and here it is. Feels awkward, like an ill-fitting pair of shoes. Big word, so much bigger than you. Shameful how you jammed that in there. Has to be some form of writer / hacker malpractice.)
I’m running. 54°F. Sunny. Cool wind from the NW at 11 mph whisking away the sweat.
My thoughts are racing in search for a blog topic. (Doesn’t it get old? Posting someone else’s quotes. Posting someone else’s beautiful experiences in photographs. Sharing Masters and their paintings. Inspirational videos. You are one short step away from posting stupid cat videos. One step away. Then you fall into the abyss.)
The thoughts continue to bounce with each foot fall. Nothing sticking. Nothing inspiring. For Margaret Atwood, it’s “like the blood moving through her own heart: a word, a word, a word.” (There are no words running through this heart today. Blood is coagulated. My head is like the nasty sh*t on top of curdled pudding. Ah, yes. Here we go back to food again.)
I round the bend. The sun is shimmering on Long Island Sound. The water ripples from wind gusts. Geese and ducks are done with their morning feeding and are lazily floating in their packs, resting, preening.
And then it hit me like it hit Ali Smith:
“I went outside mournful, and I hit pure air.”
Time Check: 56 minutes. 6.0 miles.
Nap Time.
- Photograph: James Houston via Carol.
- Related Posts: Running Series.
Haha, I’m glad you found that photo where you found it…pointing you out the front door. As for inspiration, all you need to do is write what floats through that amazing mind of yours…like this post. I’m kind of in the same place though right now…wondering how many photos of flowers it will take before people start to gag. And I post other people’s words, ALWAYS. How long can that go on??? Definitely in a rut here. But tomorrow is another day and surely it will be better. 🙂
🙂 Smiling. If your mind is in the same place as mind, I have found peace. (For the moment)
🙂
I think you should post a stupid cat video, David. Just to prove to yourself that there is life beyond it. We promise not to mock, and indeed we may find inspiration within it, who knows.
Can’t help but notice you are being pretty hard on yourself recently. Ease up, old chap, you’re fine just as you are, honestly.
Laughing. I so look forward to your comments. And Susan (my wife) is in stitches when she reads them. Thank you Michael
WE WANT CAT, WE WANT CAT, WE WANT CAT!!
LAUGHING. You’ll get a cat. No worries. It’s coming.
On Mon, Apr 21, 2014 at 1:47 AM, Live & Learn wrote:
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Unless you can make the self-flagellation a calorie-burning enterprise, it needs to stop, pal. You are not duty-bound to crank out inspiration 24/7/365. You can take a break now and then and I’m pretty sure you’ll accrue no penalties….
As for the exercise, if the running isn’t inspirational/enjoyable at present, maybe mixing it up a bit would help? I do a variety of different things throughout the week–exercise 6 out of every 7 days, but HAVE to change it up or I’m done. TRX, kettle bells, free weights, hell Zumba if it speaks to you…. How about geocaching with Zeke? I’ve heard that’s fun…
Ok, putting down my Pom poms and picking up my book. Enjoy your weekend, my friend, whatever you do (or don’t) do…. 🙂
WLS – she’s a very smart cookie…
🙂 Thanks Lori. I KNOW you are right. You have to mix it up. Even if it is taking a run in an entirely new location. I’m on it. Not today though. I need today off.
snap!
Pop!
Aren’t we being a bit hard on ourselves mon ami? Doucement, doucement
I had to look up Doucement Michael. “Go easy on the wine?” Perhaps I need more!
Good for you for getting out there to run! So far the only inspiration capturing my attention is food. Luckily, my cupboards are bare so I can’t succumb to that temptation. Although, I could bake something….
Laughing (“Although, I could bake something…”) Now there’s inspiration!
I would dare to say the photo was your motivation, and you answered the call, I enjoyed the read as did a crowd of others and you didn’t use Key Lime instead of sublime, so all in all you’ve been too hard on yourself. 😉
Great read!
And I mean that.
Laughing. I LOVE Key Lime Pie. Thanks for the kind words Teela. And I mean that.
😀
inspired.
Thank you Vicki
On Sun, Apr 20, 2014 at 8:46 AM, Live & Learn wrote:
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Writer/Blogger malpractice is outside your frame. If you posted a funny cat video (and haven’t’ there been several funny *dog* videos?), it would be because it sparked something in you—even if it was just a genuine laugh. And that spark is what flashes to us. Your humanity is what we rely on.
Thank you Sandy. That means a lot to me.
I agree with the others for you to be kinder to yourself, though I love these posts when you share what is in your head while running. Though I’m sure you’d come up with tasty morsels while doing spinning.
🙂 Thank you Carolann…the self-flagellation is unfortunately and fortunately part of the DNA. Fortunately, I have quick recovery from one extreme and the other which all balances out.
You and my sister would get on – she has the whole running clears the mind and sharpens the day. She also runs marathons which for me begs the question WHY but she loves it and it has made a good impact on her frame of mind.
Hi Jenni. To put me in a class with a marathoner is a massive reach but I’m with you on the clear mind, tired body concept. Thanks.
These clear mind writings make the best posts. Pure like spring air. No reason to worry. But where’s the cat, David?
Smiling. Thank you Tiny. The cat is coming. The cats are coming.
On Mon, Apr 21, 2014 at 10:28 PM, Live & Learn wrote:
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I’m training for the Portland Marathon and logging my journey as well. Running is such a freeing experience, even if I still hate it, I do have my best aha moments about life when I run.
You captured my thoughts exactly. “Even if I still hate it, I do have my best aha moments about life” – that’s it. Thank you for sharing and good luck on the Marathon training. I haven’t built up a head of steam in my head to contemplate such a major undertaking.
I so much enjoy your writings that at times I feel as if am reading your diary. And this line, “On the continuum of awful to ethereal, the morning is rated as sublime…” Poetic!
Smiling. Thank you so much Sonia. You made my morning.
On Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 2:52 AM, Live & Learn wrote:
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Sounds like a very thoughtful run! 🙂 But I like those stupid cat video’s – some of them anyway! I post them on my Tumblr blog. They appreciate the cats there! 😉
Suzy, don’t tell anyone. I love cats (and dogs) and love the cat videos.
On Thu, Apr 24, 2014 at 9:00 PM, Live & Learn wrote:
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