Today I headed
to the park like I do every weekend and set out on a seven mile run. The trail head where I enter the park is
behind my daughter’s school and near the track where she used to run in High
School. It turns out today was the local
invitational cross-country meet that used to be her first big race of the
year. I fondly remember her running in
the race, the cheering, and the beautiful sunny days with a touch of fall in
the air. She set a personal best time three
of the four years she ran here, so she was elated when she finished. Her last race here was four years ago and she
is now in her last year of college. The
cross-country course uses the same trail head to enter the park that I use and I
had to leap caution tape to access the park.
It was raining gently today and as I ran through the forest, the smells
of wet earth, the leaves, and the pines were amplified and delighted the
senses, even if I were getting a bit wet.
The nostalgic
feeling of being in the park at the same time as the racers, although on
different trails sent me into the past.
I thought about the happy times, some deliriously happy; the sad times,
regret and remorse over actions that hurt other people, the lessons I learned,
the experience I have gained, and the growth I have experienced. I often thought of turning back the clock to mend
the hurt I caused and to re-experience the amazing moments I experienced. However, time only goes one direction. Time travel is not possible except in fiction
and in the movies. The river I run along
only flows in one direction. Although it
is possible to run backwards, it is far easier to run forward, especially since
I run on some hard trails and would likely run into a tree, trip on a root, or
run straight into the water, which there is a lot of near the trails. Therefore, I run forward on the route I choose
to run, entering and ending at the same trail head. So it is also true with our life journeys –
they move forward, only forward. They
may take pause for a period of time, but they never move backwards into the
past.
As I
finished my run, the home cross-country team was removing the ribbons from the
race course and most of the crowd had dispersed, along with the energy of a
major athletic event. However, I had my
own energy from completing the run, not getting too wet despite the mist, basking
in nature, and feeling the endorphins flowing in my blood. I realize that where I am today is where I am
supposed to be and experiencing the full rainbow of emotions is “life.” Just life.
The most important things to take from the past is the good times, the
lessons, and the events that have made me a better person. The current lessons are simple but effective:
live in the present not in the past.
Plan for the future, but don’t waste energy in worrying about the future. Live the three L’s in the moment: Live,
Learn, and Love. And trust the Universe.
