Meandering + Flexibility

Today was a meandering sort of run.

The trail we ran was familiar to me, but new to Sampa. It was so fun to watch her explore. She was extra sniffy, checking out all the new little sights and hidden interesting tidbits of information. She had the cutest little trit trot the whole time.

What I love about this trail is that it doubles back on itself quite a bit. I love the feel of winding and wandering, the twists and turns that flow with the land, and the reminder that getting from Point A to Point B could literally not be any further from the actual point.

As I ran the downhills, I realized that I was completely locked up. Every step felt jarring. I felt the impact reverberate through my entire body. And the more I felt it, the more I braced myself for impact. Which, of course, only made things worse.

There’s so much in my life that I try to keep a strangle hold on. Keeping a tight grasp gives me a sense of control. Of course, it’s an illusion. All control is. But it doesn’t stop me from trying. In the end, all it does is make the impact that much harder.

I worked to loosen my body. To surrender to gravity, to the flow of the trail, to the rocks and roots freckling the path ahead. With each exhale, I relinquished a little more control. I told my body that I trust her. I told the earth that I trust her too. We’re all in this moment together, after all. We are all equal creative forces in the alchemy of this experience. The collaboration works best when all parties are open to each other.

I didn’t feel an immediate shift. To be honest, any change that I felt was so small I couldn’t be sure it had even happened at all. I may have been deluding myself into seeing slight improvement just to feel better about myself. But I know what I need to work on, and for now, that’s enough.