Seeing the good.

Today I was able to get out on the trail again and, as always, it didn’t disappoint. The skies are gray, the trees are bare, and there is no beautiful snow blanket on the ground or the branches. Usually we’ve had some snow at this point in the season, and it’s been quite surprising to have pretty much none. I am holding out for a white Christmas, though.

 As I ran along the trail, I started to think back on this past year. I tend to do that, as we all do when we are this close to the new year. This past year was rough for me and for my family. To sum it all up, I am very relieved to put all of that behind me and move on.

But what about the good stuff that happened? As I thought about that, I rounded the corner down in a big meadow area at the bottom of the trail. It’s one of my favorite sections on the trail, to be honest. I went along the water, and I came out into the field. And there it was. This tiny little bunch of red leaves. I had to stop and take a picture, because it really caught my eye in the midst of all of this colorless-ness.

So again I asked myself the question, what about the good things that happened? Yes, there were some really trying times. Lots of heartache, lots of pain, lots of grieving and loss.  But just like these tiny little leaves, I had some really good things happen this year, too. So should I just forget about those things? Act as if they never happened? Absolutely not. If any of these good things had happened during a typical year, I would’ve said that this year was one of the best! So why take away from that?

Just like these tiny little leaves that are shooting out this brilliant color in the midst of all this gray, I can’t ignore them.  

As I rounded the hill and came up closer to the parking lot, a little gift was given to me. I ran into a friend that I haven’t seen in a while. Now I know what you’re thinking readers, it wasn’t a tree ha ha! As you all know, I do have friends that are trees and I do say hi to them when I run on the trail. No, this was a human friend, everybody. She has a smile that can light up a room. A sense of humor that is remarkable and extraordinary. And she offered me a hug. What a true gift. I took that hug and I carried it with me for the rest of the run.

So as you close out your year, it’s OK to think about all of the things that did not go as planned. But don’t miss out on all of those lovely wonderful gifts that you were given too.  They still count!

Ron, happy.

Run long.

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