a lot has been going on...will try to post an update soon.
this post is a lesson in finding the gift in the unexpected. i trust you will be able to relate, or at least find it amusing.
in short, there is not much time for little 'ol me in the 24 hour cycle that insists upon remaining constant. so. when the opportunity crept up for a run this morning i grabbed it. i also grabbed the ipod (complete with a revised playlist) and my phone (for safety--in case of emergency--mine or otherwise.)
the playlist. (the most important part)
it was optimistic to say the least. 46:13. after about the seventh song i did have a short conversation with myself about wasting precious time..."there is no way you are going to get this far so just get moving" is just a snippet of the self-talk...
the warmup.
2cellos. if you haven't listened to them, find them here. play it loud. (pause the music at the bottom of this page first.)
the first leg.
the first leg went by without mishap...dodging school buses and garbage cans. i set the playlist for two longish (translated two, 8 minute) runs and then two minute runs with walks in between. (i might need to translate that as well: run the first two minutes of each song, walk the rest of the song--yes, i know this is not how real runners do it.)
the second leg.
this is the country (a.k.a. jason aldean) portion of my playlist. i made it through the first song, "crazy town", and felt the wall coming...the one that makes you think your legs might not hold you up much longer. (fyi. 19:24) more self talk blahs. then two things happened. the song changed (just in time) and i found a paved trail.
the second leg...second song.
this is worthy of a second section.
the song is she's country. (yes, amusing.) if you have time, click the link, listen to the first few bars, and pretend you are out of wind. i think you'll see why pretending you are a "bad mama jamma" or a "ragin' cajun" would give you just the boost you need. perhaps you would even call it 'gift'. i did...at least unofficially. (i put this link in here especially for you, sister, so don't miss it.)
back to the run. so, i'm off grid. no idea where this path is leading, but it's paved and the song has inspired my legs to keep moving. so i do.
grace gift #1 (officially)
about this time my phone falls through the bottom, (translated tightest part), of my running bra. hmm. guess i picked the one from 25 pounds ago. (can't throw it away...it's pink.) you may have missed the gift because you couldn't mentally can't get past where i stashed my phone...ahem...stay with me. it feels good to run without the extra movement bouncing along with me. this is a special gift because my biggest cheerleader, (translated prayer warrior), in this back-to-health endeavor has been gram. it doesn't get much better than that. thank you, slippery, sweaty phone.
grace gift #2
it's trash day. i dread running on trash day. do you know how lovely it is to breath, (translated huff and puff), trash smells on a run? yes, well, my second gift was noticed as i was dodging a garbage truck. (he did wave at least.) the trashy smells were suspiciously absent. yes, i'm counting this one. praise God.
grace gift #3
just as the new song energy was wearing off, i received another gift. long morning shadows offered a peak at a pony tail bouncing merrily, back-and-forth off the pavement. it looked way more energetic than i felt, but it did get me to the next portion of my run. (which, blessedly, was a short walk. i'm counting the peppy pony tail and not the walking part as gift, since this is a "run" but the walk also felt like a gift...unofficially.)
the worship leg...
i think this is the portion of the run that God truly poured on me this morning. if not for the detour, (translated gift #4-8), this portion of the playlist would have long been gone. long gone.
the first song was an 80s classic by journey, which was appropriate for this section of my run because, at this point, i still had not found my way back to my main route. God and i were chuckling as i was listening to "don't stop believing". (for a blast from the past, click here. you know you want to.)
the next four songs (before i had to walk the rest of the way home) were simply a gift of worship. perhaps not the most amusing part, but definitely the most gratifying.
my ultimate favorite is below (perhaps you also will receive it as gift...a grace gift). you can listen here or just read most of the lyrics offered below...my heart will sing by silers bald. wouldn't it be great to shout this out on a run?
you're the river, you're the life
you're the giver, of everything that's right
but my words are weary, they'll never do
my heart is ready, is made to worship you
my lips cannot describe you, but my heart will sing
my mind cannot define you, but my heart will sing
my eyes cannot behold the precious beauty of your face
but still my heart will sing of your grace
your grace is shining down on me
your love is falling down on me
your hope is shining down on me
on me, on me
i had a vision of a home
with every memory of love i've ever known
it was the morning of the life to come
i saw the glory of he who overcomes
my lips cannot describe you, but my heart will sing
my mind cannot define you, but my heart will sing
my eyes cannot behold the precious beauty of your face
but still my heart will sing of your grace
your grace is shining down on me
your love is falling down on me
your hope is shining down on me
on me, on me
i enjoyed counting gifts with you this morning. in honor of my lifegroup girls, the "list" of all that needs doing was set aside this morning. probably one of them was praying. another gift.
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