Tummy and Butt and Thighs, Oh My!

I love to go trail running, and I don't get to do it enough as I would like. But this week I got to go twice. Both days were perfect for running: on the cool side, fall colors, and the sun was just coming up. I am always trying to come up with really good spiritual thoughts, but they just don't really come up to snuff. Here are the two that are in the very rough stages:

1. Sometimes I like to explore different trails, but I don't carry a map or compass with me. So I stand at the trail map, trying to memorize it and thinking, "When I come to this point, I will turn right, then left, then right again." I can do this. I am always getting lost, and have to try to find my way out of the state park. Spiritual thought: You can't go through life without your spiritual compass and map, you will get lost.

2. I have been trying to push myself a little. I run, walk, run, walk. I'm trying to run more than walk. So at one point I decide that I am going to run until I come to the road. I start running and I keep running, then I just can't do it anymore, so I stop and walk. Seconds later I get to the road. I know I would have kept running if I knew I only had a little farther to run. Like any challenge in life, if we knew we would come of the conqueror, we would keep on trying.

So really not so great, a little ruff and a bit contrived. Now this is when I decide to just try and motivate myself to run, run and run. I came up to this little chant from The Wizard of Oz: Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, oh my, but instead I think: "Tummy and butt and thighs, oh my!" This works! I did my best run. Now I just need to do that chant when I steal bites of ice cream out of the freezer.