Up Hill Jogging

I learned a good life lesson this morning while jogging. At the end of my daily 5 mile run here in Westerly I have a big hill to climb up. Usually it is a killer and I finish out of breath. I start out looking way up and know how difficult it will be. And continue looking up to see how I have progressed, how much more to go. This morning I tried something different. I kept my head down.

Instead of looking way ahead to the future, I stayed in the moment and looked at my feet. I only was aware of the next step. Making sure to take enough breaths to get plenty of oxygen for my body. And, amazingly, I got to the finish feeling refreshed. Not winded. Not tired. Happy.

I want to live my whole life like that. I want to live only in the next step, aware of what I am doing now, right now. The future will take care of itself.  If we pay attention to the next step we will get to where we need to go. And do it with a whole lot less pain and stress.

Imagine, living our lives like this. Step. Breathe. Step. Breathe. One step at a time. All the time. The future will be a pleasant surprise. Like reaching the top of the hill refreshed and happy.