Run For It
“It’s been so nice to slow down,” everyone said while looking for a pandemic silver lining. The sentiment’s become more ubiquitous than banana bread and home improvements I’ve written some version of it myself, right here. Well, I’m here to say I take it back. I was wrong. I’m sorry.
The realization came while visiting my brother when, upon arrival, my niece sprinted toward me and leapt into my arms. How sweet, I thought. She must’ve really missed me. But then I watched her run to the trampoline. Then run into the house for a glass of water. Then run to chase after her little sisters.
Like mini Forrest Gumps, they ran everywhere. Everything warranted getting there faster.
And while we adults demand speed in every other part of our lives — overnight delivery, travel times, WiFi — we move at a sloth’s pace if we’re on foot. What happened to running? What happened to excitement? What happened to showing up huffing and puffing?
You know how they say if you fake a smile you’ll trick your brain into feeling happy? Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found the same to be true for running. Not, like, jogging for exercise — gross. But running toward something. A trip to the grocery store, running. To the beach to watch the sunset, running. While writing this, I craved a snack and ran through my apartment to grab a bar, then ran back to my chair to finish up. Honestly, it tasted way better than usual.
The realization came while visiting my brother when, upon arrival, my niece sprinted toward me and leapt into my arms. How sweet, I thought. She must’ve really missed me. But then I watched her run to the trampoline. Then run into the house for a glass of water. Then run to chase after her little sisters.
Like mini Forrest Gumps, they ran everywhere. Everything warranted getting there faster.
And while we adults demand speed in every other part of our lives — overnight delivery, travel times, WiFi — we move at a sloth’s pace if we’re on foot. What happened to running? What happened to excitement? What happened to showing up huffing and puffing?
You know how they say if you fake a smile you’ll trick your brain into feeling happy? Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found the same to be true for running. Not, like, jogging for exercise — gross. But running toward something. A trip to the grocery store, running. To the beach to watch the sunset, running. While writing this, I craved a snack and ran through my apartment to grab a bar, then ran back to my chair to finish up. Honestly, it tasted way better than usual.