I took my first run of the Spring the other day and decided it was a good opportunity to do some exploring. Last Fall, my friend Kyle and I discovered a path that runs through the neighborhoods behind my apartment complex. We stumbled upon it, ran the course of it, and ended up about 200 yards down the same road where we had found the entry. As the rainy season set in, we never ventured the trail again and I was left wondering: Where does that trail really start?
So, my first venture outdoors was in pursuit of some answers to questions which had been in hibernation over the winter. I weaved my way through the neighborhoods in the hopes that my visual memory would bring me to a mid-section of the path. Success! I turned right, in order to find the first end of the trail and in a matter of minutes was at the dead end that Kyle and I had encountered months ago – a nowhere-nook along 2nd street.
Pulling a one-eighty, I traced the path though back yards and small community parks. I saw THE coolest back yard I have ever seen – a basketball court, hot tub, jungle gym, and trampoline?! Lucky, lucky kids. I didn’t let it slow me for too long, and ventured on to the sweet tunes of Justin Timberlake.
It was a great way to ease back into running, and I’ve definitely found a new favorite “Zen place”. However, I was struck by the layout of the trail - it seemed aimless. It didn’t start anywhere significant, or end anywhere distinct. It wound its way through different settings, along a creek, past yards of all shapes and sizes, but at the end of the journey, you find yourself barely displaced from where you started. I felt like it was a metaphor for my life right now. “Stuck on 2nd Street”, looking for a new path in life; Location TBD.
(Another “something new” I’ve begun by default: learning to read sports articles. Check out the work of a pretty awesome guy I know - http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/040210aac.html Definitely teaching me to appreciate how many details sports fans master!)
