60 – A Sweet, Slow Love

11/15/24

I’ve never been much of a hobby person.
Reading,
of course,
has been consistent throughout my life,
although it’s ebbed and flowed
as a central fixture.

Until recently, though,
I never really dove into a hobby with much rigor or passion.
In fact,
I would see people whose lives seemed to become
centered on an interest or activity with confusion.
I would scoff, “There’s so much more to life.”

In an ironic turn of events,
I’ve become one of those people –
and maybe even worse,
I’ve become one of those running people.
The wake-up-at-six-am-on-a-cold-dark-winter-morning-to-run-seven-miles
kinda people.
Doing it gleefully, contentedly.
Coming home sweaty and tired with a whole day in front of me.

It crept up on me,
this love.
Isn’t it sweetest when it happens slowly?
One day at a time,
one morning at a time,
one run at a time.
I was skeptical –
I thought, “I’m fooling myself because I signed up for a marathon,
and I’m no quitter.”
But after 26.2 grueling miles and a week spent recovering,
I was ecstatic to get back to Shelby.
Apparently, it’s stuck.

In a serious, sluggish world,
I’m loving the lightness of striding feet
and the simplicity of falling leaves.
Of noticing my strength
and feeling confident that it will carry me far.

There’s lightness for you now, today.
Maybe you’ll find it in the crisp November air
or in noticing a sweet, slow love.
There’s simplicity –
I hope you find it.

Lightly,
Leah