It’s fall here in Maine. (I suppose it’s fall everywhere, but you really notice it around here.)
A few days ago, I got up early to go help my husband, Chuck, set up a course for some elementary school kids he works with through our nonprofit, Team Long Run. The kids are lucky, – they have a running trail right off the school parking lot that takes you into the woods.
As we set up the cones to mark the trail for the race, I took time to look around. That may sound funny, I mean, of course I would look around, right? But I realized I had not been looking around. Instead, I had been looking at the ground so I wouldn’t trip. I had been so focused on not tripping I had missed how beautiful the woods are this time of year.
I asked Chuck what runners do when they’re running a trail like that(cause there are a lot! of roots and things you can trip over). He said that you had to look about fourteen feet ahead because you were moving so fast. He also said that when you did, your feet took care of where to step.It was just how it worked.
I liked that, but it still didn’t allow for appreciating what was around me; I had to either slow down or stop to do that.
That reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend the day before. She had been worried about what to do with her life, how to make a difference and use what she had been learning. It’s a common concern, but I’ve noticed that it’s not just my friends who are my age, but young people I know, too.
Maybe age is not the issue. Maybe we all just want to matter. To feel that our days have some meaning. That we aren’t just marking time.
A reasonable desire.
The word “marking” is actually an important activity in the world of dance. It means to carefully and thoughtfully go through a sequence of movements, but not to dance them fully. Not to commit. The goal of marking is to figure out where the transitions are sticky, or the partnering is unsure, and to practice those parts until they work. Then, it is time to commit: To dance whatever you have been marking with intensity, passion, and fearlessness.
It reminds me of life.
Sometimes, we need to look ahead as far as we can see and make sure we know where the roots are, trusting that our feet will know where to land. Other times, we need to do a full stop and look around; either to appreciate the good that is right in front of us, or to assess where we are, so we can move forward.
Then, when we get back to running, we’ll know it’s not because we’re afraid a bear is after us, but because we love the feel of running, of living. Something like the girl from our race is doing in this picture . . .
Something like that.
Happy fall.
