To be honest, I wasn't sure what to write about today. The weeks can all seem to run together (no pun intended). Work, eat, run, sleep, repeat. When life gets mundane, it's important to find things to be thankful for. So, I decided to list some small, simple pleasures I have experienced while running:

- When the perfect song comes on at the exact moment you need it

- When a random stranger driving past you yells out the window "Keep going. You're doing great!"

- The connection you feel to nature

*story time*

Yesterday afternoon I was running, and I watched this bird take off from a nearby branch. It came so close to me I thought it was going to hit me. I have no idea what kind of bird it was, but it wasn't small. I thought it was so cool that it didn't see me as a threat, more as part of its surroundings!

- Getting to see your world from a different perspective

- Finding roads and trails you never knew existed

- Endorphins

- Feeling a big sense of accomplishment and confidence after conquering a tough run

- Getting to eat carbs and not feel guilty about it

- Great sleep!

- The complete change in attitude afterwards

- When a driver not only slows down, but gets into the other lane for your safety

- New running shoes

- When you look at your watch and realize you are running faster than you thought, or have gone farther than you thought

- The blessing that being able to run is within itself: healthy body, strength, healthy lungs, freedom

These are just a few. Are you wanting to go run yet?

I leave you with a throwback Thursday. This is from 3 years ago, when Alex and I were still dating (and he still had long hair). He and one of my coworkers at the time ran a 5K. I really wish I knew my time for that one! The name of the race was "Run Like the Devil" and we got these little solar-powered devil bobble heads. I think we all got one because we were the only ones in our age groups lol (Alex got the male one and I got the female one for our age group, and then Micah was in the age group below us). I didn't like that it was a devil, so one day Alex threw them off of the balcony at our apartment, and we watched them shatter. It was fun. We cleaned up after ourselves.

I gave Alex that cross necklace he is wearing for Easter that year, and to this day he never takes it off.