I started my morning a little bit different than usual. I did my exercises, ate breakfast, drank my coffee, made my wife her lunch and then took her to work. But after that, I really wanted fresh air, so I drove down to Round Lake in Camas and walked the loop. Twice.
All I could think about as I took the cold air into my lungs and exhaled, while working my way up the few inclines and around the lake, was that it felt good to be alive. My heart was pounding in my chest. My legs were aching. I was smiling and I continue to smile as I think about the beauty that I was witness to this morning.
Is there something in your life that makes you feel alive? Perhaps it’s singing in the shower. Maybe it’s a hike, a walk, a hug from a loved one, or simply taking a moment and relaxing.
If you take the time to embrace life, it makes it a little more palatable to handle the nasty things that fill us with fear, anxiety and panic.
I end this thought with a brief reflection I wrote as I walked around the lake:
The height of the trees raise my eyes to the heavens, filled with an infinite expanse of space and light, reflected in the beauty of the unknown depths of a limitless ocean. The beauty of creation. The innocence of life.