Running in the Rain (version 1)

Running in the rain—

Sometimes it is

Just an excuse

To act childishly. 

Stomping through puddles

Trudging through mud.

Getting wet and messy.

But feeling joy that no one cares.

Returning and noting,

“Wow, I look like a disaster.

But I got out there and did it.”

Running in the rain—

Sometimes it is

An opportunity

To act defiantly.

No matter how hard the rain.

No matter how strong the wind.

No matter thunder.

(Maybe careful of lightning.)

The precipitation may be

Light or torrential,
Coming down straight or sideways.

But Mother Nature cannot stop the runner.

Running in the rain—

Sometimes it is

An opportunity

To act reliably. 

To that friend to whom

You made the promise to run.

And while each might say,

“Not today,” on his or her own,

Together they run.

Together they are more

Than the sum of the parts.

It is not just two runners who each

Accomplish something.

It is a growth in friendship

As well as a run.

Running in the rain—

Sometimes it is

An opportunity

To act faithfully. 

Faithful to a goal

That is larger than one run.

The run in the rain is

A piece of a bigger puzzle.

A step along the way to

A bigger goal.

A necessary component of

A whole that cannot be built

Without each part being there.

And so the run is more than a run.

Running in the rain—

Childishly, defiantly, reliably, or faithfully.

Always shows that there is more to the run

Than minutes completed,

Miles completed,

Or calories burned.

There is a passion for life.