The Fallen Tree

In the early part of a run

Begun before 6 AM

On a familiar street

In a familiar part of town

We saw that a tree had fallen.

The tree looked like a strong tree.

Tall, good trunk, not sickly.

The tree was, in fact, in bloom.

Yet, when the tree

Met the strong winds

That had been blowing through the night

It was clear who won.  

The winds.

The tree spanned the street,

Preventing cars from passing.

Lucky for the cars

That were on the street,

It looked like the most damage

Would have been

Some scratches to the side of a truck

From the top and smallest branches

Of the tree.

And it is sad to see a tree ffallen.

And it is amazing to think of how long

The tree stood there.

Perhaps longer than either of us has been alive.

But when conditions were not

In the tree’s favor, the tree could not change.

Could not shift.

Could not turn itself away.

Could not protect itself from 

The whims of the winds.

While as runners—even as people—

We can adapt.  Change.  Shift.

Plan.  Resist.  React.

All characteristics that allow us

No matter how vulnerable one may feel

When running against the wind

To be there another day

While the tree that stood tall

And appeared mighty

No longer is there. 

So, I count my blessings.

Yesterday's Clouds

Yesterday's Clouds 

As we headed west during yesterday’s run

Clouds in the sky got our attention.

Most often on runs at that early hour

It is clouds in the east that have that power.

Often times purple and sometimes blue

Against a pink and pastel-y hue

Of the sunrise over the reservoir

Or over the water in the harbor.

But yesterday the entire bank of clouds

Seemed like it stood still and stood out

And the break between the clouds and sky

Was cleaner that anything that had ever caught my eye.

To the north and directly above us, light blue

Looking further west then, a darker hue.

The sky not yet fully lit by the sun

Given how early we’d met for our run.

And then to the south of the blue shades

Was a sharp white line at the edge

Of a cloud bank extended as far as I

Could see to the south in the morning sky

And beyond that sharp line was mostly gray

For a cloudy start to a busy day.

The edge between the clouds and clear

Was sharp and fine and not a smear

That one often sees with wispy clouds

That do not have lines that make them stand out.

And besides making a comment about the sky

I did have a question in my mind

Wondering what else might be as clear

Was there something far or something near

That I had been pondering for some time

Seeking to make reason or rhyme

Of something that otherwise seemed not to make sense

That might suddenly come off the fence

Of balancing in uncertainty

And instead be clear for me to see.

Or perhaps that wasn’t the meaning of what I saw

Maybe it wasn’t a sign at all

Maybe it was just a random event

A glimpse of clarity for a moment

To simply remind me to clear my brain

So that I can better ascertain

The answer to questions that float in my mind

The ultimately depend on my having the time

To sketch, to ponder, and sort out

What each one is truly all about

The world is not here to provide clarity

If anyone will make sense—it must be me.

The world provides so much from which to choose

But only I can choose to win and not to lose

Whatever happens I can learn and grow

That is the one thing I clearly know.

As clear as the line in the clouds yesterday

Reminding me to find clarity in my way.

Radiating Joy

I heard an interview with Yo-Yo Ma on a public radio program called On Being this morning.  In the discussion, the interviewer noted that one of her producers had seen Yo-Yo Ma up close and that he radiated joy when he played.  I hope I radiate joy most of the time.  Energy and positivity.  About my running.  About my professional activities.  About my family.

I know I am not perfect.

I know I have down days.

I know I may even drag others down sometimes.

But my goal is to live what I heard about Yo-Yo Ma this morning--to radiate joy.  For others to share.

In my family life, in my professional life, in my personal life, and in my volunteer life.   

Some Running Verse

Running in Gentle Flurries

Overnight snow

Pretty on the tree branches

Softly on the grass

Flurries falling from the sky

The sidewalk is mostly wet

The streets are only wet.

I wear my bright colors

Yellow running tights

Black and yellow shirt

White and red hat

Orange and black gloves

Florescent green shoes.

I begin slowly.

Looking for hills

Based on the workout

Assigned by my coach.

But today I am more worried

About safety than about hills.

Streets that are well lit.

Streets that are not too heavily traveled.

An opportunity to just run.

Not to push myself.

Not to think too hard.

Mostly to let my muscles

And my brain

Relax.

I run the six miles

At an average 9:15 pace

And I clear the clutter

From my brain

Making me ready

For another day of much interaction

At the office,

At dinner,

At a concert.

And life is good.  

Get Back Up

My friend over at So What? I Run has inspired another blog entry.  Today, she posted about falling down a half mile into a six mile run.  But she got back up and kept on going.  I cheered her for that and then wanted to share a relevant story from my son's hockey team.

The hockey team had a frustrating weekend.  They played against a very physical team and thought that the other team was not being called for things that the boys thought should have been called.  The complaining is not representative of "falling down and getting back up again."  But, I would say that they were not whiny about it.  I don't know enough hockey to know what should have been called, so we will leave that part of the story here.

What does show falling down and getting back up again was they way they handled themselves in the second game.  In the first game, they were tied 3-3 near the end of the game.  A penalty was called so that the other team had a power play.  To the parents on our team, the penalty seemed unreasonable, but bad calls happen.  The other team quickly scored on the power play and handed our kids a loss 4-3/

They came back today and played hard in the first period (not letting the loss yesterday keep them down), but ended up down 3-1.  The level of play was not that different but the other team lucked out on things more.  The second period was also hard for the boys, and they were down 6-1 at the end of two.  Their coach gave them a rousing pep talk before the final period, and they came out and scored three goals early in the third period to make it 6-4.  While they had fallen behind, they didn't stay down.  The kept right on fighting through.  Near the end of the game, the goalie got landed on and was not comfortable staying in.  The boys coach went to an open goal situation and they scored another goal with less than a minute to go.  At that point, a tie would definitely have been a moral victory.

Unfortunately, there were more penalties called in the last minute that made the difference more than one.  But the kids fought hard.  They showed that spirit of not letting being down mean staying down.

My run today was a careful one after a tinge of pain in my left thigh yesterday.  But I also found what I needed in my run today.  I am so glad for that after spending many weeks in the fall running very gingerly after something went awry just before and during the Freedoms Run Marathon.

And the men who benefit from Sharp Dressed Man are working to find a way to not let being down mean staying down.

So, my friend, my son's hockey team, my own running, and the men who benefit from the not-for-profit I support all share one thing--a tenacity to not let being down mean staying down.