Kerri On Down The Road

 It's a funny thing how coming to the end of a year can kick start an inner dialogue about achievement.  Speaking from the "I", for me it often is not a self-talk filled with high fives and pats on the back.  Instead it often is from a lens of what I have crossed of "the list" with a heavy lean towards what I have not managed to cross off quite yet.  And with the days on the calendar quickly passing, those incomplete items are not likely to be magically completed before the ball drops on the 31st. This year I am going to try something different and I invite you to do the same.  Instead of trying to think back to what intentions I had set in January, which feels like an awfully long time ago, I am going to look at where I am right now as I sit here in my pajamas, typing away.  I am going to take stock of what I have going on in my life that I feel is serving me, and also those things that may have manage to creep their way onto my radar and are not in my bes...

 The other morning as I was sitting down to journal I pulled a card that stated "I Chose Love No Matter What".  I paused to take that sentiment in and to see where it was landing for me.  What I began to notice were all of the places where love could be woven into my life. The first place I considered was in the relationships in my life.  Choosing love as a way to negotiate through the easy and more difficult seasons in a relationship is not always easy.  Love can be overlooked when we are on an upswing as we may be focusing on so many other emotions and feelings that are conjured up as part of our relationship highs.  When we are facing a downturn, we can often cast love aside and allow ourselves to be more focused on the darker emotions that may be present.  What would happen if we took some time to see where love fits into both of these scenarios - perhaps enhancing the upside even further and softening the downside a bit.  And also where love ...

 I am not sure if this idea makes me feel peaceful or uneasy.  No finish line.  No end point.  No way to determine when the work has been done, or accomplishment attained.  Or is there?  Could there be a way to know that we are moving in the direction that our hearts are pointing us in, if we don't have a line to cross to let us know when we have finally arrived? This idea struck me as I was on a run today.  It was a fun run, (and virtual) so there was no timing chip or need to submit a time to anyone or even really prove that I had done it at all.  As I was running along I started to think about how much importance we tend to place on finish lines, on the end to a task or to-do.  There definitely is a sense of satisfaction as we check chores off of a list and as we complete goals that we have decided we want to accomplish or attain.  What I have noticed in my life is how often I have managed to use these to-dos and goals as a way to pro...

 With the arrival of snow and colder weather, I feel like it is safe to say that we are tipping into winter.  In the past I have enjoyed running through the winter, despite the cold starts and slippery steps.  There has always been something peaceful about the experience that has encouraged me to take part.  This year has felt different.  Even before we had our first snow, I was starting to feel hesitation to lace up and go.  I couldn't put my finger on it, and with two spring races on the roster (both deferrals from 2019) it was starting to make me feel a bit uneasy and also worried.  What was wrong with me?  Was I falling out of love with running?   This past weekend my first in-person race took place and I met the day with some trepidation.  It had been snowing and was a bit blustery, but nothing compared to the last time I ran this race in December of 2019 (gale-force winds, sleet, ice on the ground etc.)  I was kicking mys...