Small Victories

I like running. Non, je l'adore!

My relationship with running has had some ups and some downs.  Like most all things in my life, God teaches me through my activities and interests.  Running is one of those that God has had me put on hold at times and other times I find myself full-fledged into being a running maniac. 

When my UC is acting up, my physical activities must take a back-seat.  If you are a runner, you know how difficult it is to stop running.  When you don't run, it seems like everyone and their mom is out running.  If you aren't a runner, you see that as absolutely ridiculous.  Still, I hope you can see how inhibiting it is to no longer be able to walk your dog to the park (only five blocks away).  So, logically, running becomes out of the question.

When I start to feel better, it is a guessing game of when I can start physical activities again.  I try to start-out small with walks to the park or drive to a park and make a loop that has a restroom in close proximity.  Sometimes, I overestimate myself and I live with the repercussions.  Sometimes, I'm too weak and one block is way too much.  Sometimes my 'walk' can't even be considered a walking pace.

In the last week, my energy has been coming back to me and I've felt less weak; I've felt stronger.  When Captain America asked if I would try running today, for our traditional Saturday run to a local coffee shop, I thought: "I wish."  It's been over a month since I stopped running for this flare.  After some more thinking on it, I decided I was ready to take the chance: I would run straight to the coffee shop (no loops) and there would be tons of Porta-Potties out (thanks to the 4th!) as beautiful beacons of hope.

It was only a three-mile straight shot, at a leisurely Amos pace of 8:30/miles...but we did it!  It's the small victories in life that matter, for sure.  I'm not sure that I thought about how much I was enjoying myself, due to the fact that I was focused on just getting there without any 'emergencies.'  Still, it was a small victory and it will build my confidence for next time.  Yes, next time, or even five times from now may not be as successful, but this was a small victory.

Through this season, I've found that: if you don't take time to celebrate, mark-down, focus on the small milestones, you miss-out on seeing how far you have come.  We all need to take time to count the small victories in this life.  These are the milestones that show our growth as a person, as an individual, and as a being.  These make-up who we are and allow us to witness, first-hand, that we have, indeed, grown.  So, don't make-little of the small victories.  Celebrate them so that, at the end, you can see the full growth in your journey and be filled with wonder at what God has done.

~Andréa

What small victory have you had this week?