The crisp clean air expanding my lungs with every breath I take.
A visual bounty of nature’s beauty passing me by with every stride I make.

My inner being soothed by silence all around.
Only the pounding of my heart, the breaths that I take, and the soft pat of my feet striking the ground.

Alone on my run, but company nearby.
A deer in the wood, a squirrel scurrying in the leaves, and a cardinal in the sky.

The icy wooden bridge creaks with each gingerly taken footstep I take.
The sounds awaken a Blue Heron who majestically takes flight across the lake.

The soft white flakes falling from the sky add even more calm to this much needed run.
Each fallen flake a burden taken from my plate.

What a wonderful gift on this Christmas day.
Nothing better to take those silly life worries away.

—RunnerDude