I was sitting there towards the end of the night Saturday night, about 2 rows from the top of Sports Authority Field at Mile High, reflecting on not only the day, but the past four years.
The day was full of friendship and fun. It started with a 10k, where we got to hang out with a lot of our running community, talking about highs and lows and encouraging each other. Personally, the race was about what I expected, a little worse than I had hoped for, but definitely an effort I can live with.
Right after I finished the race, I spoke to a runner who crossed the line right behind me, someone I had never met. She said she tried to follow my pace to keep going, which I thought was hilarious because my pace was all over the place! She told me that it helped since that was the first time she had ran that many miles. It was so cool to know that I indirectly helped someone get across the finish line.
The day continued with a trip to the Platte River Bar and Grille with best friends, enjoying something I'd been craving lately - a cold draft beer and an All-American cheeseburger. With tots. Then we headed a couple blocks to Hudson Gardens to work and enjoy the REO Speedwagon show. At some point during the show we found out one of the kids wasn't going to be able to use the tickets we had got them to Kenny Chesney, so we decided to get dropped off after the REO show.
Which brings me to the moment of reflection I spoke about earlier. In the midst of thousands of people, being out in the open air looking at the sky, I was reminded how blessed I am and how so right it was for us to be here. I've had a few moments like this lately, where I'm able to stop and think about how I've let go of a lot of the things that used to worry me, anger me or stress me out. That's not to say I no longer worry, stress or get angry. It's just that I can let those things arise, but also let them go much easier than in the past.
As many of you know, it was four years ago Saturday that we arrived in Colorado to begin a new chapter. Life hasn't been peachy every day or every step of the way, but it's always been very clear that this is where we are supposed to be. I can't really explain it, it's just this feeling I have. Maybe you can relate.
I just finished re-reading a book for at least the third time. It's so easy to do with a good book. I often do the same thing as it relates to life. I sometimes "re-read" the chapters of my life. There's nothing wrong with revisiting those chapters. Revisiting the streets we've lived on, the majesty of Mt. Rainier or Lake Erie and the great times we had with family and friends is something I do on a regular basis. This has very often helped me through the day. But it is important to put down those chapters that have already been written to be able to focus on filling the blank pages of our continuing story.
No one really knows what the future holds, and nothing is promised to us, but there is nothing that can stop us from grabbing the pen for ourselves and writing our own story.
