I have a friend who curses my name every morning at 6:30 a.m. when I knock on her door, dragging her out of bed to go running with me. She hates it, but she knows it's good for her.
But what I don't think she realizes is how good it is for me. And I'm not just talking about physically. I've told her not to tell me whether or not she's going to go, because I won't get up if I know I don't have anyone to answer to. Her husband is patient, crawling out of bed and cracking open the door a few inches revealing nothing but a dark apartment inside, groggily telling me one reason or another she can't go, or to wait 10 seconds before entering while he runs back into the bedroom so I don't see him in his nighttime clothing... or lack thereof. (I am grateful for this.)
On mornings when she has gotten up, she curses my name from the moment she pulls herself out of the warm comfort of her sheets till we walk out the door, and whines at her happily-awake 20-month-old or her husband who has decided to arise for the day, "Pleeeeze... go back to bed... just on the principle that you can..." as she ties her running shoes.
Our "run" is a moderate jog to a set of 98 outdoor stairs about 1/2 of a mile away. We go up and down 1-3 times and jog/walk back home. It's not gruesome exercise, but it can feel that way when our bodies want to be back in warm blankets with our eyes tightly shut.
I say this is good for me for the obvious physical reasons ("...Awake early that your minds may be invigorated..." and umm... "exercise"), but my heart is fed because we talk. We talk about everything. And we never run out of stories. Sad ones, appalling ones, hilarious ones, stories that aren't any big deal, and stories I'm sure we make a much bigger drama than they should be.
During this morning's run, the sun crept a little higher in the sky and it grew too warm for a sweatshirt as we jogged along. I looked up in the crystal blue, new morning sky and happiness and gratitude just filled my soul. It's January, I'm outside in a beautiful clear morning, getting blood going through my body, the grass is green, the air is clear, and here I am with a good friend -- who is still my friend even though I'm cruel enough to get her out in such a morning.
And for all this (and more!) I am very grateful.
4 comments:
Yay! I feel GREAT about this post! (I think I always say that about your posts...sigh) You made me laugh. Really hard. I enjoy our runs, too, once I'm out there running. and chatting. The chatting makes it worth it. Thanks for letting me curse your name... :)
Hmmm... I wonder who one earth you could be talking about? I knew after the first sentence. Your post made me smile, thanks Anna :)
I'm happy it made you both smile!
J, you know you could come with us if you're not feeling to preggos to wake up at 6:30. Although we go really easy...
Then again, maybe we should start pushing ourselves...
You don't know me, but I am one of Tiff's friends from back home. I'm jealous of you, but I think it's awesome that you do this to/for Tiff! :) Thanks for being a good friend to her! - Camille
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