I crawled out of bed at half past five on Tuesday morning and stumbled downstairs to snag my running shoes. That’s when I heard the light rain. Fifty percent chance of rain, they said, and it appeared that the morning glass would be half empty.
And it was really dark. Daylight Savings Time makes for great evenings, but for now it guarantees that my morning run occurs in the dark from start to finish with no hint of the glorious Malibu sunrise. No sympathy from most of the world, but I felt sorry for myself anyway.
And I didn’t sleep very well the night before, as if I needed more reason to consider whether running was a good idea. And I forgot to charge my phone, which I took as a bad sign, too.
But I laced up, drove to my typical parking spot, and took off on foot down the Pacific Coast Highway in the morning darkness.
There is no glorious ending to this story, nor should you expect a tale of woe. Instead, I noticed more than usual the heavy traffic at six in the morning and suspected that few of the travelers were overly excited by their morning commute. I ran by a homeless individual sleeping on a bus stop bench, covered with a tarp and two strategically-placed umbrellas for protection from the morning rain. Construction crews were starting their days. I heard the ocean waves but could only see darkness.
It was just another day as I ran along, listening to my breathing pattern, feeling my heart beat, watching my steps, and participating in the world. It was a good run, but nothing special.
I took a random picture of the dark trees in the parking lot and shared it on social media along with the stats of my run and added the commentary: “50% chance of rain. 100% chance of running.” Which wasn’t even true. But it is my aspiration, and on that particular day, it was my reality.
Some days do not arrive with great promise. Some days actually campaign to keep you down. Get up, and hit the ground running on those days in particular.
Basketball used to be my thing.
The Greek word eulogia means “good speaking” in English and is the source of our word “eulogy”—when we say good things about someone who has died. (For Bible nerds, eulogia is most often translated as “blessing.”) Well, last week, the law school hosted the sweetest farewell party for me due to the job switcheroo, and people said the kindest things. The very best part was that I didn’t have to die to hear them!
I’m hoping that preaching every Sunday is like riding a bicycle because it has been nine years since I broke the habit. We’ll find out soon. Come see for yourself if you are near Malibu starting this weekend (10:15am, Elkins Auditorium, Pepperdine University).
“Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona.” – George F. Will
George Washington’s 285th birthday is two days away, my how the time flies, but today marks the federal holiday in his honor. Close to half of these United States extends the holiday to all presidents, but I live in one of the many states that sticks with the federal designation of “Washington’s Birthday” in honor of the man known as the father of this country.
