Spring into Spring

I'm glad I took advantage of the nice weather we had in the Northland this past week, as it is officially gone.  I went out for a run with Wenzyl this afternoon and piled on the layers, along with a face mask.  I'm not a fan of breathing through my "Buff" but my lungs thank me.  I'll never forget the day that I ran outside when it was really cold; with no face mask, the pain was excruciating. I learned my lesson needless to say. 

 I feel winter is God's way of telling us that things can get really hard, everything around you may seem as if it's dead, but then he blesses us with spring, and everything comes back to life.  There are always brighter days ahead!  He shows us that with the seasons.

Even though spring has seemed to freeze up on us again, I do have to admit having pavement available is nice.  There was a light dusting of snow over the sidewalks, some parts that were "darker" then others that I found out to be ice.  So I stuck to the roadway, jumping back up on the sidewalk when oncoming traffic would interrupt. Today I meditated about spring.  I enjoyed the smells of laundry softener and snowmobiles.  I'm excited for new blooms and chirping birds.  Ever since I started running I've learned to love spring and the mess it brings with it. The delicate growth that takes place is one that I get to be a part of.  Blades of grass that pop up early, the buds that appear before your eyes, and then all of a sudden you find yourself encompassed in green.  I look forward to those days, but I also have learned to enjoy the cold.  There's something crisp and fresh about cold air.  Even when I'm breathing it in through a mask, there's still something invigorating about seeing your breath when you run.  I guess it's like seeing your own blood when you get a paper cut.  Being alive, what a wonderful gift we've been given!