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| Stay with me; remain here with me; watch and pray, watch and pray. |
Watch
Today I went for a run.
Today’s run was challenging. The purpose was to get me running at my race pace. On a scale of 1-5—with one being a walk and five being a grizzly bear is chasing you type of sprint—today’s run was for 25 minutes at 3.5 to 3.75. It was quicker than the warm-up and cool-down pace but not as fast as an interval sprint. It felt good running today.
Of course, it helps when the temperature is 50 degrees, the skies are full of fluffy clouds against a blue sky, and the sun is shining bright. It was a beautiful day to run.
After a fall running on Lincoln's dangerous streets, I do most of my mid-week running at Kickapoo Park. The blacktop is smooth, and I get to take in nature as I run. I can also focus on my posture instead of watching for things to trip over. When I'm not worrying about tripping over uneven pavement or rolling an ankle on the cobblestone streets, I can find the flow, albeit a slow one, and running becomes enjoyable tolerable.
One of the lessons I've learned in 2020 is the importance of good posture when running. Having good posture, a strong torso, and a head looking forward not only keeps me upright, but it also may increase lung capacity. Watching where I run with my eyes fixed on the finish line improves my body’s stamina—as well as my mental endurance. "Keep your eyes on the finish line" is another way of saying, "Yo, bro, don't get distracted!" Doing so may jeopardize my run--not to mention how it may lead to an injury.
When I don’t have to watch for holes, I can focus more on relaxing my body, maintaining a comfortable pace, and efficient breathing.
To help me stay focus, I have a ‘coach’ when I run. Every so often, ‘Coach Katie’ will interrupt my music and ask, “Where are your eyes?” Or she’ll ask, “Are your shoulders hunching up towards your ears?” She asks as a way to remind inexperienced runners like me that running doesn’t only involve my legs—but my entire body. Proper running posture helps prevent suffering an injury.
So, friends, how is your Advent watching going? Do you need to push reset to center yourself? Are you letting the season's busyness or the pessimism from the floating heads from the news channel you watch get in the way of recognizing the hope and peace the darkness has to offer?
If so, that’s okay. Don’t give up. Take time to examine what you need to tweak to help you be more attentive to the good news making its way to you today.
Remember, Advent is a season. It's more of a marathon than a sprint. Watch out for those distractions that get in the way of the grand unveiling unfolding before you.
Watch.
Pray.
The future is now.
If you need some help resetting your Advent posture, may this Taize chant guide you back to an expectant watchfulness.
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